The Grove Hotel — Hotel in Boise

Top points to the hotel for communication setting up the reservation and requests. We stayed 2 nights for NYE and also dined in the Trillium restaurant to celebrate our anniversary-staycation. See my separate review of the restaurant. Spoiler, it was fantastic! Cons; Not much seating available in the hotel lobby, unless you want to sit in the cocktail bar area, but that was overrun on NYE, so just 2 small chaises near the frigid front doors. Hotel was overrun with children for a hockey event and with children comes lots of noise; not the best ambience for a classy hotel. I saw kids roller skating in the halls and elevators. High decibel screams from the kids in the pool area, made it impossible to relax, although the staff did the bests they could to keep them reined in. I never understand why hotels do not have sound absorbing materials on the ceilings in pool areas. The clothes closet in our room didn't have a stopper, so it slammed loudly with each use. Bathroom in room had a quite low toilet, low tub and the air exhaust in the ceiling was caked with dust. I can't believe that it is ever cleaned, as this much dust looks like years of accumulation. Toilet paper rolls were difficult to reach when seated unless you are a contortionist. All hotel bathrooms suffer from inadequate hooks/bars in the bath. A large blank wall would have benefitted from a towel bar and several hooks. mini-fridge was barely cool. Banging sounds from kids in the room above us were unbelievable loud, but a call to the front desk quickly stopped the noise. Pros; Most of the staff (except one cleaner we encountered in the elevator) were very professional and friendly. We got a warm greeting from the assistant front office manager, Helyn De Haan, in the form of a lovely letter congratulating our anniversary and included a bottle of Prosecco on ice. They also offered to confirm we had a room with a great view, which it was, from the 12th floor. Mattresses were firm and perfectly comfortable as we like. Bedding & pillows were all clean as was the entire room. Ample USB charging ports were available around the room. Beautiful wall treatment behind the beds, without any cheesy artwork to distract the peace. Cleaners do not enter daily, only upon request, which is how we prefer. Real hangers were in the closet for use and although there isn't a sundries store in the lobby, they did provide to me a free toothbrush with toothpaste as that was the one item I had forgotten to pack. The shower was quite spacious and powerful. Water temperature was great and the provided lotions were all top notch. Pool and gym area is well equipped and they offer outside memberships as well. The person at the front desk was so perky and friendly, I want to get a membership just so that I can interact with her again! The indoor pool is quite large and at 4 feet maximum, just the right amount of depth to enjoy and was never over crowded. They also provide a spacious sauna and a separate steam room as well as a huge jacuzzi with a breathtaking view of downtown, the valley and foothills beyond. I definitely understand why this is the premier hotel of Boise, even with its...

We spent two nights in Boise to celebrate graduation. One night at The Grove Hotel and the other at Hotel 43. This is a review of both.

Our first night was at The Grove. Such great costumer service. For some reason I thought most rooms had tubs and when we were put in a shower only room I thought we were just in a wheel chair access room because it just kind of looked like that. We called the front desk and they were happy to oblige and gave us a suite room with a tub at no additional charge and didn't even mention the mistake we had made. We figured it out later once we were back home.

Sadly the heater made a loud squealing noise that was unbearable to sleep with. Since they had just been so nice to put us in a new room we didn't want to complain again so we just turned the heat up and then turn it off when we went to sleep.

Unfortunately the pillows were horrible. Way too stiff and only one kind of pillow to choose from. Not 2 soft and 2 firm as you often find. The bed also was not very comfy and neither of us slept really well.

What we loved though was the atmosphere! They were so professional. The people at the front desk were always dressed nice and alert and attentive to you and your concerns. The restaurant people were friendly. The valet parking gentlemen were just that, gentlemen. It has a very classy feel. I just wish the beds were better and the heater had some maintenance. I liked The Grove as a whole better than Hotel 43 but I slept better at Hotel 43 so it is a real challenge to really decide.

Hotel 43 was nice. The music is more upbeat and maybe appeals to a younger generation. The staff was nice but not nearly as professional and classy as at The Grove. When we would walk in at The Grove they would look up at you and great you and smile. At Hotel 43 we often saw the workers looking at the computer screens or phones and not acknowledging you at all. Very disappointing to me personally. They looked like teenagers bored at their jobs.

When we got to our room there was garbage in the garbage can so that was disappointing but other than that the room was clean. The rooms felt a lot smaller than The Grove and it was awkward to get in and out of the bathroom. However, the bathroom was beautiful! The beds were also so comfy! And the pillows. We slept much better at Hotel 43.

On another note, we also asked about a room with a tub and instead of putting us no extra charge in another room they wanted to charge $100 extra to upgrade. We didn't think a tub was worth that.

The other plus side of Hotel 43 was that they have the best place to eat downstairs (Chandlers). It was really pricey but well worth a special night out if you can afford a $90 meal.

I'd give both places 4 stars. Costumer service was WAY better at The Grove....just bring your own pillow! Hotel 43 you will probably sleep better but they are not nearly as personable. I wish the beds at Hotel 43 were at The Grove and totally go back to The Grove. The Grove was also a lot...

I wanted to share my recent experiences at your Hotel over this holiday week. I am writing you to let you know the numerous deficiencies we experienced during our stay but I would like to start out by saying that front desk staff was exceptional upon check in. There were several challenges during our stay that shaped our opinion of the "Grove Hotel" and regrettably they were not favorable. I don't think I've ever have experienced a Valet attendant ask me "what I needed" when pulling into a resort or hotel. Your valets did this on 2 occasions. They are the first introduction to the Hotel and all guests should be greeted with a warm welcome. Not the case for the Grove. The elevators are dirty and have drip marks from split beverages or food in all 3 elevators! The tracks of the elevators are filthy and filled with food debris. I encourage you to go and look at the condition of the elevators. The corners have so much dirt and debris, they are long overdue for a traditional cleaning. The wall upon exiting the 13th floor has food drips on the wall in several places. Go look for yourself. Clearly the cleaning staff is very complacent in the duties of house keeping because it carried over into both rooms stayed in for 3 days. The carpets were not cleaned well and when guests are finding pills, hairpins, paper from the prior guests, it makes me wonder what the rest of my room is like. We we found that out when we pulled open the sleeper couch. The dark black stains throughout was terrible. Food was compressed between the mattress and couch. Chris, was kind enough to move us to another room but we experienced some of the same issues with the original room we stayed in. Dirty carpets! Not being vacuumed throughly. I realize this isn't the "Ritz Carlton" but the Grove isn't a cheap hotel either. The jacuzzi was not working in the pool area, no cups avaliable for water, limited towels. As a frequent visitor to Boise ( my daughter lives there) we visit a couple time each month. Regrettably, the Grove is not a Hotel I could recommend based upon my experiences. Typically, I would expect or ask for some type of compensation or reduction in my bill because of the inconvenience but with the holiday at hand, I don't have the energy. As a final farewell, my oversized valet stood by to watch me me load our luggage into my vehicle. He was handed a ticket stub verses a hundred dollar bill.

I hope you take the time to look at the deficiencies in your hotel because I really think it has the potential of being a great place to stay, but for this frequent traveler - I'll let everyone I know how disappointing my...