Hotel Ulysses — Hotel in Baltimore

I stayed at Ulysses from 11/19 to 11/26 while renovations were being done in my apartment. A Mount Vernon local for over two years, I’d walked past this hotel numerous times but never been inside. A brief perusal of their website put Ulysses at the top of my Baltimore bucket list months ago, so I was ecstatic when I learned my property manager had booked me a room for the week.

The highlight of my stay was easily Diana—a front desk hostess whose hospitality, friendliness, and generosity I will never forget. Diana had been called in from another Ash Hotels property in New Orleans to help cover holiday vacancies at Ulysses. Before I even stepped foot in the hotel, she was already going above and beyond to ensure all my needs were being met. I called ahead to request early check-in, and Diana made the process a breeze. Any request I had, however big or small, Diana had a solution along with a smile. I was amazed by her ability to anticipate my needs before I even voiced them! More than that, she brought an air of warmth and southern hospitality to Ulysses that was simply unmatched by the other front desk staff. I can sincerely say that if not for Diana, my service experience at Ulysses would have been average at best and mediocre at worst.

On occasions when Diana was not on shift, I did experience less than ideal service from the front desk. Sadly, the reviews lamenting this hotel’s lack of amenities are correct; my room did not come equipped with basic necessities like a mini fridge, kettle, or microwave. Excluding the latter, I was able to receive these from the front desk by special request. Worst of all was the thermostat situation—guests are not able to toggle between heat and cool directly from our rooms. Instead, we must contact the front desk and ask them to do it remotely. The front desk definitely seemed to be understaffed. On one particularly frigid night, I must have called more than 5 times with no response. Their phone simply rang off the hook, and when finally answered I was left to wait on hold. On more than one occasion, it took up to two hours to get any communication from them.

On top of the temperature issues, something about the air quality in my room also triggered my allergies, and I developed a nasty sinus infection as a result of my stay. The thermostat jumped back and forth between heat and cool, and I would have to renew my requests every other night. I remember on one particular day, it took over 12 hours for the front desk to fulfill my request to have a new tissue box brought to my room. Simply unacceptable.

As far as the property itself, Ulysses is absolutely stunning. I have always been drawn to their rooms’ unique vintage aesthetic, and I was pleased to have been placed on pink-themed floor! The hotel was very clean, quiet, and smelled wonderful. I visited Ash Bar daily for their happy hour, dinner, and breakfast offerings. While I was disappointed by their weekend brunch (chef didn’t come in until after 9 AM, and more than half of the menu was unavailable), there are plenty of other great options in the neighborhood. Chomi was excellent and provided attentive, friendly service. She made a killer latte and one of the tastiest yogurt bowls I’ve ever had! Likewise, I was always glad to see Jared on shift whenever I went down for my nightly hot water.

While Ash Bar seemed mostly quiet and slow with more traditional drink offerings, I was absolutely blown away by the vibe at Bloom’s! I had a tiramisu dessert drink that was phenomenal, and the bar’s ambiance was simply indescribable. While I didn’t get a chance to visit The Coral Wig during my stay, it’s most certainly on the top of my list for next time.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Ulysses and am eager to go back someday. The hotel is cozy, clean, and aesthetically unique. I love its use of colors, sconces, floral patterns, textiles, and mosaics! It's also pet-friendly! Reading up on the building's history was fascinating. Truly a hidden gem in Mount Vernon. I'm planning to book a suite for my...

I came in from Chicago to attend Maryland Death Fest. Immediately entering the room, I noticed how small it was. The pictures make it seem way bigger. This wasn't a huge issue since I was just by myself.

I went back downstairs to double-check about parking, since I just paid $16 to park in the lot across the street. The guy at the front desk said, 'Oh don't park in that lot, park in this other lot down the street.' I said well I just paid for that lot and he stated I would have to wake up at 3am to repay or move my car. So i wasted $16 for literally no reason. There was nothing informing me where to properly park, which was frustrating. There were no signs and no one reached out beforehand.

I get back up to the room and noticed how incredibly dark it was. I love me a cozy room, but the lights don't really do much. I also noticed there is no refrigerator in the room. Maybe other rooms have one, but this one did not, which I found strange.

The biggest headache the entire trip was with the air conditioning. Whoever thought that the A/C should be master controlled should not be working in the hotel industry. The first night it was fine. I set my AC super low and went to bed. The issue began the second night after attending day one of my concert. I walk in at 2am and it is 79 degrees. All day I was sweating at the concert and now I am sweating in my hotel room.

I am a building engineer by trade and used to work for a Marriott hotel. I knew a few tricks to get the thermostat to get colder. Nothing I did would turn the air conditioning on. Eventually it randomly kicked on. The front desk said I could text someone if I had any problems with my stay. So, I texted the number and no one reached out to me. They said they don't have a phone service? But whatever, I digress.

