This is a very interesting hotel. I was there for a long weekend for a party that was held on the roof.
Check-in was confusing. There are kiosks hidden behind a wall. I had to wander around until I found them because I did not see any signs. Then there's one point where you're supposed to scan your ID, but there are no instructions on how to do it. The only employee I could find was someone cleaning the kitchen, and they went and got someone who was able to check me in on a tablet.
Next - You need to tap your room card on a panel in the elevator in order to access guest rooms. The person who checked me in did not tell me this, and I was in the elevator that did not have a sign about it. Another guest happened to be in the elevator with me, and they told me.
I had read online that guests get a welcome slushie. I asked at the bar, and they said I was supposed to get a token at check-in to trade in for the drink. The person who checked me in did not tell me about it or give me a token. Many of the other guests at the event had the same experience, and some of the bartenders were rude about it. Luckily, the bartender on duty when I went was super sweet and gave me the drink anyway. He might have rolled his eyes about the lack of a token. A little bit of training for the guy checking people in would go a long way. By the way -- there was also a woman concierge, and she was great - I saw her checking people in, giving them the tokens, and explaining things. Maybe she could train the guy who checked me in.
The gym, bikes, and game rooms are across the driveway. I peeked in but didn't use them. The gym looked very nice, very clean, with a nice variety of equipment.
On to the room. I feel like the person who designed the rooms never actually consulted with anyone who would stay there. The bed is elevated, and there are handles all around the platform to pull things out. There are no drawers and no closet. You read that right. No drawers and no closet. The spaces under the bed were like closets with rods and hangers, about 3 feet off the ground. Not very useful for anything longer than a t-shirt, and very difficult to access. And I don't know anyone who is hanging socks and underwear on a hanger. There happened to be a little rod and steamer near the door, so I was able to hang dresses there. The spaces under the bed were very difficult to access - I had a hard time pulling them out. One of the pullouts is a nice table where you can sit to eat. That was very difficult to move. I ended up leaving it out because I couldn't push it back in. Then there were doors that I couldn't open because a couch was in the way. Maybe there were drawers in there? Did the designers expect guests to move the furniture? Very bizarre. Please, Catbird, replace one of those ridiculous non-closets with a set of drawers!
The elevated bed was extremely comfortable, as were the amazing pillows! But I found it inconvenient to have to go down the stairs in the direction of the room door and go all the way around to get to anything in the room. It was very cool to lie in bed and watch movies on the screen. But you can't just scoot to the end of the bed and hop off to grab whatever. You had to go all the way around.
The screen is controlled by a panel on the wall. There were a bunch of buttons but I think only the up, down, and stop buttons worked... nothing happened when I pushed the others.
The safe is in a cabinet on the floor. Why is the safe on the floor? I literally had to lie on the floor to see all the way inside to make sure I didn't leave anything. Please, Catbird, move the safe up to a shelf off the floor.
The lighting was terrible. Again, it seems like whoever designed the room did not check with actual users, and certainly never stayed there themselves. Luckily, the window was huge and let in lots of natural light. Some of the room lights would start strobing randomly, others would get brighter and dimmer on their own. I had to turn them off and back on to reset them many times.
The bathroom was very dark. Tile was dark blue, lights were dim. It was impossible to do makeup in the bathroom, which was a shame because there is a lot of wonderful counter space in there. There was a tiny bar of soap, some nice lotion, and giant bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. The mirror is opposite the toilet, so if you don't close the bathroom door, you have a full view of yourself doing your business.
The laundry room down the hall was nice, and it was also nice to have both still and carbonated water. The ice bin had a hand scoop sitting in it, which is not very sanitary. An automatic dispenser would be cleaner than having everyone's grubby hands on a scoop that just sat in the ice bin, touching the ice.
The rooftop bar was fun - there are indoor and outdoor spaces with games and a lot of comfy seating. The hot tub was closed for maintenance, so I didn't get to enjoy it.
Another point of poor communication - breakfast was included as part of the event I attended, but nobody who attended the event was told this. Some of the people at the event never even knew, and they paid for breakfast each morning. There was a little room off to the side, near the coffee, with a bunch of last names on a sign. That's it. Nothing like, "Breakfast is available for guests of..." It was just a list of names. Apparently, those were the names of the hosts for all events taking place, and guests of those events could take breakfast. It was always very good - an egg sandwich on a croissant or english muffin, and one morning they had a breakfast burrito. Again, breakfast is not automatically included in the stay, unless the host of the event arranges for it. Guests should have been informed at check-in.
In the room, the tv plays a tutorial of the things in the room. I would find it much more convenient to have a printed sheet with all the info. It's not convenient to have to watch an entire video to get to the info you want. Again, the designer never consulted with an actual user.
The neighborhood was a mix of things under construction, people sleeping on sidewalks, and a few restaurants. There's not much within walking distance.
Conclusion: The room was clean, comfortable, and dim, with no storage space for clothes. The employees were mixed - some clearly did not want to be there, others were super nice and helpful. Everyone at the valet stand was great, and they gave me great recommendations for shopping and dining. But communication was extremely poor otherwise.
I was not unhappy with my stay, but I would not stay here again unless I had an event to attend.
Recommendations to Catbird:
Replace those useless closet spaces with drawers.
Add a closet for hanging longer garments.
Move the safe up to a reasonable level.
Grease up the rails on the table so it moves in and out easily.
Put more and brighter lights in the bathroom and room.
Train your employees to communicate important details upon check-in.
Provide a written explanation or guide of the features of the room and amenities at the hotel.
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