3.5 Star Rating. After our out-of-state travel plans had to be canceled due to the weather, we decided to try a "staycation" in Rochester and stay at School 31 Lofts. We loved that each loft had a unique style to choose from, and were excited to stay in this renovated building. The location is great and is within a quick walk or drive to many great restaurants (Gate House, Salena's, Nosh, Muller's Cider House, Trata), cafes (Melo Cafe and Village Bakery), activities (Scent by Design candle bar, Brainery), shopping options (Craft Company No. 6), and museums (Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester Science Museum, ARTISANworks, and Eastman Museum). For those taking a quick trip to Rochester, the location is wonderful to explore a lot of the unique spots in the city.
The website and our reservation boast that they love when people check in early - however, we arrived in the parking lot about 20 minutes prior to check-in, but had not received our check-in code. Due to the temperature, we waited in the car with the engine and heat turned on for over 30 minutes waiting for the check-in code. We called the number that had been texting us as well as the regular concierge number on the website and no one picked up for 20 minutes. A few minutes after 3:00 (check-in time), we finally got in touch with the concierge who told us we would receive the check-in code in "a few minutes". We were able to check in around 3:10PM, 10 minutes after check-in. The reason this was disappointing was that a) the website boasts early check-in, b) the confirmation messages insist that you check-in no later than 3:00, and our code was not even ready at 3:00, and c) we had a very difficult time reaching the hotel by phone when we had issues with check-in.
Pros:
- Great updated bathroom with nice tub
- King sized bed is comfortable to sleep on
- Cute decor
- Full kitchen, small dining table, bed, and bath
- Ability to adjust the temperature in your loft independently, which was appreciated because the loft was a bit chilly
- Several large windows with a nice view of the Memorial Art Gallery
- Private parking lot (slightly difficult to find since our GPS did not take us to the actual parking lot, but not a huge deal)
Cons:
- Somewhat basic: there is a full kitchen, but only basic cups/plates/bowls to use; so, if you pan to do any cooking or food-preparation, you have to bring your own items.
- The pillows on our couch seemed very unsanitary, so we chose not to use them
- Only received 2 body towels and one had a yellow stain on it (unsettling!)
- Would have appreciated additional linens/blankets for the bed
- "Room service" is just over-priced packaged snacks
Overall, I am not sure we would stay here gain since it was a "staycation" and we live in the area. For the price, I would have expected a bit more of an upgraded and high-quality stay. Our particular loft was also photographed online differently than the loft in-person (some of the furnishings/decor were different), so it would be nice if this were updated online to avoid disappointment in-person. read more