The Colonnade Hotel Back Bay

STAY AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

I found the staff rude and unhelpful, from the very first moment I arrived. The doorman scoffed at me when I asked if there was a valet, since the parking situation in that part of Boston isn't the best. Then while checking-in, I was scolded by the clerk at the front desk about the no-smoking policy, attached to the room I booked. If I wanted to smoke, I would have booked a SMOKING room; apparently common sense isn't a condition employment at the hotel. Also, as an ADULT I really didn't appreciate being lectured to, on the subject. The only issue I had with the room was the inclusion of a mini-bar menu that included many unavailable items. When we contacted the front desk about in-room dining options, we were told that the kitchen was closed, but we could walk to 7-11, down the street. I would have asked about other options, if I wasn’t hung up on before I could pose the question. The best part of the stay was finding out that they did not validate parking. The extra $38 dollars wasn't the problem; it was the fact I could have and WOULD have stayed at another hotel had I know I was going to be charged an additional $38, for parking. I stayed at another hotel, the previous night, and was only charged $20 for parking. Actually, the parking was free, I tipped their professional and courtesy staff, which parked my car as well as loaded and unloaded my luggage. As someone who travels frequently for work and pleasure, I am often asked by friends and coworkers for recommendations about hotels. I will be VERY hesitant to recommend, or stay at, any of the Summit Hotel & Resorts properties. Writing this review is especially unfortunate because the rooms and amenities were great; too bad the staff ruined what could have been a very pleasant stay.

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NEEDS IMPROVEMENT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OUR FIRST NIGHT AT THE HOTEL ROOM WAS A DISASTER,THE BATHROOM HAD LIKE FRUIT FLIES,THERE WAS TWO GRAPES ON THE CARPET, THE ROOM WAS STEAMING HOT,WE CALLED THE FRONT OFFICE , THEY TOLD US THAT THE A.C. FOR THE WHOLE BUILDING HAD BEEN TURN OFF,DUE TO THE FORECAST OF THAT NIGHT AND THE REST OF THE WEEK WHICH WAS GOING DOWN IN THE 50's.(we are from south florida and are used to sleeping with the A.C.real cold.) THEY TOLD US TO OPEN THE WINDOWS AND SLEEP WITH THEM OPEN , WHICH CREATED THE NEXT PROBLEM OF NOT BEING ABLE TO SLEEP THAT NIGHT BECAUSE OF THE TRAFFIC,SIRENS,TRUCK NOISES AND THE BEST OF THEM ALL WAS THE GARBAGE PICK UP AT 4:00 A.M. NEEDLESS TO SAY I CALLED AT 7:00 A.M. AND ASK FOR A ROOM CHANGE! I HONESTLY THINK THAT THE HOTEL SHOULD LEAVE IT UP TO THE GUEST IF THEY WANT THE A.C.TO BE ON,ESPECIALLY FOR WHAT THEY CHARGE! WE WENT LAST YEAR SNOW SKING AND WE HAD A.C. AT OUR DESPOSAL, EVEN THOUGH THE TEMPERTURE WAS IN THE 30'S.

thin walls is right

honestly, the walls of this place just make it unacceptable. Amazing location, beautiful rooms that have been updated recently, but i could hear my neighbors and i'm sure the could hear me. Also, the rest the brasserie jo was pretty bad all round...

Service Doesn't Meet Standards the Colonnade Warrants

First of all, the recent $20 million upgrade to the property was excellent. Unfortunately, they should have probably spent some of that money to improve their customer service. Front Desk staff was very abrupt bordering on rude. Here's the short list. We were not told of any WiFi charges to our room nor wass it indicated anywhere in our room, only finding out about said fees when they slipped the charges under our door. The hot water in our shower did not work properly the first day of our stay (It WAS fixed later in the same day). We had a rental car, yet when we returned to the hotel on Day 1 there was no space in the hotel garage for hotel guests, forcing us to park and pay a higher rate across the street in a public garage. When inquiring about a later checkout, the front desk clerk tersely responded with, "The latest we can let you check out is 100PM" and then hung up the phone. The iron did not work in our room, and it took two calls and over 20 minutes to get a replacement. In general, it didn't appear to us that ANY of the hotel staff was happy to be there. Because of this surly approach to customer service, I will not be staying at this property again.

Guest did not leave a comment.

Not quite up to snuff

We were a bit disappointed to find out after we arrived that the hotel's pool is outdoor and seasonal and was closed. It was also rather bad to have to leave a Red Sox game early (we travelled with our two small kids) and not be able to watch the end on tv. Everything was a bit old and worn. The parking isn't valet, but costs the same as valet at another area hotel we've stayed in. This is kind of a trade off. You can lock your bags in your car when you check out and not worry about them all day, but you end up doing some extra wandering to check in.

Guest did not leave a comment.

Guest did not leave a comment.

Improvements

The Service at the hotel was fine the problem was the room itself, the bathroom had a major paint peeling problem which we reported. They indicated that this room was scheduled to be remodeled but they should have moved us to another room or offered us something in return.

Guest did not leave a comment.

Guest did not leave a comment.

High Price, No Frills

This hotel is an older hotel, half of which has been completely updated. We stayed in the updated half but just down the hall was the older portion and it is really dated in appearance. Our room was very comfortable, the bed was superb in comfort, the linens were very high quality and soft and our room was very clean. But for the price we paid, we were very disappointed in the lack of free coffee service and internet. High speed internet, both wired and wireless is available but they charge $14/day to use it. Come on, that's ridiculous! Internet service is cheap these days and that should just be a freebie. And $6 (plus $2.75 delivery charge and 18% added gratuity) for a pot of coffee? Again, ridiculous. The staff were all wonderful although housekeeping did not do a complete job on our room our 3rd thru 5th days. We were not given clean glasses and some garbage was left on the bathroom floor.

Guest did not leave a comment.