The Hotel at The University of Maryland — Hotel in College Park

I can’t say enough incredible things about the Hotel at the University of Maryland. From the beginning of time, it was no secret that I struggled with planning a wedding, especially in an area I did not know much about (I have no ties to University of Maryland or College Park). Décor, flowers, fancy invitations, food, etc… it’s just not my thing. But I still can be picky with others making decisions. Kelsey, the event coordinator, made everything so incredibly easy. She was able to paint a picture of a beautiful weekend, with amazing food, fun, and love. And it was just that…

I got married June 11 and had our guests spend the weekend (Friday – Sunday). We did the entire wedding at the hotel. Upon arrival we were greeted so pleasantly. They even allowed us to check in early and store everything for the weekend in a conference room. We did welcome bags and the hotel made sure every single guest received one even though we told them it wasn’t a big deal. They went completely above and beyond from start to finish of the weekend.

Friday night was a rehearsal dinner of about 35 people followed by Welcome Drinks for everyone invited to the wedding at the hotel bar (ended up being about 120 people). We did a charcuterie board and a 3 hour open bar for all. It was incredibly reasonably priced, and there was not one issue! We didn’t plan much décor, but the hotel made the bar area look GORGEOUS. What a way to kick off a weekend of fun!

Saturday was a dream. We woke up and my 8 bridesmaids and I headed to the spa to get ready. We hired an outside group to come in for hair and makeup (although if it was an option, we would have preferred the hotel spa staff). The spa staff made everything so fun. Shanna, Kendra, and their team are incredible!!! Not to mention the pictures in the BEAUTIFUL spa turned out perfectly.

There was only one thing that was hanging over our heads the day of the wedding… the rain! We were scheduled for 70% rain the day of the wedding. It rained and rained and rained all morning. Checking the radar, it looked like the rain would stop in the afternoon. The hotel staff was incredibly flexible and kind. They knew how badly we wanted to make outside work (although the inside setup they had was beautiful as well). For the first time ever, the weather forecast was right! It stopped raining and we were able to do the wedding outside. And O-M-G was it beautiful. I will never forget turning the corner and walking down the aisle with 165 of our closest friends watching. Everything from the chair set up to the views were perfect. There was so much incredible energy on that rooftop, and we owe most of that to the hotel staff & planners. The staff was so gracious, attentive, and genuinely happy to be there. They didn’t make it feel like they were there for a shift (like you may feel at some restaurants). They truly wanted everything to go right for complete strangers. It was incredible. From the amazing cocktail hour with live music to the dinner and dancing, the night was perfect. The staff did not have to, but they always had eyes on my husband and I to ensure we were happy. And we were SO happy!! We ended the evening down at the hotel bar. I would’ve thought only a few people would come to the after party, but almost the whole wedding showed up. The bartenders were such troopers. It was a rowdy crowd and a late night for them… they had nothing but the best attitude.

We ended the weekend with bagels and coffee. We asked to have a bartender there for anyone who was staying for a little while… we had way more people stay than expected! Every guest that left the hotel left with such a great experience. Many comments we heard from our guests were “food was incredible,” “bar & drinks were the best they had ever had at a wedding,” and “they loved staying for the weekend without ever...

