Kimpton Marlowe by IHG

This was my first stay at a Kimpton property and suffice to say it would not make me inclined to return to this brand. Pros 1. The location was reasonable enough and fairly convenient for public transport / walking into Boston. There’s not much of significance nearby though, and the adjacent Cambridgeside shopping mall offers relatively limited dining and retail options. 2. The bed was very comfortable and the room was spacious and reasonably clean. Cons 1. The check in process was slow and seemed very clunky. 2. I wasn’t impressed to find that, despite having been told in writing prior to my Rewards Night stay that I would not be charged the property’s $30 nightly ‘Amenity Fee’, the person checking me in tried to insist that I had got this wrong and that I would be charged this ridiculous fee which seems to offer nothing of any real value to a guest. I mean who the hell wants to borrow a Polaroid camera or a vinyl record player, anyway?! Seriously, this was stated as one of the so-called perks attached to this additional charge. When I showed the front desk clerk the email confirming that a reward stay would not attract the fee (sent only 10 days prior to my check in date), he tried to have me believe that I was mistaken and the policy had changed since then. However, I held my ground and he conceded saying that ‘as a gesture of goodwill’ he would remove the charge. How incredibly patronising! 3. The service at check in was pretty typical of the service at every other point of my stay; slightly aloof and a little dismissive, and not at all genial. This dog friendly hotel seemed to pamper pooches far more than human guests in my opinion. By the way, if you’re not a dog lover, be aware - there were lots of them staying at the Kimpton Marlow! 3. The lighting in the bedrooms is woefully poor, with no central light controls for the floor and table lamps used to light the space. To have to get out of bed and turn out all the individual lights in this day and age is unheard of. 4. Maintenance of the room and bathroom was only average. There was unsightly limescale build up on the black taps and the shower head which was not great. 5. The breakfast welcome amenity for IHG Diamond Elite customers is really quite poor for what is meant to be an upscale brand. The ‘choose one item’ ruling is not at all generous compared to other IHG brands with buffet offerings, and the counter service ordering arrangement on weekdays felt like having breakfast at McDonalds. Overall, I was largely unimpressed and wouldn’t choose to stay here again. Neither would I choose another Kimpton Hotel as it seemed to me that this brand was triumph of style over substance, practicality and customer focus.

Chic. Comfortable. Kind, helpful staff.

Lovely facility nice location

Nothing comes to mind

Front desk guy was really nice when I talked about my moms recent brain surgery. He helped me through a tough moment by being empathetic. Very much appreciated.

Just loved it. The location, the staff, the room. It is hard to find a place with proactive staff, kind and very efficient.

nothing

Property and staff was amazing nothing to complain about, I will be staying again.

Loved everything here. Amazing view, with a nice park near by. Would definitely stay again.

הכל. נקי, מעוצב, חשבו על כל פרט בחדר. צוות מקסים. מסעדה טובה. שעת יין חופשי כל יום אחהצ.