The Goodwin

Great older hotel all fixed up

Amazing and large room with great bed. Very helpful door staff: That’s the positive. The rest, nothing to write home about, bar was rowdy and not cozy, reception staff simply awful. Watching tik tok videos on the job. Breakfast is just a take out coffee but coffee ran out and none remade, shower super slippery, room wasbtreat but almost too big with nothing in it. Anyhow hotel is nothing special and not worth the money but in the sea of miserable Hartford hotels, it’s probably one of the bette ones

Great!

Go

Our wedding at The Goodwin Hotel was meant to be a cherished milestone, but it turned into a logistical and emotional catastrophe due to the hotel’s unprofessional operations, predatory pricing, and critical failures. The hotel’s focus on nickel-and-diming guests, rather than providing the top-tier service it advertises, left us heartbroken and out nearly $2,000. I strongly advise against choosing this venue for a wedding or any significant event, as the stress and embarrassment we endured far outweighed the appeal of the hotel’s aesthetically pleasing rooms. We reserved 56 rooms securing nearly the entire hotel, which led us to expect prioritized service and seamless coordination. Instead, we encountered a pattern of exploitative fees that demonstrated the hotel’s greater care for profit than guest experience. They charged an outrageous $30 per welcome bag to deliver them to guests’ rooms. We declined this fee and were assured by staff that they would distribute the bags at check-in at no additional cost. This promise was a complete failure: out of approximately 60 welcome bags, each costing us about $100 to assemble, only 41 were distributed. This left 19 bags undelivered, resulting in a financial loss of roughly $1,900 and the embarrassment of nearly one-third of our guests missing their carefully prepared welcome gifts. This level of disorganization is unacceptable for any hotel, especially one that claims to be Hartford’s premier venue. Additionally, despite securing 56 rooms, we were charged $500 to use an unoccupied room for three hours for hair and makeup. This room was not in use by other guests, making the fee feel like a blatant money grab. These excessive charges underscored the hotel’s priority to maximize revenue over delivering the exceptional service expected of a top-tier establishment. The hotel’s infrastructure and staffing issues further highlighted their lack of commitment to guest satisfaction. With only two elevators for guest use and no dedicated service elevator, staff and guests competed for access, leading to wait times of nearly 10 minutes during peak periods. This was particularly inconvenient for guests managing wedding attire and luggage. The hotel also has just three luggage carts for the entire property—an inadequate number for a venue hosting a large event with 125 guests. The bellman often didn’t know where the carts were, as many guests kept them in their rooms due to the shortage. New arrivals were forced to carry bags up one by one in the overcrowded elevators, causing significant delays and inconvenience. For a hotel claiming to be the best in Hartford, this setup is shockingly subpar and more akin to a three-star establishment. The most devastating failure was the hotel’s inability to manage guest check-ins, which directly impacted the most important part of our wedding: the ceremony. Due to one housekeeper falling ill, room turnover was severely delayed, leaving nearly 25% of our guests stuck in the lobby, unable to check in until close to 5:00 PM. In an attempt to accommodate these guests, we delayed our ceremony by 45 minutes, hoping everyone could attend. Despite this effort, about 31 guests still missed the ceremony entirely due to the hotel’s mismanagement. This delay also cost us nearly an hour of our reception time, an irreplaceable loss that diminished our celebration. The hotel’s failure to have contingency plans for such a foreseeable staffing issue was inexcusable and left us devastated by the absence of so many loved ones during our ceremony. After raising these concerns with management, they reimbursed us for the three rooms I personally paid for, a minor gesture given the magnitude of the issues. They also claimed to have discounted some guests’ rooms, but I have no way to verify this, and it does little to offset the financial and emotional toll. While the rooms are visually appealing, the hotel’s operations are marked by poor planning, inadequate resources, and a clear prioritization of profit over guest experience. The Goodwin Hotel’s mismanagement caused us significant financial losses and profound heartache. Couples deserve a venue that treats their special day with the professionalism and care it merits, and The Goodwin, with its focus on nickel-and-diming rather than delivering top-tier service, falls woefully short. Avoid this hotel to spare yourself the frustration, financial loss, and devastation we experienced.

Toxic chemicals in the room next to me. I kept asking got misinformation. Valet stole the fob to My apt paid a fortune to deactivate get a new one. No chance it fell off.

Very nice place to stay and room was beautiful.

Staff was friendly and accommodating, the hotel was beautiful and we enjoyed our stay overall.

Wonderful place to stay for a concert at xfinity center.