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| - We were in town for a wedding and the group rate at a few of the other big brand hotels were still ~$175/night. We hit up the Priceline a week before the event & landed The Westin for $90/night. From the mixed reviews, I was bracing myself for a total ripoff. an expensive brand that lost it's way but kept the price. But, we had a pretty nice stay.
The room was nice. Subtle & modern with few amenities. Nothing to warrant the rack rate unless your corporate card is paying. My biggest gripe were the curtains. A place like this needs blackout shades that actually cover the windows. Come sunrise, the tan shades turn the wall into a giant lightbox. If you're a light sleeper, invest in one of those uncomfortable & totally unnatural eyemasks.
Food at the hotel will leave your wallet feeling like it just spent its first night in prison. We had breakfast at the Penn Grille. Everything tasted great, but I'm from NYC and even I'm uncomfortable dropping $12 on granola. Drinks and a pre-Pirates snack at the fish place was really tasty. Still pricey, but damn good food. The scallop-stuffed zucchini blossoms were elegant but full of flavor. And the sushi was also delicious & generous with the portions. I'm wondering if the chef accidentally made two portions, realized his mistake & then said "Fuck it, they look like nice kids." If you truly want the full-on price gouging experience, order the room service. Yeah, I know it's a traditional money maker for hotels, but holy shit, $20 for a pizza. Thankfully, it turned out to be really delicious & plastered with mushrooms.
The staff was fantastic at every turn. Check-in, bellhop, valet, waiters - oh shit, I almost forgot Randy.
Randy, Randy, Randy.
Randy is a bleached blonde waiter at the Penn Grille. He's also the happiest, most positive man on the fucking planet. I can't overstate how the man yearns to make you smile. People like Randy make me impossibly nervous, so I imagine him as a weekend serial killer. "Randy? Cannibal? IMPOSSIBLE." He's an experience. That being said, I couldn't bare the thought of doing two breakfasts in a row with Mr. Dahmer, so we begged for a table in the back.
Three's not enough, four's too much. Yelp, add the half-star.
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