MasterPlanner

Fascinating story about hotel cleanliness in the NYT featuring the Quirk Hotel in Charlottesville (Destination Hyatt property)

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/03/t...try-clean.html

Didn't realize it was open for just two weeks before closing for COVID. Anyone ever stayed there? Will be checking it out for myself in a couple of weeks...

econ

Haven't stayed there, but I have been to the one in Richmond, and thought it was very nice.

Didn't even know until reading this that they were opening a 2nd location.

Privateupgrades

Thanks for sharing the Story - really interesting to read and understand the challenges Hotels have in These days...

arlflyer

Planning to use my free night cert there for a quick weekend in CVille at some point this summer...will be very interested to give it a try. Good to have another option near campus / downtown beyond the Omni (no loyalty / benefits), Draftsman (nice but always overpriced or sold out), and Hampton (really solid property, great people, but not in any way high end).

I've always been baffled by the fact that CVille is head-scratchingly low on upmarket hotel properties. The place is just swimming in money, and between UVA and the high-end wedding / wine industrial complex the "season" is pretty much year round. The immediate area could easily accommodate several more very nice properties without at all approaching market saturation (pre-COVID at least).

River in Sight

Agreed, I love visiting but so much of the year the prices are crazy high for limited-service properties. I have never stayed at the Draftsman due to the cost. Looking forward to having this and its sister property in Richmond for weekend trips and hope to visit this one soon.

SkyTeam777

Am going in a few week. Is parking expensive? Any cheaper parking options nearby?
Is it easy to pass through Shenandoah National Park for a short 30-minute drive from here?
Anyone stay since they reopened?

arlflyer

Not sure about the property's parking, but the downtown garages (e.g. Water Street) are reasonable, and on weekends one can park on the street (e.g. Monticello Ave.).


From downtown Charlottesville to Rockfish Gap (southern end of Skyline Drive and Shenandoah NP, northern end of Blue Ridge Parkway) is about 30 minutes. The best scenic loop in my opinion would be to get on the Parkway at the northern end, drive south to Reids Gap (exit for Wintergreen), and then turn onto 151 to head back north. This will take you past plenty of scenery, as well as many of the best breweries, cideries, and vineyards in the area. Actual drive time would be close to 2 hours without stops (you'll want to stop places), very much worth it.

MasterPlanner

Just completed a stay there— absolutely lovely. Parking was free (!) in the valet lot a few steps away (no valet service with COVID). Nice Globalist breakfast (choice of pastries and drink at the historic cafe next door), all employees super-friendly (be sure to say hello to Jessica who works there in the mornings) and the cleanliness is stellar. Be sure to check out the artwork in the lower level! Only ‘flaw’ was that the rooftop restaurant is incredibly popular (with the locals, it seems) and with social distancing there can be a bit of a wait for a table. Enjoy!

River in Sight

Just booked a stay here for the rest of this week and looking forward to it - was able to use a TSU to snag a Destination Suite. Will report back afterwards.

SkyTeam777

Great hotel! Rooms were a bit dim, but loved the service and style. Free parking at the moment. A different shade of pink on every floor.

River in Sight

Arrived at this hotel yesterday for a three night stay. Love it so far and may extend the stay. The public areas are beautiful although very quiet right now, I’ve only seen a couple of other guests. Staff all very welcoming. I used a TSU to upgrade to a Destination Suite which is beautiful and has a very large private balcony. The hotel reminds me somewhat of the Confidante Miami.

COVID notes:
-No housekeeping but towels and other services promptly provided upon request
-Breakfast is at the attached cafe, limited to coffees, pastries, and yogurts.
-Rooftop bar is open and had a couple of guests when I went to check it out.
-Other F+B outlets are all closed
-Parking is free and self-serve in the Valet lot which is a block down the street
-lobby is being cleaned continually and everyone is wearing masks; abundant hand sanitizing stations. There’s some type of Automated machine that rolls around sanitizing things, not exactly sure what it’s doing.

location is perfect. Normally we come to CVille via train (tho we drove this time) and it’s just a couple of minutes walk to the station. A few minutes to the downtown mall and a few minutes further in the opposite direction to UVa. Just a beautiful hotel and I suspect will be a hot spot post COVID. Pictures attached of our suite.

edited to add: we did extend for two more nights and Hot breakfast Service resumed yesterday. Very short menu (3 egg dishes and 1 crepes plate) and some service kinks to work out, but the food is good. Order in the cafe, sit in the courtyard and they bring you the food from the restaurant. business has picked up a little with the long weekend but still on the slow side.



Living Room

Living Room (blinds are all electronic)

Bedroom

Patio with seating for 5 or so


Lobby and Bar

River in Sight

Since my last review, we have stayed here three additional times (the last two booked on the Prive 3rd night free deal) for a total of 13 nights this summer. With that additional experience I wanted to add a few additional comments.

• first stay is detailed above
• second stay we booked a base room and were upgraded to the King Premier Balcony, which I think is probably the best room in the house (I preferred it to the suite). It’s on the fourth floor, south facing, with a very large terrace. I preferred it to the suite because the terrace has a Mountain View (all other balconies are facing north with no real Mountain View) and because it’s the only balcony on that floor and thus has very good privacy. Only issue is the terrace gets very sunny during the day, and hot in the summer, while other balconies are at least partly shaded for most of the day. It’s a really large room with plenty of space to sit and work.
• our third and fourth stays we booked Q/Q deluxe rooms on the Prive 3rd night free, which were upgraded at booking to Q/Q Deluxe Balcony. These balconies have two comfy chairs and a small table, the balcony rooms are all in a row but there are dense plants in between each balcony providing privacy.

Since I first wrote, the full service restaurant (Pink Grouse) has opened, I believe they only seat six tables at a time. We haven’t eaten there but it’s a pretty space. We used our $100 Prive credit for takeout from the rooftop bar as that food was better suited for our 5 year old. We especially enjoyed the freshly baked pita that comes with the eggplant dip. The lobby bar also appears to be open on and off, but the rooftop seems to do a better business. The rooftop has beautiful views over the mountains and surrounding area.

Breakfast has expanded a bit and there are now 5-6 options. They seem better staffed for breakfast now and the service has been ironed out. I find the breakfast to be really tasty.

We have mostly been coming here for a change of pace from DC. We’ve enjoyed Ragged Mountain, Ivy Creek, and the Saunders-Monticello trail. In town we’ve enjoyed Random Row Brewery, Doma (Korean), and the Pie Chest, all of which are in walking distance.

The staff here are friendly and kind and since the hotel is so small we’ve gotten to know several of them. Very nice people who provide caring service. The whole hotel is immaculately clean and I hope they can succeed despite their poorly timed opening. I think the hotel is an excellent option for DC people looking for a weekend break.

IAD_flyer

Stayed there last weekend for a night using a 1-4 cat. cert. The cash prices are crazy for the Charlotteville market in general, the cash price was $409 a night. The hotel was fairly packed, seem like many guests were UVA parents. Only an Explorist so was only upgraded to a Deluxe King. The service was good but a bit rushed and impersonal. Charlotteville has many great restaurants so did not use the F&B option at the hotel much other than the Pink Grouse restaurant which was good.


Front of the hotel.

Deluxe King

Deluxe King

Deluxe King

Back lobby

Artwork in a public area

Artwork on a guest floor

beltway

Did they provide free parking? The property provided onsite parking to all guests gratis last summer, but you had to call to find out as there was no indication on the website.

IAD_flyer

Nope, it was $12 a day right now. The lot was almost full.