Note: This is also posted with my reviews over on Yelp.
Overall impression:
I found The Clift Hotel to be a solid, friendly boutique hotel without the cliche boutique hotel 'hipper than thou' attitude. Front desk folks seemed as if they genuinely cared and the concierge was helpful. The room delivered what I needed, but it didn't overwhelm me with the quality of its amenities.
I was here for just one night on a business trip and the folks at the desk clearly wanted to make a good impression for our company. I was 'upgraded' into a room which, while spacious, wasn't a suite or anything so I'm not entirely sure what the upgrade was. They also welcomed me with a little note from the manager on duty and included some drink vouchers for the bar downstairs [which seems to be kind of scenester-ish] but I wasn't able to use them.
The general vibe struck me as a little schizophrenic, though. The best way I can think to describe it is if Martha Stewart was stylizing a W room around Easter time, but had to play by 'Design on a Dime' rules or something [i.e., you've got $500 and can use whatever is in the garage]. For example, the lavender and cream color scheme included a wheelbarrow-like chair with a lil' throw blanket [in case I caught a chill I suppose]. Charming, really - good times. But the heavy-duty grey carpet was the type that is omnipresent in entry level studio apartments you'll find in the mid-rise buildings that litter Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. And the kewl plastic orange nightstands gave me bad flashbacks to my time at The Standard in Hollywood.
Highlights / Lowlights:
What was great
- Front desk welcoming attitude and general helpfulness;
- Concierge was very helpful when I was stuck at The Presidio and about to lose my mind because I couldn't get a taxi to save my life
- Value - Probably a corporate rate, but I think I paid in the $230 range +/-
What wasn't all that great
- The TV / Entertainment center is straight out of Ikea's 'my first dorm room' catalog circa 1995
- Desk / work area could be more spacious
Scorecard:
Would I stay here again? Yes
Did it seem a good value? Yes
Essentials
Service - very good
Bed - very good
Bathroom - good; nice, but small
Work space / internet service - okay
Storage - more closet space in room 808 than I had in my first apartment
Amenities
Room Service - n/a, didn't try it
Concierge - very helpful
TV / Entertainment - mediocre / poor"
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