geoffk

booked 4th night free promotion (@ bar rate) but the hotel had 20% off booking direct so that only saved 5%...


Upgrade: Luxury pool junior suite upgraded to Luxury pool 1 bedroom suite. (about a $200/night upgrade)
Early Check-in: didn't use
Late Check-out: Yes, we left at 3 or so.
Breakfast: included in rate, but with FHR they would waive the $40 delivery fee (!!!) if you want room service breakfast.
Amenity: 3 course meal for 2 at any restaurant. (not including alcohol or tax/tip) they give you this 8x10" certificate you have to present which was a little tacky.

the "free" dinner wasn't removed from the folio but the front desk removed it no big deal.
wifi is included in all rooms so no benefit there.

kevneerg

Booked 3 one bedroom suites, all 3 upgraded to deluxe one bedroom suite. Was told FHR gets auto 1 category upgrade.
Amenity was $100 USD converted to CAD per room. Good for spa, restaurant or in-room.
Breakfast is deluxe breakfast, which is continental + 1 entree for 2. Kids are free.
4PM check-out offered.

Check-in for room #1 wasn't available until 3'ish. Room #2 was ready shortly after. Room #3 was closer to 4, but I had to call as they seemingly forgot about it.

Overall experience was mediocre. Hard product is showing signs of wear. Soft product is congruent with a 3 star hotel, not warm or friendly. However, it was professional.

Breakfast quality was disappointing. Servers got orders incorrect every day. Also, very random with how credits were applied. I'm sure the randomness of how our party was seated didn't help. They provided kids menu with coloring every morning, but only provided crayons on 1 day. We had to ask for them on the other 3 days.

They didn't attempt to make our children feel welcome, with the exception of their pool staff and one of their engineers that I chatted with on an elevator ride during our 3rd day. He asked if our kids received a stuffed moose during check-in, which we didn't. He went out of his way to bring a few to our room. Staff also asked if our kids got to see their apiary during check-out, which we didn't because no one told us about it. I think they could do a better job in this area. The Ritz and 4S always provide consistently good service for kids.

Cleaning staff also forgot to refill some toiletries and left a dirty rag in the room. Minor issues throughout.

Best parts were the spacious rooms, pool and location. Worst was the kids experience and food. I'm not especially fond of the Yorkville area so will probably stick with the Ritz going forward.

PassengerPoldberg

I always find it funny how drastic hotel experiences can differ from guest to guest. I can't attest to traveling with a large group/kids, but I can agree that the hard product was showing a few signs of age. On the other hand, I thought the service during my stay was fantastic and the breakfast was one of the best I've had.

ABG

Which is the main weakness of FHR..... You are a faceless client with no background given.
To give you a different example, I've had clients arrive to personalized pink pillow cases and pink balloons for their 4 year old pink obsessed daughter in suite.
on the final day she was given a box of pink macaroons for the trip home.
why? because their background was feed to the hotel before they arrived and allowed the hotel to be ready to impress!
With FHR you are one of 10-20 arrivals on any given day. Unless you are a repeat, the hotel doesn't even know where in the world you are from

kevneerg

I wasn't expecting any grand gesture or bespoke service, especially when booking via fhr. however, It sounded like kids are each provided a stuffed animal at check-in when I spoke with the engineer and they failed in that regard. also, the multiple failures in their restaurant where they didn't provide crayons. they also didn't have kids cups or utensils.

returnoftheyeti

Chgo2AD

Booked two rooms for 3 nights, with the 3rd night being free utilizing a FHR offer.

Upgrade: No upgrade was available. Hotel was completely sold out as it was Lallapalooza weekend.
Early Check-in: Both were available when we arrived at 2:30pm.
Late Check-out: Late check-out was offered but we did not need.
Breakfast: $72 per room, per day was offered. Could be used in both hotel restaurants or towards room service.
Amenity: $100 property credit, per room. This was taken off the total bill without asking at check-out. *** I do not believe this can be used towards spa retail or parking ***

Kacee

Upgrade: Booked Deluxe King, upgraded two categories to Studio Suite. This was the upgrade I was hoping for. Worth about $200 per night. Nice sized room.
Early Check-in: I arrived around 11:30 a.m. and they got me right into the room.
Late Check-out: Gave me 4 p.m. without having to ask. I wound up checking out at 3 p.m.
Breakfast: $30 per person credit per day only in the Temple Court restaurant (no room service). I was flying solo, they gave me $60 per day. A "full" breakfast runs $34 excluding tax and tip, so the benefit is a little weak. I was not impressed with the menu or the food (see below).
WiFi: I selected the "premium" (10 mbps) which costs $10 per day versus the "free" regular (3 mbps). Removed from bill.
Amenity: $100 per stay restaurant/bar credit. Can only be used in Temple Court or the bar - cannot be used for room service. I did not use any of mine.

So overall the value here was very good with the early check-in, late check-out, free premium wifi, and a nice room upgrade.

