If you like clean bathrooms, functioning HVAC, and nice quiet bedrooms, do not stay at this hotel. And when you report issues to management, they have only excuses or don't bother replying.
We stayed here for two nights in December. At first glance everything seemed very nice in Room 205 but then, in looking at the bathroom, I realized there was lots of dust and hair behind the bathroom door (photo). I was going to ignore it, but then we couldn't get the HVAC to work, so I went down to the front desk. The desk manager showed us a second room (same problems), a third room (same problems with the addition of brown spots on the ceiling). We were given a fourth room - a suite - on the third floor. This room was not updated like the first few rooms but at least the HVAC was working, and at first glance everything seemed clean. At this point it was 10pm so we got ready for bed. I looked into the shower only to find a big gob of black hair in the drain (photo). I decided to leave it for the morning. We shuffled into bed (photo) and listened to the windows rattling in the windy night along with all the traffic of Main Street (surprisingly a lot).
In the morning, I showed the front desk a photo of the shower situation and asked for housekeeping to take care of it. He said they don't have housekeeping on weekends. What?! I've never stayed at a major hotel chain without daily housekeeping. Also an AI search of the hotel on Facebook mentions "daily housekeeping."
Each room contained a letter (photo) from Jefferey Shepherd, VP of Operations, urging patrons to text or call with any issues. I texted him for the first time during our stay (with no reply).
We avoided the shower stall horror show and showered at a nearby relatives' place - super inconvenient. We also noticed a dirty chair in the living room - like someone peed on it (photo). That night we tried watching TV but couldn't get any of the three remotes to work (photo). At least we got a decent night's sleep the second night.
Sunday morning we went to the front desk to check out, rang twice for the clerk (photo) but he never showed up, so I left the room keys on his chair and left.
Skip the cold breakfast, which is all they offer, and walk up the block to One North (photo) for a hot meal and delicious gourmet coffee.
I called Jeff Shepherd after returning home. We had a cordial conversation and he offered to refund our stay (over $300) which I gratefully and thankfully accepted. One week later, still no refund so I texted him, which he read and again didn't bother replying. Another week passed, I called him again and left a voicemail asking why he changed his mind about the refund. More time passed and I emailed the company that manages the James Buchanan - Capital Hotels. STILL no response, so I'm forced to include a mention of the awful customer service in addition to the dirty hotel. I don't mind old, historic places, but they shouldn't be this dirty, and the HVAC should be in good working condition.
Do yourself a favor and stay at one of the other hotels down the street. I know we will. read more