The Goodwin Hotel — Hotel in Hartford

Our wedding at The Goodwin Hotel was meant to be a cherished milestone, but it turned into a logistical and emotional catastrophe due to the hotel’s unprofessional operations, predatory pricing, and critical failures. The hotel’s focus on nickel-and-diming guests, rather than providing the top-tier service it advertises, left us heartbroken and out nearly $2,000. I strongly advise against choosing this venue for a wedding or any significant event, as the stress and embarrassment we endured far outweighed the appeal of the hotel’s aesthetically pleasing rooms.||We reserved 56 rooms securing nearly the entire hotel, which led us to expect prioritized service and seamless coordination. Instead, we encountered a pattern of exploitative fees that demonstrated the hotel’s greater care for profit than guest experience. They charged an outrageous $30 per welcome bag to deliver them to guests’ rooms. We declined this fee and were assured by staff that they would distribute the bags at check-in at no additional cost. This promise was a complete failure: out of approximately 60 welcome bags, each costing us about $100 to assemble, only 41 were distributed. This left 19 bags undelivered, resulting in a financial loss of roughly $1,900 and the embarrassment of nearly one-third of our guests missing their carefully prepared welcome gifts. This level of disorganization is unacceptable for any hotel, especially one that claims to be Hartford’s premier venue.||Additionally, despite securing 56 rooms, we were charged $500 to use an unoccupied room for three hours for hair and makeup. This room was not in use by other guests, making the fee feel like a blatant money grab. These excessive charges underscored the hotel’s priority to maximize revenue over delivering the exceptional service expected of a top-tier establishment.||The hotel’s infrastructure and staffing issues further highlighted their lack of commitment to guest satisfaction. With only two elevators for guest use and no dedicated service elevator, staff and guests competed for access, leading to wait times of nearly 10 minutes during peak periods. This was particularly inconvenient for guests managing wedding attire and luggage. The hotel also has just three luggage carts for the entire property—an inadequate number for a venue hosting a large event with 125 guests. The bellman often didn’t know where the carts were, as many guests kept them in their rooms due to the shortage. New arrivals were forced to carry bags up one by one in the overcrowded elevators, causing significant delays and inconvenience. For a hotel claiming to be the best in Hartford, this setup is shockingly subpar and more akin to a three-star establishment.||The most devastating failure was the hotel’s inability to manage guest check-ins, which directly impacted the most important part of our wedding: the ceremony. Due to one housekeeper falling ill, room turnover was severely delayed, leaving nearly 25% of our guests stuck in the lobby, unable to check in until close to 5:00 PM. In an attempt to accommodate these guests, we delayed our ceremony by 45 minutes, hoping everyone could attend. Despite this effort, about 31 guests still missed the ceremony entirely due to the hotel’s mismanagement. This delay also cost us nearly an hour of our reception time, an irreplaceable loss that diminished our celebration. The hotel’s failure to have contingency plans for such a foreseeable staffing issue was inexcusable and left us devastated by the absence of so many loved ones during our ceremony.||After raising these concerns with management, they reimbursed us for the three rooms I personally paid for, a minor gesture given the magnitude of the issues. They also claimed to have discounted some guests’ rooms, but I have no way to verify this, and it does little to offset the financial and emotional toll. While the rooms are visually appealing, the hotel’s operations are marked by poor planning, inadequate resources, and a clear prioritization of profit over guest experience.||The Goodwin Hotel’s mismanagement caused us significant financial losses and profound heartache. Couples deserve a venue that treats their special day with the professionalism and care it merits, and The Goodwin, with its focus on nickel-and-diming rather than delivering top-tier service, falls woefully short. Avoid this hotel to spare yourself the frustration, financial loss, and devastation we...