I was a little disappointed with the breakfast benefit and the food and beverage amenity. There's another restaurant, Augustine, attached to the hotel, and it has a fantastic breakfast/brunch. Unfortunately, you can't take breakfast or use the amenity in Augustine. Nor can you use it for room service. These policies strike me as a bit over-restrictive. Nonetheless, I feel I still got very good value from the FHR rate, as noted above.

General comments. Fantastic downtown location. Beautifully restored building with a stunning atrium, bar, and restaurant spaces. Staff were really great, especially at the door. But the vibe here is a bit young for me. The bar is currently a hot-spot, packed with a 20 something crowd, and it stays loud and rowdy right up to the 1 a.m. close. They blast pop in the restaurant at breakfast - a time when I'd much prefer soft jazz or classical. The restaurant, Temple Court, is relentlessly hipster-ish, with $12 avocado toast, pork belly hash, under-cooked eggs, and coffee brewed from tragically under roasted beans (fortunately there's a Dunkin Donuts right across the street).

Biggie Fries

Upgrade: Booked an entry-level King Bed. My recollection is that the rate I booked was only $25 more than what I could have done via Hyatt. Upgraded to a Park Suite. Nice. Appreciated the extra half-bath.
Early check-in: Didn't get there early enough to use it. Probably just as well, since it seemed pretty clear that the bump all the way up to Park Suite (usually just get bumped to Junior Suite) was because one or two of the Park Suites were just opening up (i.e., post-late-checkout).
Late check-out: Offered proactively, accepted, and used to the max, with pleasure.
Breakfast: Listed as $40x2 and, indeed, that was what it was. Covered all we wanted to eat and more (coffee, a dish each, sides, tip).
Credit: $100, which was basically a very nice bottle of French wine with dinner at the Blue Duck Tavern. The hotel is very good, the restaurant fantastic, and the credit plus the breakfasts is what really makes this deal sing.

Everything handled in a friendly, efficient and knowledgeable fashion by staff at both check-in and check-out. Great value for money.

DG206

Update on Marriott points: Wound up not posting, had to sit on hold for about 1.5hrs to get them credited

illesus

Stayed in late June for 1 night. SPG Plat 75.
Upgrade: Who knows? Booked studio 3rd floor, received studio high floor, ocean view.
Early Checkin: Had to wait 1 hour for the room around 1pm. Official: Noon check-in when avaliable
Late Checkout: Checked-out at 3PM. Official: 4PM late check-out
Amenity: $100 Food and Beverage Credit (does not apply to Mr. Chow). Mostly used for dinner - prices are high, so easy to spend.
Breakfast: $?? per guest (up to 2). Officially: Daily breakfast for 2: Chef's Table at The Dutch (buffet) or Whatever Whenever Breakfast through in-room dining.
Addtl: in-room WiFi up to 3 devices.

I was satisfied with my stay.

Kacee

That has nothing to do with AMEX or FHR. Marriott is a disaster right now.

dopey!

Casa Marina, Waldorf Astoria, Key West
Upgrade: Booked standard king, upgraded to ocean front king with balcony.
Early Check-in: I arrived around 10 a.m. and they got me right into the room.
Late Check-out: Gave me 4 p.m and verified at check in if I would use, which we did.
Breakfast: Buffet in a few rooms that are normal meeting spaces, main dining the Flager ballroom being renovated. Good selection, well stocked.
WiFi: I did not use.
Amenity: $100 per stay restaurant/bar credit. We used at spencers by the sea, the sister property.

Overall an okay stay. The room needs updating and better attention to detail in regards to cleaning. Nespresso coffee maker and no coffee mugs or cups. Ended up using wine glasses, classy. The staff were meh. Definitely not up to the Waldorf Standard. The beach needs to be cleaned. So much rotting seaweed. Lastly, the piers need to be fixed. 1 year after Irma and no attempt at any form of fixing.

martial

The Roosevelt, Waldorf Astoria, New Orleans
Stayed Monday - Thursday
Upgrade: Booked a superior king bed, upgraded to a king suite on the 12th floor.
Early Check-in: Arrived at 1:00pm and was able to check in to room.
Late Check-out: Took advantage of guaranteed 4:00pm check out.
Breakfast: $60 credit for use at either The Fountain Lounge or Teddy's Cafe. A caveat: On the second day of my stay, The Fountain Lounge was doing light kitchen renovations so they provided a buffet (which had a nice spread, including DYI Lox Bagels). The other days, I took full advantage of the $60 credit for breakfast
WiFi: Included
Amenity: $100 property credit, used at the gift shop for souvenirs.
Overall Experience: My first trip to New Orleans and The Roosevelt made it a memorable one. A lot of charm in the hotel and I enjoyed the upgraded room. Service with personal concierge was attentive and professional. The only downside I can think of was the bathroom was very small for a suite.

747FC