A charming hotel with the bones of something lovely, elevated by genuinely wonderful staff and brought firmly back to earth by management.
The Room
Spacious, which is always appreciated. Unfortunately, the temperature is apparently curated by the hotel rather than the guest, as there is no way to control the AC from the room. A bold commitment to communal climate.
The bathtub is a nice touch and, in theory, a lovely amenity. It also leaked continuously, providing a complimentary water feature.
Housekeeping is available upon request rather than daily, which is perfectly reasonable. Less reasonable is receiving two shampoos and no conditioner. Perhaps the hotel is encouraging us to embrace a more textural hair experience. The shower gel also disappeared with impressive efficiency.
The Coffee Experience
A particularly ambitious exercise in conceptual hospitality.
The coffee bar was never open during its advertised hours. One exceptionally kind front desk employee checked on this for me multiple times, but apparently the coffee bar operates on a communication system of its own.
Considering there is no restaurant at the hotel, one might think coffee would be a relatively important part of the culinary program. Alas, it remains more of a theoretical offering.
The Garage
Parking is available, which is wonderful. Getting into or out of the garage is considerably less wonderful.
The garage does not connect to the hotel, meaning guests are invited to leave the building, experience the elements, and then re-enter through another door. A thoughtful opportunity to reconnect with the outside world between your luggage and your room.
Room Placement
As a woman traveling alone, I was placed on the first floor with a window opening onto a street-level interior area. I am sure this was entirely accidental, but perhaps future room assignments could incorporate the revolutionary concept of considering guest comfort and security.
The Staff
Five stars. Truly.
The staff were extremely kind, patient, and helpful, particularly when attempting to solve problems that were seemingly beyond their control. Unfortunately, excellent employees can only compensate for so much.
The Management
And now, the pièce de résistance.
What is most striking is how familiar many of these complaints appear to be. I wish I had read the reviews more carefully before booking, because many guests seem to have reported variations of the exact same issues for quite some time.
The hotel's responses appear to be a beautifully consistent exercise in automated reassurance, while the underlying problems remain remarkably committed to their original form.
One begins to wonder whether the reviews are being collected as feedback or simply as an archival project.
There is clearly potential here. The rooms are a good size, the staff are genuinely lovely, and the property could be quite enjoyable with some attention to detail and, most importantly, actual follow-through.
Unfortunately, potential is not quite the same thing as execution.
Final Verdict:
A hotel with good bones, lovely people, and a management strategy seemingly based on hoping the same problems will eventually become charming.
I would not stay here again. For my next trip, I would choose another Palihotel location instead. I genuinely hope this property improves, because the staff deserve a better-run hotel to work in, and the property deserves better management.