I spent five nights at the Goodwin, and there was a lot to impress. The front staff - every single one of them, from the cashier to the bell staff to the valet - were polite, friendly, and incredibly helpful. The rooms, albeit older, had been upgraded with a number of more modern amenities, and while it took me a while to figure out where the USB ports and extra plugs were (in the stalk of the floor lamp, which I'd never seen before!), they were there and they did work. As did the ice machines and everything else. Rooms were well appointed, and for a hotel in the middle of a city downtown on the weekend, fairly quiet regardless of the wedding parties losing their minds outside. If you're here on the weekend, a lot of the local restaurants are closed, so just be aware. It's still a lovely walking area, with local parks very close by. If you want to go somewhere like the Mark Twain house, the shuttle will take you without a murmur. The drivers were lovely each time we used them (which was actually much easier than pulling the car out and driving around.) We ate at the restaurant our first night and had a very good meal. Unfortunately, the next evening everything was closed - bar, and restaurant - because of the amount of wedding parties. I have to say that if all the restaurants in the hotel are going to be closed when there's an event being held, it would be nice to have at least the coffee shop open. Speaking of which, the coffee/breakfast shop is actually a donut place, but they did have excellent other choices. My burrito was very very good, my companion's avocado sandwich likewise. AND we were each given an $11 chit toward breakfast each day. I gave four stars because of three issues: My friend booked us via an online site, and we were promised 2 queen double rooms, one for each of us. I called to verify that, twice, but when we arrived - and we were even early - the only rooms set aside for us were a king, and a queen double. That was quite annoying, and as nice as the staff were about it, they couldn't accomodate further because of check in/check out times and event bookings. The person in the double got into the shower at 11:30 pm, only to discover that her room had no hot water. The very kind gentleman on the desk came upstairs himself, with room keys in hand, hoping to put her across the hall, but that room also had no hot water. I don't mean lukewarm; I mean none. Apparently this is an issue they keep trying to fix and pouring money into, to no avail. But, it is an issue. She was eventually moved to - you guessed it - a king room, unfortunately a pretty dark one facing an office building - when our two real requirements for her room were the two beds, and a bright airy room. Were I the hotel, I would have comped her at least one night. In fairness, they did bring down her rate from the queen double to the single King, and they picked up her $30+ dinner tab from the night before, but I'd have expected a bit more. Nevertheless, they were kind about it, and helpful. The biggest problem was the air vents. None of our windows opened, they were hermetically sealed, so we were completely dependent on the air conditioning for circulation. Somehow, whoever upgraded the system and installed central AC and heat managed to put the grills exactly where they would blow right on the bed pillows, no matter what you did. I cannot understand why the hotel hasn't invested in at least a supply of plastic diverters that attach magnetically, so when a customer complains, they can offer one. As it was, we all woke with horribly stiff nexts and sore throats from it. The only workaround I could figure would be to sleep with feet at the head and head at the feet, but we'd lose the headboards then. Again, apparently this is a known issue, but has not been addressed. It really did make the nights very uncomfortable, and I would avoid the hotel for this reason in future. Very unfortunate, because the hotel itself is absolutely beautiful, the staff again are wonderful, and the...

Sad weekend. I spotted this place awhile ago and was waiting for an excuse to come try it out. An Anniversary long weekend seemed perfect. The good: it’s very well done. Especially the floors- but really every place you looking is pleasing and restful. The maintenance guy and shuttle driver are the best!!!!

We checked in- not super friendly or offering help- or asking if it’s our first visit- or offering suggestions- none of that. Polite and efficient .

Our room. A king suite was large and comfortable with the tub we had requested.

Ok- the NOT SO GOOD: The temp when we walked into 502 was 64 in the main area but the bathroom was unbearable. The floors especially were like Ice. Walking around in socks was not going to happen. I called and asked for something- a space heater- something- I was told pretty much tough luck- my husband called and raised his voice and got a maintenance guy who came and reprogrammed the thermostat to go higher- I went to the first floor to use the public restrooms. Painfully cold still. They found a space heater in someone’s office or something and brought it to us. It really never got comfortable in the bathroom even with the heat and space heater on high. The floors stayed COLD! Friday night was fairly quiet. And cold. Saturday evening approaching the hotel in the snow and ice was a problem as there were several drunk rowdy people outside of and in the doors to enter. Make it to the room and get into the tub sitting next to my best friend the space heater and the fire alarms go off- loud- I have a mobility issue and now have to hop out of tub throw on some clothes and climb down 5 flights of stairs. We sit in the lobby for some time and then head back up in the elevator after the fireman have some altercation with another drunk guest.

Get upstairs- to go into the cold bathroom to rinse off the hour old soap and the alarms go off again. I call the desk and say I won’t be able to walk down. If it’s a fire please send me firemen. I give up and climb into bed in pain, itchy from the dried soap and cold only to spend the next several hours- til 3 am listening to very loud and likely intoxicated guests in the hallway. The doors REALY NEED TO HAVE BETTER SOUNDPROOFING!

Lastly- bright bright light in bathroom from outside- no curtains or way to block it out. See picture.

We checked out with the bored looking and bothered front desk- no problems.

Nice area. Pretty hotel. Awful weekend.

Decent breakfast food but the workers want you to hurry up and leave so they can turn it back into a bar- good concept and use of space but it’s poorly executed.

Everyone borders closely to rude but isn’t. Mustached guy at the register seemed nice.

P.S. I’m from NYC for...