The service was not uniformly horrid. The maids work hard, the place was clean, even though the "historic" furniture was shoddy, uncomfortable, and worn. No in room coffeemaker, no guest laundry, (they will do laundry at about $7 a garmet), I never saw a fireplace, but that doesn't mean there isn't one somewhere, and it was VERY overpriced (on top of their rates they charged me $28 a day EXTRA for parking my rental car there... I discovered this at checkout).
My big gripe was the service. I called ahead for early check in was told I could check as soon as the room was ready (probably about 1) but they would store my bags and park my car as soon as I got in . I arrived at 9:15 and was told I had bring my car around and haul my bags up the stairs to the front desk myself! The stairs are very steep (I don't know how they could get a disabled guest in or out without taking them through the garage to the elevator) and it was August. I protested that I was parked literally right outside the side door, and I didn't want to take my 3 yr. old daughter down the stairs belt her into her car seat, drive literally 15 feet around the corner, unbelt her, and then haul my luggage up the other set of steep stairs, while watching my daughter, just to make the staff's job easier when I was paying to stay there!! The lady at the front desk (who I had met 2 min. before) said "Well then you can leave your little girl with me while you do that."!! I got upset at this and went to my sister's room my daughter. I had to leave my daughter with my sister while I was my own bellman and brought the car around.... only now the early check in that the desk clerk had promised was suddenly not possible and I would not be allowed to check in early at all. No I had to wait till the regular check in time of 3...( "No soup for you!"). My sister (who had picked the hotel) was very upset and embarrased at this and went down to rase some heck. She came back and said "Your room is ready." I went down to check in again and was told I still couldn't check in. I mentioned that my sister had just been her and she had been told I could check in... NOW it seems my room WAS ready. Gee... wonder how that happened!
This is just one example of the horrid, and horrible service at the Morrison Clark. I tried the "complementary shoe shine" service, and my boots came back untouched, I had to shine them myself the next day. The manager said he was sorry about that, apparently they had been out of brown shoe polish... even though there was a CVS around the corner where I bought my own brown shoe polish when I shined my own boots! When I worked at Hyatt we would have sent someone around the corner and got the brown polish ourselves in order to take care of our guests... but that's not how the Morrison Clark works.
I asked twice about getting a special cake for my daughter's birthday (she turned 4 during our stay) and was told "You will have to talk to the resturant about that." NOT "That is a job for the resturant, let me get you the manager" or "If you tell me what you want, I will contact the resturant manager and have him get in touch with you", which I how Hyatt taught me to take care of guests....nope, just a "not my job, go do it your self, you're just a guest, quit bothering us."... THAT's the Morrison Clark touch. I got some cupcakes and candles at the CVS and did the party myself.
From what I saw the Morrison Clark is VERY good for one particular sort of visit though... it would be a great place for adultery. The Victorian atmosphere is rather romantic, and they still use regular metal keys, not the key cards that can be accidentaly left in wallets or leave data traces. The in room fridge was packed to the gills with "honor bar" booze (and nobody cards a 19 year old intern if she is drinking from an in room honor bar). There is a resturant on property and I am told it is very good, but I did not eat there. They do have room service, but the hours are very limited, I think they ended at 9 or 10... which I thought was wierd because the hotels I worked at where room service was open till 1AM for people who came in after the resturant closed. What really struck me was the room service prices, $30 for crab cakes, PLUS a 20% gratutity added to the bill, PLUS a $3 "room delivery charge".
This is a terrible place. They charge you prices like they were the Grand Hyatt and give you the sort of service that would not be tollerated at a cheap fleabag motel. My sister got fed up and moved to the Holliday Inn after her toilet backed up. I wish I had too.