Ever since they sold the parking lot to another company, this spot has been going downhill. To be fair, an ice storm had driven many families to shelter there before the event that was booked for the weekend. We also had a fire alert due to an alarm that was recently worked on having an electrical issue. It took less than 15 minutes to be cleared by the fire department, but did slow things down a little more.

That said, people were arriving and they had to reset ALL the rooms in 4 hours. That didn't happen, as you might expect. However, that was at 5-6pm. Folks were still waiting for rooms at midnight. I heard from another guest that they weren't going down the list in order anymore, but handing out rooms at random to whomever was near the desk. That was a terrible move! Another attendee had been up since 3am the previous day making the long drive. They needed a room and at 1am it still wasn't happening.

Then there was the restaurant. There did not appear to be any assignment of sections of tables for the waitstaff or else the bar did not service their section at all. It was nigh impossible to even get a drink, let alone pay. I got the buffet on the 1st night and had to search out a waitstaff person and beg them to take my payment. The second night was similar...except they stopped putting food out at 7:30pm but let people order the buffet until 8pm...well, if you even knew there was a cut-off. I got 1 plate of food, the folks next to me had half the party fed and the rest had to order off the menu. It was a mess. The other person ordering waited 45 minutes for a simple burger when most of the guests had aimed for the buffet, so I know they weren't slammed.

They haven't realized they need a larger staff if they want to run the place properly. They had hired a new girl mid-weekend, so at least our water glasses were full, but there was little organization for Grille 39. Front of house had poor communication and likely back of house was understaffed or not used to what should be the norm for the place on a weekend.

Plusses: The food we did have was great, actually above par, at least for the buffet. The of the menu burger didn't look great, but I can't speak for its taste. Looks can be deceptive.

The staff were friendly. They were very kind d people who just need someone familiar with organizing to pull them together.

Minuses: The exit for this place is easy to miss.

They aren't fielding enough staff to handle the big events they want to host. I had the impression that management were probably congratulating themselves on handling things. They shouldn't. People were not happy. They don't expect to pay a day for a room that they get after midnight. This was their vacation and it wasn't restful to arrive and wait for hours for a room. Nor was it helpful to find the staff weren't calling people up in order, but going with whomever stood in front of them as a room became available.

It was also not a relaxing vacation for those trying to attend events but unable to leave because they couldn't find anyone at the restaurant to pay for their meals.

They need a dedicated cashier for events like this and at least some part-time staff they can scramble for emergencies. There were people willing to service their own room if it meant they could sleep. That should never have even happened. It shouldn't take 8 hours to get a room. Doubletree needs to double its staff and have clear guidelines on how to handle emergencies and stick to them. I hope they improve next year.