The Desmond Hotel Albany

This place has an interesting vibe. Lots of rooms and an interesting outdoor plant growth inside. Kinda fun nooks to sit and relax in. Wedding, conferences, parties or just needing a place to stay the Desmond isn’t a bad spot in the Capital Region. Close to airport and major highways.nnHowever, check everything to the letter of any agreement or bill. If you book an event ask what else will be there they book events on top of each other on the same days. Yes there is space but not much space between spaces. Having a wedding take place the same time a conference is taking place can be frustrating, for both parties. They will literally ask you to stay in your room you paid for or try to tell you to leave it to accommodate another partyeven though both parties paid. This has happened multiple times. Also be sure to check your bill, I have been over charged multiple times and had to return the following week to dispute it. The staff at the counter have always been good about correcting mistakes. Also if booking an event or coming in for one ask about overflow… in overbooking sometimes they’ve had to put people in other hotels for a night, kind of annoying.nnNow to the staff working on the floor of the events, check ins and cleaning: they are wonderful and understanding. The banquets are well run and efficient. Each time I’m impressed with how they run the room and serve hundreds of people only to deal with everyone in such a welcoming and respectful manner, it cannot be easy. The staff at check in and out are easy to work with and helpful when things don’t add up properly. The cleaning staff is great and if you need something people working there are helpful.nI really do appreciate the staff at the Desmond.nnThe banquet food was good, better than other sites in the Capital Region actually. The cost is up but honestly after seeing the work they put into getting everyone served efficiently I get why. Good meal but impressive service for so many people. I would have to say overall the cost is fairly competitive for their packages so good food with good service makes it work.nnI’ve been a bunch of times and will be back. I’d rate higher but I’m giving it an average score from the times I’ve stayed. The staff is great but the overbooking tends to lead to frustration and that isn’t the fault of the servers, cleaners, or people trying to help you when you are there.

Okay, so here is my honest review, the place is so beautiful and lovely, we had a duplex room which was great for the kids, it was so perfect, until.....nnUntil we saw a mouse run across the room.... Now, I read all the reviews and I was hoping that they addressed the problem, and being that the duplex was so perfect for our family with kids we booked anyway.nnI also have to mention that the cleanliness in the room is lacking a lot .... Little pieces of food around, hair, a pony rubber laying around, some toys under the couch etc.nnI do have to say that the front desk was super nice and caring about it offering free drinks for the family and even refunded the room.nnSo my takeaway is if you don't mind mice, and a not clean room, then this place is fantastic. I wish they can fix these problems in the future because it's such a perfect special hotel. I want to be able to love it!

This place is huge! The rooms are nicely restored but still the old bones like the tub with a slow drain. Because it’s so big, it’s just a bit cumbersome. The staff was nice, the wait staff friendly and really good in the restaurant. All in all, the Desmond is a classic. I just wouldn’t put it at the top of the IHG collection. The stars reflect that, it’s a solid hotel overall.

This hotel was very pretty, and very unique. The staff was extremely helpful. However, it seemed as if everything was set to “hot” in our room. The shower and sink water were hot or warm…no cold or even cool. The air conditioning was set to 68 when we arrived but it felt far warmer than they so we set it to 64 prior to leaving for dinner. When we came back it was still the same temperature. We were all quite uncomfortable. The hallways were also extremely warm, despite the main lobby being nice and cool. Just seems like they need to update the system. We stayed in early June, so that isn’t going to get better as the summer progresses.

A few things one expects at a three-star hotel: hot and cold running water and bedding that’s pleasant to sleep in. Recent stays at The Crowne Plaza Albany, a.k.a. The Desmond lacked both.nnIf you are unfortunate to be assigned Rooms 321, 323 or 339 or perhaps any rooms in that section of the hotel, you will be without cold water in the bathroom sink. The taps run hot and hotter. You’re also likely to suffer lumpy foam pillows who knew foam pillows could be lumpy? that are so hard you will wake up with a sore neck.nnI brought the water issue to the attention of the night front desk staff who stated the obvious: there’s no engineering person around at 11pm. Moving rooms, their solution, confirmed the problem was more than an isolated issue. So did a subsequent stay.nnOn TripAdvisor I’ve attached pictures of the fine work that greeted me from the housekeeping department because Google is not accepting uploads at the time of this writing. Why are big pillows left to hang out of little pillow cases that don’t fit? Why aren’t sheets pulled down to cover the mattress? Do you really think your guests like getting into a bed that’s been slept in by hundreds with surfaces that aren’t covered with clean linens?nnHas the Crowne Plaza brand moved so down-market as to consider such unwelcoming accommodations to be okay — or is The Desmond a uniquely bad property?