Redmont Hotel Birmingham, Curio Collection by Hilton — Hotel in Birmingham

I arrived at the Redmont Hotel in Birmingham, AL, on July 23rd, 2024, anticipating a pleasant two-night stay. After experiencing what went terribly wrong during my visit, I felt it necessary to wait before posting a review in hopes that Hilton would address my concerns. Unfortunately, all I received was my bill, prompting me to share my negative experience.

To begin with, the hotel itself possesses a charming historic appeal. The exterior is a beautiful, old building filled with character, with unique touches that modern hotels often lack. However, the allure of its age quickly faded upon entering the premises. I anticipated the typical quirks of an older establishment, but there’s a significant difference between old-world charm and neglect. This hotel is in dire need of maintenance. Upon reaching the 11th floor, I encountered large bleach stains on the carpet in the hallway, accompanied by a damp, musty smell in the air. Entering my room only deepened my disappointment. The window curtains were broken at the top, rendering them useless for privacy. I found two dead yellow jackets on the floor and the bathroom tub faucet was improperly secured. The water pressure was notably low, and it took an unusually long time for the water to heat up. The lack of a refrigerator was particularly frustrating, as I had hoped to store some items during my stay. It was late by the time I settled in, so I opted to get some rest before work the next day. After completing my work commitments the following day, I returned to the hotel around 5:00 PM. I self-parked my vehicle across the street, as I had done the previous night. Upon my arrival, I immediately sensed something was amiss. There was an emergency pump service outside, and an overwhelming smell permeated the air. Stepping into the hotel, I was hit with the same unpleasant odor, and to my dismay, I discovered that all the power was out.I approached the reception desk and inquired about the situation. The receptionist informed me, “Yes, it is an act of God, and something we can’t control. There was flooding in the basement from the rain yesterday, and we don’t have any power or internet.” When I asked about my options, she casually mentioned, “Well, we don’t know when the power will come back on, so if you want to leave and go somewhere else, you absolutely can.”

With that, I decided it was best to check out and find alternative accommodations. I inquired about retrieving my belongings from the 11th floor, only to be told, “There are some stairs right around the corner. Just be careful!” Climbing 11 flights of stairs in pitch darkness, accompanied by the nauseating scent of flood water, was a daunting task. Fortunately, I managed to gather my belongings and make my way back down to the lobby. With no functioning computer system, they wrote down my name and room number, assuring me they would sort it out later. Exiting the hotel, I was left scrambling to find a new place to stay for the night instead of enjoying a relaxing dinner. I had already paid $21 for an extra 24 hours of parking, anticipating a second night in the hotel, which felt like wasted money.

A couple of days later, I received an email containing my bill: one night’s stay, paid in full, without any discounts, messages, or apologies. No acknowledgment of the chaos I endured. While I understand the flooding was beyond their control, their handling of the situation was severely lacking. What if a more serious emergency arose, such as a fire or earthquake? There was a clear absence of organization and leadership. Furthermore, I was troubled by the lack of resources, like flashlights, which could have aided guests in navigating the dark. It raises concerns about safety, particularly for those with disabilities who might struggle to access their rooms under such circumstances. I would not feel safe returning to the Redmont Hotel in Birmingham, AL. The experience was marked by inadequate maintenance, poor crisis management, and a general lack of concern for guest safety...

