| rev:text
| - Here's my expectation: A hotel is a vacation, whether you're booking it as a staycation a few blocks away from home, as a rainy-day-jar experience in a new city, as a refuge for your bags while you're traveling, as a safe space while visiting relatives, or as a hole-in-the-wall what-can-I-afford while getting lost wherever you end up. With all of the hype around the new Ace Hotel in Pittsburgh, it seemed like the perfect getaway--a repurposed old building in the heart of the East End, excited and hip staff to pair with the unique rooms, and a price point that says "I need to be taken care of" without saying "I need to be pampered and spoiled."
Here's what I got: The room felt like a dorm room. It had a beautiful view, but the shade didn't go down the whole way to cover the window. Even though we were on the third floor, we could hear the party going on in the lobby/restaurant/bar well after we'd had our fill and closed the door. There weren't any tiny soap bottles or bathroom amenities to bring back with us as a memento, which is something small that I appreciate about visiting hotels. The hand soap was a black mini-tile with a tag hanging from the mirror, and I didn't realize it was a bar of hand soap (and even went so far as to ask about why there wasn't hand soap when checking out...I am so sorry). The blanket was awesome, but the sheets were coarse and the bed was very low to the ground. The TV didn't have a sleep timer. I don't think they offer room service, and there isn't any enticement to eat there the next morning--they offer Stumptown Coffee (yum), but you don't get any complimentary morning perks for spending the night.
I feel like the minimal, elegant design and delicate, articulated brand created the guise of being taken care of without providing the amenities to accomplish the goal. Is this the new expectation? Am I being too greedy in wishing my parting souvenir was more than a matchbook? Am I being too harsh in hoping for some nice body wash, lotion, or a good pen to take with me? A stay at Ace isn't inexpensive, but I can spend less and stay a few minutes away at a Hyatt--get a studio room with a King bed, some nice in-room amenities, a gym to work out in after work, and a small-bite plus coffee spread in the morning.
I don't want to sound like I'm complaining, and I fear that this review impresses a really awful personality onto myself. The staff were extremely friendly and I had an awesome time making the most of my night. I just don't believe the hype. I wish I did; I just don't.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)