Element Asheville Downtown — Hotel in Asheville

Things to make it perfect/better:

-change parking fee/better parking regulations -add a play area for families with younger kids or at least add more family friendly things to the main sitting area (level 2) (board games, checkers on tables etc...) for bad weather days -have more kid friendly breakfast food (sunny side up eggs by themselves, mini whole wheat chocolate and blueberry pancakes) -a lunch/supper menu (even premade) even if it's just salads (plain, Cesar and chef), cauliflower pizzas (cheese and hamburger) and simple veggie and beef soups

It's not very young kid friendly (not many kid friendly foods or activities) but I have to say this is far beyond what I expected for the price and area though. The traffic sounds are not noticable if you put both blinds down and are on floors 5-7, if on lower levels a simple white noise sound from YouTube on the tv with blinds would work great. The quality of service and care that is put into the patrons stay and the front of the house aspects is absolutely fantastic. The decor, cleanliness, furnishings, emotional warmth etc... seams very high class yet homey all at the same time. The pool is tiny but it is warm and a saltwater pool! The pool is open from 6am to 10pm which is great and the breakfast is typically 6am to 9:30am they have some kind of hot product such as quiche or egg whites etc as the main with toast, bagels, Greek vanilla yogurt, fruit loops, cheerios, raisen brand and granola for breakfast options with of course all the fixings (different milk products, different toppings). The food tasted great and the kitchen staff was fast and efficient. The outdoor breakfast area is nice but no cover is provided so if it's sprinkling or extremely sunny/hot then you can't sit outside and enjoy a meal it's the same with the roof top area and the grill area. Our room was a standard king sized room with a giant glass shower and spacious bathroom and room. We had a small kitchenet with filtered water, dishes, microwave, sink, mini fridge etc... even basic seasonings, the bedding and room seamed and felt clean and the room was spacious for a 300-400sqft room. The staff was great, always trying to make sure everything was perfect, the Guest Services Manager Rachel Wolk was very friendly, patient, curtius and helpful. Some of the staff was being trained during our stay and we're great, the people training them/working with them were great as well. We had a guy named Herschel who was fantastic and he was running around getting guests things they needed plus doing all his other duties while being speedy and precise (his first night but seamed like he had been there for months). The rooms, hallways, bathrooms, sitting and dinning areas were all so clean and most of the staff was genuinely kind and went the extra mile to be nice and friendly (seamed to love their jobs). The housekeeper for our room/floor/hall, Alaina was great and did great work, she was friendly and took the time to talk to my kiddo so did/was a older gentleman in charge of cleaning the main areas in the morning. The parking is $12 a day which I honestly feel is extremely pricey for basic outside parking (you and your vehicle exposed to the elements) but not enough for the luxury indoor garage parking. Though if they had some kind of parking system that gives you the choice to park in the garage or in the open and pay based on that then I feel less people would be upset. Maybe a system where they put something in your front window that signifys what spot you're supposed to be in (in the garage especially) it would be way better too. They could get more money for parking and have less complaints about parking if parking outside was say free or $5 a day or discounted for longer stays and garage was up to $20 per day as most people want to have their vehicle covered at whatever cost. Others don't mind the elements and feel jipped they are paying the same price for basic parking as the ones in the...

Unfortunately, being here long term / extended stay you get to experience a lot of things. What stands out the most the lack Of cleaning standards. They don’t truly clean appropriately here.

Housekeeping - very loud In the halls and slam room doors loudly and it will wake you up.

Also cleaning standards are very low. They clean the dirty areas then use the same rag to clean the cleaner areas. For example, the housekeeping lady cleaned the sink, using the same rag, she then cleaned the microwave, and then again the countertops and stove. Pointed this out to her (same housekeeper ) on two different occasions. Told the supervisor the second time but alas they don’t care or maybe they don’t understand the concept. However nothing has improved.

Housekeeping staff doesn’t clean properly at all. Came in mopping my floors and sweeping it with the same floor sponge they used to clean the last room with and left dog hair all over my floors and left the floor soaking wet (with soap) and when I pointed it out it was again taken as it was not a big deal.

after I contacted the supervisor someone was sent here to use a sticky roll on thing (similar to a lint roller to pick up the dog hair) but the cleaning was not redone so I ended up cleaning it myself because it’s just disgusting to use the microwave that’s been cleaned with the dirty sink rag or cook food on a countertop that was cleaned using the sink and microwave rag.

Front desk staff will call at random hours for stuff that’s irrelevant. At maybe 1030 or 11pm at night (while I was sleeping - I have to be up for work at 5am) they called the room phone asking “ i wanted to check to see if it’s your car parked outside the front door (stated the make and model - nothing similar to ours at all! Back to the story, so

My response was a simple no- hung up and then thought Umm what ? Are you calling all your guests in the hotel ? I’ve been at the hotel and you’re calling me this late for what reason exactly ? Also, I’ve had the same car for weeks here and they asked me the make and model at check in, so not sure why they’d call if they have a record of the type of car I have ?

Recycling- there’s no recycling concept here. They give you a recycling bin but then dump everything in the same trash bin 🤦🏻‍♀️ so why are they lying ?

Also housekeeping staff doesn’t speak English and refuses to try to understand anything you ask for. Their first response to anything is “I don’t speak English” Each thing you ask for takes multiple attempts and sometimes you just get tired of asking for stuff and just are like screw it it’s not worth this much effort because they can’t understand simple words like towel / tissue box / toilet paper/ pillow covers/ blanket. I’ve asked for each of these things with a different item being brought each time.

Pros: the kitchen staff is amazing! All...

My wife and I used this hotel for our wedding and everyone loved it! This place is WELL WORTH the price with all that is included and for where it is. The rooms are all stocked with a sink, microwave, and fridge. The rooms are clean and aesthetically pleasing. The hotel is in a great location that is walking distance from downtown and right off 240 making it convenient and easy to get to. Great views from the rooms, the 2nd floor balcony, and the rooftop. Mountain views and downtown and facing west so you can catch the sunset. The continental breakfast is also fairly good. Wish they had a waffle maker but I understand why they do not because they do a great job and have a lot of options. The sausage is a little eh, but everything else was good! Latte machine and a 24/7 coffee machine. They also have 24/7 green apples and lemon water available in the lobby.The hotel also has complimentary bikes to borrow if anyone is interested. The hotel also offers a Happy Hour from 5-6 on weekdays with free local beer from Green Man brewery (IPA and lager) and wine. The courtyard area was very nice with covered seating and fireplaces. The rooftop was also a popular place to hang out all night! On weekends, the hotel also offers a free shuttle that runs to and from downtown AVL. The shuttle driver Bill is the best and we loved his hospitality. So convenient! Our only hold up was on the wedding side, so if you are going for a normal stay, you can happily sign up for this hotel and stop reading.

On the wedding side, working with them to block rooms was tough. They did not communicate well at all and we even considered changing. We also ran into issues with all the guests who came a day early and were spending one night without the blocked rate. We also had some guests who had reservations, but it was not in the hotel's system. Thankfully that was all resolved. We also had a problem because they did not hand out welcome bags to our guests that we put a lot of time, money, and effort into... even though they were delivered and on sight. We asked the hotel if there were extras when we left and we got half of them back because they put them in a storage closet and forgot.

Overall, I do not regret picking them as the hotel we chose. So much bang for your buck. Just be cautious and follow up with the staff because they failed to...