The next day I ask front desk to fix my AC, thinking it was an issue, and they said, "Yeah, we have it controlled from here. What temperature would you want it at?" I was kind of floored. I asked if they could set it to the coldest they could since it would be 90 degrees outside all weekend which I would be in town for. She lowered it to 68 degrees and said, "We'll go from there". I couldn't believe I can't set the temp of my own room.

That night, I am waltzing into my room after another day of moshing thinking my room would at least be a decent 68 degrees. I go in there and it's back to 79 degrees, with just the unit fan on. So, I end up taking a cold shower and go to bed.

The following day I asked reception again, "Please keep the AC on. Override what you need to. I am at a concert all day and need it to be chilly when i get in". She looked puzzled that the AC was still not working and said, "Ok no problem.". There was even another guy standing there who worked for the hotel who said, "Yeah you'll be outside all day, you want it to be cold." He seemed like a manager, but I didn't get his name.

For the rest of the stay there were days I got back to the hotel room somewhat early. I noticed that the AC would stay on until 1:30am and then switch to fan mode. No matter what you pressed on the thermostat, the user cannot switch modes. It is completely controlled by the front desk. This absolutely would not fly at a Marriott. I understand they probably want to save on their energy bill. I truly get it. But if the guest would like some control, you should give it to them. At least have someone respond with a text, no matter the time of night.

Also, my shower didn't have a door. I was given a towel to put on the floor, but water still went everywhere. Then there are signs asking you to reuse towels to be green. I didn't care about that really, but found it funny that they give you extra towels to use as a bath mat, but also want us to "save the earth" as the sign says. A sliding shower door would have been perfect in this setup.

All in all, I definitely won't stay here next year. I was at the Ulysses for five nights and each one I had issues with my AC. The staff was extremely friendly at all times, but the...

I must say I was very disappointed in the customer service that was given at this hotel. From the moment I checked in. The woman at the front desk hands me a piece of paper telling me I can park around the corner eventhough the website says this hotel offers parking. She also then said not to use the QR code but go directly on the website when parking and paying. I sat over an hour trying to access the website/app to pay for parking and of course the site was not working and couldn’t process. The lot looked abandoned and I was quite worry if my car would even be there the next morning. So of course I had to continuously drive around until I could find parking. She offered no apologies and no other parking lots close to the hotel that offered parking. She then told me I only had 10-15 min to unload my car. I had 2 suitcases, and 2 other heavy bags. No one there to offer assistance up 2 flights of stairs. They are waiting for an accident/ lawsuit to happen with these stairs. The next thing was no phones in the room to call down for toilet paper, no ice machines, no water, no robes/ slippers. So much was missing from the rooms to feel welcomed. Again so disappointed. When I went for a light snack and a drink in the hotel bar. The waiter said sorry to the snacks you are 15 min too late. Instead of saying let me go back and ask a manager and see if we can accommodate you. Guess what.. he didn’t even offer. The next morning when it was time for breakfast, the hotel ash bar has a one man show running the restaurant during breakfast hours. It took forever for him just to come over to take our drink order. I ordered coffee and the person I was with ordered a cold drink. When the coffee came he didn’t offer milk or sugar and it wasn’t on the table. I drank my coffee black which was ridiculous to say the least. We ordered the breakfast platter which consist of eggs, toast, meat, and potatoes. It took what felt like an half an hour to get the food. The waiter/ host/bartender / whatever his title is took forever to bring our check never asking if we would want anything else. The next morning was even worse . The young lady who was working in the restaurant/ ash bar should be trained all over again. Not only did I ask for coffee. Guess what it never came and th egg n she had a nerve to charge me for 2 coffees in my bill. Once I waited to tell her to take the 2 coffees off my bill because she never brought me the coffee I asked for, she says she gave me the wrong bill. Again no apologies no nothing. Meanwhile the customers next to me waited 30 min for a spoon even though she acknowledged that she would be bring them a spoon. The other customers never got menus and was clearly there for over 30 min. The 2 men across the way was so disgusted with the service they asked her to just bill the room they wanted to leave. This hotel is clearly understaffed and the ones that are working shouldn’t be. They need an overhaul of this place in how it looks and the customer service. It’s outdated to say the least and very dark. It brings your entire mood down. The lighting in the rooms and hallways are way to dark. When it comes to the temperature of the room you have to call down from your cell phone or text them to change the temperature from hot to cold. Have you ever heard such a thing in your life. The hot water in the sink comes out boiling hot. Be careful again they are just waiting on a lawsuit. We had to literally beg that same woman at the front desk for a roll of toilet paper. If you have 2 hours in the morning to wait for breakfast, you can eat in there restaurant. I do not recommend this...