Ok, I've been to Birmingham a lot and stayed in a lot of the Hilton properties, so I thought I'd try the Redmont as I was interested in staying in this area of town.||Good:|* Location is in walking distance to a lot of neat restaurants on 20th and other areas|* If you like older, restored properties you'll appreciate the rooms here|* Staff was super friendly for the most part||Quirky:|* The elevators feel like the original to the hotel. Very noisy and small.|* While the bathroom was very pretty the lack of a shower door resulted in water flooding my floor each morning. I tried aiming the shower head back and away and it didn't help. The ledge was pitched towards the floor so all of the water that hit it ran onto the floor. Regardless, they were super kind to refresh the towels daily when I asked since the ones they provided got drenched from me cleaning up the water.|* There was no trash can in the bathroom. There is only one in the room by the desk.|* The rooftop bar is a little hard to find. You have to go to the Penthouse and can only reach it on elevator 2 even though there are buttons for it in the other elevators. Once there, only the little inside bar was open when I visited and it was very loud. The outside was nice to walk around and it is probably great when the whole place is open on nice evenings.|* I asked if there were any upgrades when I checked in and was told I was in an upgraded room already since it was on a high floor (it was not an upgrade-just the first room the app offered at check-in). When I asked again I was told it was high-floor, away from elevator, but it was directly across from the elevator. I'm Diamond, but it hasn't gone to my head. If you don't want to upgrade me just say that you can't. I didn't make a fuss about it, and yes, there were better rooms available.|* I asked for a beverage menu at the lobby bar one night and was told they don't have one. They just asked what I wanted and pointed out the bottles.|* There is a coffee shop attached to the lobby that you can charge to your room. It basically only has coffee drinks (no food). I just got a cup of coffee here. When I asked for cream and sugar, she handed me a couple of coffee mate cups and a tray of packets, so I had to add these standing next to the cash register. I didn't realize people behind me thought I was still in line. Seemed weird to not have an area off to the side to add these things. Otherwise, the coffee was excellent.||The bad:|* Valet only here for $38 a night. I decided to park in the BHM parking deck 4 about half a block away for $9 a night and had no problems at all. There is a surface lot across the street but some reviews online stated their car was broken into. There is also 15 minute and 2 hour street parking in front of the hotel which was convenient for checking out.|* Wifi was a completely unsecured network (nothing like the usual Hilton Wifi sign-on process). |* I had a few maintenance issues in the room. They did come replace a light bulb (a CFL relic) with another one. The safe was locked but 1234 opened it. The wall was smashed in from the door hitting it. There was some water leaking from something onto the carpet in the room.||Would I stay here again? Well, if the price was right and knowing what I know now I probably would. I just would not pay a lot more than the other...

I was so excited to stay at this old historic hotel. This is worst choice I could have made. I will skip this place at all costs in the future. 1. At arrival around 5PM the two hostess checking in were clueless. They told me they didn't know if they had a room or not. I said but I have a reservation. So we waited 15 minutes while they had to look into the situation. So then they asked me to get to the end of the long line while they figured this mess out. All while I was juggling 3 kids. I then asked if I could please have a water since they were sitting on the table register. The lady told me those were complimentary so I said great can I have one but then she said yes but you have to be a honor's member. I said well I am very thirsty can I just pay for one while I continue to wait even more. She said she wasn't sure and would have to look into this...It was as if everyone was clueless about everything. Finally someone came up and said just give him a water. It didn't feel like a normal Hilton experience I'm used to. When I got back in line to check on the situation after 10 minutes the lady said oh sorry I can only make ID cards you'll have to wait in line again for the other lady who can give you a room if it is even available. 2. I didn't feel safe at this location or area at all. No security and there was homeless and questionable people camped all over watching and asking for money. 3. There was no one watching cars after valet parked the car. As I watched from the 5th floor window I saw homeless people walking throughout the cars looking through the windows. Nobody was out there protecting our vehicles or belongings. It was rift raft all night in the parking lot and I was worried that we would wake up with a busted window or worst. 4. This morning, when we were leaving we were having breakfast. The lady questioned me even though we had already bought the free breakfast with our package and wanted proof. I asked her why she could not look up my confirmation number. Again, everyone acted clueless nd didn't know what was going on. She even acted surprised that they had a breakfast package with the hotel stay. Why doesn't staff know what's offered? 4. Then things got worse as I feared, 3 patrol cars pull up and start running around the parking lot where the valet cars are located. The police jump out with multiple cops running around looking for somebody who was vandalizing a car. They found a gentleman who had slept in someone's vehicle and he jumped out and ran for it. If there had been security in place this would not have happened. Again I feel like this place is not protected or worth it for the price that you pay. The crazy dude was holding his hands up making gun symbols like he was going to shoot us. He was headed towards the hotel area and I told my family they might need to run through the kitchen exit and hide in case he was armed and planning to harm us.

This is an experience I will not forget and if I could go back I would dodge Birmingham...