I'm in Baltimore, MD for a quick two-night stay (for our annual Ourisman Travel meeting), and the out-of-town members of the team are staying at a brand-new luxury hotel, the Sagamore Pendry. In fact, it's so new that it's not opening until tonight — we've stayed during their "soft opening."
Though it's evident the hotel is still getting up to speed, this is a promising new luxury property in Baltimore. Here are some initial thoughts.
Hotel heritage. Pendry is a new brand, a younger, less expensive partner to Montage Hotels. The first Pendry was in San Diego, and the Baltimore property is its second property. Though not [yet?] in Virtuoso, our Montage rep can VIP your stay and provide amenities on an informal basis.
Update - Amenities and Corporate Discounts. There are some real savings to be enjoyed when booking either the Travel Leaders "Group" or "Select" rates. Looking at the date 15OCT to provide a concrete example, these are the rates currently loaded in Sabre for a lead-in Deluxe Courtyard room:
BAR - $509
Travel Leaders Group (TL7) - $325 (a discounted corporate rate)
Travel Leaders Select (TZE) - $445 (includes $60 breakfast credit, upgrade, early c/in, late c/out if avail)
Location. Though it's just 0.7 miles from the Four Seasons, and both are on the Inner Harbor, the hotels have quite different locations. FS is in a more commercial neighborhood, an ideal location for business travelers (or if you want to visit the National Aquarium - just a half mile walk). The Sagamore is in the heart of the historic Fells Point neighborhood. Cobblestone streets and lots of [non-chain] restaurants and bars line the streets. There's even a place called Insomniac Cookies, their triple chocolate chunk cookie being soft, chocolate, and gooey — I ate one in the name of research! Fells Points has a lot of character and seems like a fun place to spend some time.
Room product. Pictured below is my Deluxe Harbor Suite, well over 800 square feet. The living room has a sofa/conversation area facing a wall-mounted flatscreen TV, a work desk with power and USB outlets at the top of the desk, a minibar and complimentary espresso machine, and a powder room. My bedroom had a King bed (facing a second flatscreen TV) and a dressing area with two closets. The bathroom was quite large with dual vanities, a large soaking tub (facing a third flatscreen TV), a large step-in shower, and a large WC. Styling is attractive with wood floors, carpeting with grey, maroon, and rust tones (its design based on the rust patterns of an old ship — we're in Baltimore Harbor), and beautiful marble in the bathrooms. Room styling hints at a nautical theme with dark wood paneling and brass sconces.
Public areas take full advantage of the historic building and its architectural features. This is a very attractive hotel in an attractive location.
We were also shown a Deluxe Harbor King. This room was small (370 sq ft), the size of a Superior room, but the proportions of the bedroom (square rather than rectangular) do make a difference. The bathroom was much smaller than my suite's — a single vanity, WC, and step-in shower (but no tub).
Soft opening. This was my first time experiencing a soft-opening, literally a time when the hotel is discovering issues, working out the kinks, and getting its systems up to speed. There are a few kinks to work out, but the hotel's GM is committed to finding out what they are and getting things right. For instance, I pointed out that the bathroom needed drinking glasses; that evening, they were there. Small stuff, mostly, but they
are sweating the details.
If you're visiting Baltimore this summer, the Sagamore Pendry should be fully to to speed.
FOUR SEASONS BALTIMORE
While in Baltimore, our team had a site inspection of the Four Seasons. I've previously stayed in this property. Regular guest rooms are what you'd expect at a Four Seasons city hotel, large (over 500 square feet) with fully-featured bathrooms. Styling is classical contemporary, and harbor view rooms have good views of the Inner Harbor.
The WOW rooms at FS Baltimore are its "01 series" Executive Suites. Located on a corner of the building, these suites offer lots of space, lots of windows, and killer views of the harbor and the Dominos Sugar sign. I stayed in one several years ago, and the site inspection brought back memories of a very enjoyable stay.
We enjoyed an excellent team dinner at Michael Mina's Wit & Wisdom, the FS's all-day restaurant.