I have to split this into several parts as some things here are well worth 5 or even more stars and some other things leavee scratching my head honestly. To start upon arriving I was able to easily park in the garage before checking in. As part of my package I had free parking so they took my initial ticket and gave me a key card for going in and out of the garage over my stay. They check in process which quick and painless and I was very quickly on my way up to my 9th floor suite. The whole hotel is designed quite nicely in a very modern look. Upon arriving at my suite I discovered it to be equally nice to other space with electronics galore to control lights and blinds as well as a nice kitchenette and gorgeous bathroom along with the very comfy bed. After all of this great stuff then things started to feel a bit weird. First u realized that the kitchenette had a ton of storage doors and drawers which barring you staying for an extended time felt a bit overkill, this is nitpicky I know but it just felt off. Then in the morning I went to the executive lounge to get breakfast. It is on the 8th floor, one below my own and is available to guests of these executive levels. It was located just off of an area with other rooms and wasn't particularly well marked. Upon entering we found it was a very nice space and some of the breakfast items were set out. As we began surveying our options a staff member came in and informed us and another guest that breakfast didn't start until 8 (it was 730ish) but we could get coffee from the multi drink machine. We had already stated preparing some bagels so we just proceeded and then sat awkwardly in a corner of the dining area alone. The breakfast here consists of cold cereal, a number of pastries, fresh fruit, and Greek yogurt along with fruit juices and the aformentioned coffee machine. I also later discovered that water and Pepsi varieties were available in a fridge as well. I also ventured their in th afternoon and evening again finding it empty but for staff and got some snacks and cold hors d'oeuvres which were pretty good but nothing special. After my breakfast, I decided to go to the gym. This turned out to be one of the highlights of the hotel. It had no less than 5 treadmills and 5 ellipticals along with 2 different sets of bikes, a Smith machine, cable towers and cable based Matrix machines,multiple spaces for stretching, dumbbell use and other activities. It was honestly the best I've ever seen in a hotel. Next I decided to take a swim at the indoor pool to cool down. I was the only one there except a few exploring guests. Off of the pool was a concrete patio which was empty but a sign indicated it was a "zen garden." I alsp found that the management company was too lazy to print proper rules sinage for the property, instead using signs from their residential properties which made no sense in the context. I then went to see what was up with the lobby gift shop which was open but unstaffed. Overall I'd say it seemed that in many areas there was either too few guests around or staff were too new for it to seem like a normal hotel. For all this what really rescued the whole thing for me was the Lobby Bar. Matt was my bartender and I arrived at a quiet time giving us a chance to chat about bourbon and beer. He was extremely knowledgeable and friendly and I really enjoyed being at the bar for the afternoon. Overall I'd say I'd go back. Possibly skipping the executive suites next time and definitely eating in the restaurants as well as visiting...

This was the worst hotel experience of my life. Every hotel 6 I've stayed in had better service and rooms.

Check in nightmares. The hotel check in as at 4pm Most hotels have 3pm check in and accommodate early check ins as possible. • I had to leave home at 4am to fly in for the conference. I dressed comfortably expecting to be able to check in and change before the conference opening plenary at 3pm. The room was not ready when I arrived at 12:30. This was not a problem as I knew I was early. • Upon first going through the registration desk, I was told the room should be ready by 2:30. At 2:30 I waited 15 minutes in line to find out that rooms would now be ready sometime after 4pm. The opening Plenary for the conference was 3-5pm. I saw lots of conference participants with bags, which told me they too, were waiting for rooms. • I skipped the conference social event to check in and get to my room. Once again, I waited in a long line which reached all the way to the escalators. When helped, the person checking me in did not know how to put the room on my business credit card, but place a hold for incidentals on my personal credit card. With a long line behind me, this was not the time for me to wait while she was trained. • Checking in required three attempts and a total of more than one hour in the registration line.

No vending machines or room service • Guests can only buy sodas from “store” that requires guests to walk around the corner to pay at the same registration desk which is frequently overwhelmed because rooms are not ready. Terrible design and caused lines and difficulty when I asked to talk to manager about concerns on the second day of my stay. The hotel does not have room service or vending machines, so the only way to get a soda is to take the frustrating elevator to the lobby, then wait in line at the registration desk to pay.

Elevator • Technology is great, but not if it isn’t intuitive or convenient. Having to use the room key every time one gets on the elevator is an enormous hassle. Safety concerns might propel this decision, but to me the hassle far outweighs the safety.

Coffee Machine • Room coffee machine is different than any I’ve seen in a hotel. There were no instructions or labels. After trying to pour water into various openings as is normal for hotel single serve coffee makers I finally saw that there is a water tank to the side. Not labeled, not intuitive.

Panel controlled lights and curtains • Rooms have remotely controlled lights and curtains. Again, nothing is labeled or explained. It took me much too long to figure out where each of the 3 different controllers was located, select the item I wanted to adjust and then turn the dang lights off, or open the stinking curtains. If technology slows and frustrates such simple operations, it is a hassle, not an enhancement.

Fire testing • The hotel tested fire responses on elevators at 8am without notice or instructions to guests. I tried use the elevator to go to the conference floor, but the elevator call button kept being disabled. I was on the 9th floor. It took 20 minutes to get to conference level. When elevator finally showed up, it didn’t take me where I wanted, but to the basement where workers climbed onboard. When I stated my surprise, they informed me that they were testing fire settings – a very good thing – and that this resulted in the elevators being disabled several times over the last few minutes. Poor planning/timing and no communication to guests or conference groups that elevators would be temporarily...