Aloft Chapel Hill — Hotel in Chapel Hill

When we made our reservation we were looking forward to staying at this modern & unique hotel. During the online reservation process we were offered a choice of rooms which included breakfast for an additional $10-$12; we selected the breakfast package as we weren’t familiar with the area. During check in we were given our breakfast cards and we asked where the dining room was located; the employee pointed out the area behind the front desk that had food items and explained that in the morning (from 7:00 – 10:00 AM) the window to the kitchen would be open where we would be able to order Belgium Waffles, made to order Omelets and other breakfast items from the menu above the window. There were tables and other comfortable seating areas throughout the lobby to sit so the lack of an actual dining room was not a problem. The rooms were nice; there’s no lock on the sliding bathroom door (not a problem) but those with kids might want to know this as the shower is clear glass & the toilet is behind the door with the shower. The lighting in the room is great when the huge window area is open but if/when you close it to change clothes, etc. the lighting isn’t great. The only place to change clothes privately is the small bathroom/shower area behind the sliding door; everything else is open. The pool area is nice with unique furniture and a sun deck outside with more unique furniture; the pool was a little cold but the indoor pool area is very warm. We were disappointed in the staff and very disappointed at breakfast when the kitchen window was closed. To explain the disappointment in the staff; we walked past the two morning employees behind the check in desk without an explanation to the closed kitchen window until we finally had to ask. The employees weren’t busy with guests; just talking to each other. We were a little confused and trying to figure out how the ordering process worked; what we were able to select from with the included breakfast; etc. At no point did either employee turn and explain anything to us. I finally walked over to the desk and asked how to order from the closed window at which point one of the employees finally told us that the chef had to leave. I wasn’t upset that the chef had to leave as much as I was disappointed in the employees who missed the opportunity to let us know on our way in to the food area or shortly after we got there when we were walking around trying to figure out what to do. After we asked what we should do with our food cards they said we could select from the donuts, muffins, & breakfast sandwiches that were on the counter near the coffee, tea, & juice. Disappointing but still not a problem; after we each grabbed a breakfast sandwich, coffee & a muffin and sat down one of the employees came over and said that we had to check out at the desk. My husband apologized and said that we didn’t know how it worked; (unspoken – because there was a serious lack of communication from the staff) this is when I was seriously disappointed. The employee explained that each card was “worth $7.00” I think I noticed 7.00 (no dollar sign) on the card but never really thought about what it meant because if the value of the breakfast was only $7.00 I was certain it would have mentioned the limit during my reservation. I checked again today and it doesn’t. The $7.00 limit isn’t a problem; here’s the problem; that along with many other things was never explained. I would definitely have dined elsewhere! As a side note; the items were $4.00 and up so how is “breakfast included” with the room for $10-$12 a more desirable perk? If the chef were in we would have used our breakfast cards and spent double that for the extras such as coffee, juice and any side items. It’s a shame that an experience like this; which I believe is totally avoidable; will probably make us choose another hotel...

If you are a single traveler in particular one who uses Uber or public transit this is the hotel for you. The double queen room is spacious. The room was generally clean. Ask for a room facing the parking lot at this room seemed quiet even on weekdays with traffic. There's a microwave on each floor. There's a bar and a pool table and a small gym. It is convenient to the unc campus and general chapel Hill area. ||If you're traveling with two or more people then this is probably not the ideal hotel. The rooms are oddly laid out with no drawers for clothing storage. Instead there are open shelves in the sink area. The shower/toilet are in a separate room from the sink, but it's the same light for both rooms. The sink area does not have a door between it and the room, which means if anyone turns the bathroom light on, the bedroom is flooded with light. There's also essentially a night light always on in the sink area which would have been convenient if there was a door to that area. Without the door it means you can't get traditional hotel room darkness. ||The blackout shades aren't truly blackout shades if that matters to you. ||It is interesting..there are little odds and ends out of place. The conditioner bottle in the shower has fallen off the wall and was never fixed. There was something wrong with a wall in the hallway and it had trash bags taped over it. One room in the hallway was missing it's number so had a printed ribbon up. This didn't impact the room itself but I know it matters to some people. ||You do have to pay for parking. Note that on some nights the parking lot and garage closest to the hotel fills so they will send you to an overflow parking area (what the hotel calls it). It's down the street maybe a half a block and it's confusing where exactly to park since there are tow away signs for anything marked retail and hours posted on office parking signs. It seems relatively safe in terms of walking, though I didn't feel like I had a great line of sight everywhere I wanted to. I've stayed in a lot of hotels some with or without parking but nothing like this that charged for parking, had an overflow parking at this distance, and didn't at least offer valet as an option. There are a number of accessible parking spaces next to the hotel. But if have mobility issues (like stairs are tough for you but you don't have a blue parking placard) I wouldn't risk needing to use that overflow lot. ||Front desk service is ok. They answered questions but until the fourth night in wasn't super engaged...which is fine. But I know some people are looking for friendlier and more active customer service. That wasn't this. ||This was an ok stay. It definitely could have been worse. It also could have...

I had high expectations for the Aloft in Chapel Hill based on a great stay at the Aloft in Asheville just a few months ago. Unfortunately, I was served a deep dish of disappointment. I got a prompt from the interweb to check into my room on Friday morning. I did. I requested a 4:00 arrival. I got confirmation it was all set. But when I presented myself at the desk at 3:59, I was told there were no rooms ready for me and I'd have to wait on a list behind 4 others. I was also told that the room might not be ready for another 1 to 2 hours. I didn't express the full extent of my displeasure to Jaylin (not sure spelled right), because it was not her fault that the cleaning staff couldn't keep up with demand. And she was very polite. So with no other option, I put my name on a list (literally a paper list! Hello, 19th century). I got a text from the hotel within about 20 minutes, but by that time was already half-way across town heading to a great food/drink spot to kill the one or two hours we were expecting to need to wait. Check-in at 6:00 went OK, but there was a parking hiccup, since apparently I was supposed to have registered to park - something not communicated at all until that moment. Fortunately it was quickly resolved and I was given the hanger tag needed to park at the hotel. The room was clean, the water pressure and temp in the shower was great. One star. Jaylin (still not sure of spelling) was very nice so that's the 2nd star. So only two stars because:

1. The room design was terrible: you can't use any part of the bathroom without flooding light into the sleeping part of the room. Even Motel 6 has a door so you can shave or brush your teeth without waking your partner.
2. The abysmal job of management to adequately staff the reception desk (Jaylin was alone and there was a line) and cleaning staff. And if my room isn't ready when I said I planned to arrive, I shouldn't have to find out at the desk. There is plenty of automation and digital connectivity to make it easy to alert me ahead of time.
3. The only place to get water in the lobby when we got there was from the massive leak near the pool table. The two carafes of iced water had ice, but no water. This was a truly disappointing visit to what should have been a top-notch property. We will definitely never be coming back, or for that matter, never stay at an...