To begin with, the interior hallways, carpets and walls, were scratched, stained and soiled. The elevator appeared to never have been serviced, with one of the buttons permanently pushed in, and the floor numbers visibly worn. I elected to use the stairs, after experiencing the slow, shuddering movement of the elevator.
The carpet of the room that I occupied was cheap, worn and stained. It reminded me of a low-rent office carpet.
The furniture in my room was sub-standard, to say the least. It smelled of smoke, was visibly worn and undersized. When I sat on the swivel chair, it proved to be permanently tilted forward, threatening to put my back out. When I sat on the loveseat/couch, it was so low to the ground, that my knees were level with my face, cutting off my gut. The only chairs that I could use, were the armless, uncomfortable dining chairs.
The coffee, dining and entry tables were badly worn. When I had my first meal in the room, and wiped off the dining table, the rag was black with dirt.
There was no adequate space or location for my laptop and portable printer. The data port location was too far from either the coffee or dining tables, to be of use. So, I used the entry table, as a makeshift desk. However, the phone jack was on the wall opposite of the data port, thus making the room unusable for any office area.
The bed, one of the only decent pieces of furniture, was comfortable. However, it was nearly four feet off of the ground, while the side tables were about one foot off of the ground. Thankfully, I have a very long reach, and was able to reach the side tables, while laying on the edge of the bed.
In short, the furniture was filthy, worn and unusable. When I requested that the staff re-assign me to a room with better furniture, I was informed that all the rooms had the same problem furniture. The staff further explained that they were aware of the problem with their furniture, for years, but that the property owners had refused to replace them.
The curtains in both the main room and bedroom, were worn and improperly hung. I had to re-hang the curtains myself, in order to ensure that they would fully close for my privacy. The windows were old, single-pane glass. Thus, you could hear any noise from the street below. In addition, without screens, insects entered the room whenever the windows were opened.
Following my first nights stay, I awoke with a headache from the strong odor of exhaust fumes. I had left the windows in my room closed, that prior evening, not wanting to allow insects into the room. I awoke to the sound of gas-powered trimmers and blowers, being used behind the Hotel. Thus, I suspect that the fumes were likely coming from behind the hotel, through the hallway vents. This indicates a serious air-makeup health issue for the hotel guests.
The tub/shower tile grout and tub caulking had holes, were black with mold, and all of the chrome was dull from water spots. In short, I wouldn't risk using the tub to bath, and used the shower with caution.
When I first used the shower, the shower head was so clogged, that the water barely dribbled out. Later that morning, I requested that the staff replace the shower head, which they promptly did. Once replaced, the shower worked well.
The continental breakfast that was offered, was the worst that I had ever experienced. On the first morning, I had a bagel, cream cheese, banana, coffee and juice. Upon the second morning, when I opened the sealed plastic bag holding a bagel, it reeked of mold. I looked at the rest of the bagels in the basket, and they all had visible mold on them. I notified the staff of this disgusting find. The staff replaced the bagels that morning, indicating that they had just shopped at Costco and should have dumped the old ones.
Upon the third morning, there was no more fresh fruit available, only fruit cups. In addition, the moldy bagels were once again put in the basket for consumption by the hotel guests. I informed the staff of the problem with moldy bagels and the lack of fresh fruit. They found some fresh bagels again, but informed me that they only shop at Costco once a week. Therefore, they would not have any fresh fruit for the rest of my stay.
Considering the exorbitant price paid for a room at this hotel, I would expect the staff to personally pick fresh fruit, bagels and other breakfast items, each and every morning, on their way to work.
In summary, I have stayed in hotels, costing less than $35 per day, which have more quality and class than the LaResidence Hotel in Bellevue, which averages $145 per day. However, I will say that the staff was as friendly and responsive as their budget allowed.
Write a Hotel Review
