Conrad Indianapolis — Hotel in Indianapolis

My husband and I recently stayed overnight at the Conrad (Indy). We checked out two weeks ago today. We were there the same time that a wedding was taking place at the hotel, with all or most of their guests staying at the hotel as well. This will be a bit long because I aim to provide a full scope of the situation as it was extremely dissapointing, and all my opinions are relative to the price of rooms and services here as well as the fact this is a 5-star hotel. For reference, we traveled to Indy on Feb. 22 solely to stay at the Conrad Hotel as this is how we chose to celebrate our anniversary. We had heard how nice of an establishment it is, and we both really needed a get-away after a rough 2024. I had ankle surgery in June 2024 - so not only had I barely left home in many months, but this was also our first date of any kind in a very long time. We had planned to just rest and relax in the suite, order room service, have dinner at the Capital Grille, and enjoy some spa services the following morning before we checked out. You can imagine our shock, frustration, and sheer disappointment when we got settled into our corner suite only to immediately hear multiple dogs barking loudly, it was obvious these dogs were very close to us in another guest room. We listened to the barking for over an hour and then we just called down to the front desk to explain to them the situation. We were hoping if we called early in the evening they could come up with a solution. We were told at that time that they didn't know anything about it but that they would look into it. We listened to the dogs the entire time we were in our room because they never stopped barking. It was clear there were two different dogs, and both were sounding very stressed out. We went to dinner and came back to the room and still the dogs were barking. We decided to go for a soak in the hot tub and when we came back the dogs were somehow barking and yapping even louder. At this point we had been listening to these dogs barking non-stop for more than 6 hours, and the hotel had known about the barking for at least 5 hours. When we insisted that we couldn't just listen to dogs barking all night they did offer to move us to a different room, at nearly 11pm. We got into our new room only to realize it was most definitely a downgraded room (on a much busier floor), the original suite was much nicer, with more square footage. We called down to express this to the front desk staff member (Amani) and she said she made note of it. She also mentioned that she saw the people with the dogs taking them out for a walk so she thought they'd be in for the night, but she couldn't guarantee that. She told us we would be hearing from the manager (Justin) about how they were going to compensate/ make up for the difference of room quality and location as well as the fact we had to move so late at night (which resulted in me losing a sock, we were tired and packed quickly). We never heard from anyone else all night after that. We had a couples massage and utilized spa amenities before we checked out. Since we never heard from anyone, we had to go speak to someone at the front desk. We explained the situation to Bryan and he was extremely apologetic. We were told the guests with the dogs were part of the wedding guest block so the hotel just never said anything to them since they "had a contract". They did end up comping the room, which they should've done from the beginning without leaving us in lurch. No refund on time or memories, though. Not what I expected from a 5-star hotel.

*The spa was amazing! First time we had ever done a couples massage, and the ladies treated us very well. Robes & towels are lush, superb quality. The staff was friendly & helpful, and everything was very clean. Room service was delicious and fresh! **I edited the original after speaking with Amani via phone call. She explained that staff had been trying to locate the dogs' owners and eventually spoke to them about their dogs. I'm guessing we had already moved rooms...

Unclear why there’s a Conrad in Indianapolis of all the cities in the US. Downtown Indianapolis is sketchy at best. Saw some police action breaking up a fight midday a few blocks from the hotel and lots of homeless people around while driving there but doesn’t take away from the fact that the Conrad Indianapolis is a very nice property. Stayed two separate nights coming and returning through the area. Hotel is tastefully decorated with art throughout. Didn’t get to use the pool, fitness room or spa but all the public areas looked very nice. One stay was midweek and a few more guests that night but hardly full. The returning stay was on a Sunday and almost nothing is open. When opened, the Lounge is a nice quiet place to have a drink without leaving the hotel. The front desk agents and valet are unfailingly courteous and helpful. However on the return trip to the Conrad Indianapolis, the lack of staffing was disappointing. Only two valet on duty (one runner and one greeter). The Lounge is closed on Sunday and Monday so the only way to use the Hilton F&B credit is through room service which after mandatory service charges and delivery fee, the credit doesn’t get you very far. Every time I called for guest services, in-room dining, none of these departments picked up so it was all answered by the one front desk agent on duty and was getting awkward relaying messages through him while he was juggling front desk duties as well. Plus the messages were getting jumbled as it passed from him to the actual department that I called in the first place so I wasn’t actually getting what I requested but I wasn’t going to call again. But kudos to him on still maintaining a positive attitude. Upon jumping into the shower after a long day, I realized the conditioner bottle in the shower was completely empty. Housekeeping hadn’t filled that bottle in who knows how long for it to get completely empty. At that point there was no way I could bring this to the attention of the hotel to have them rectify this but a disappointment for a hotel of the Conrad’s level. It is also puzzling why turndown services only put out one robe and one pair of slippers per room when there are two people added to the reservation on both stays. Are we to share? There wasn’t another robe or pair of slipper in the entire room other than what they put out. Finally it was a bit of false advertising when a day before the stay, the Conrad Facebook page showed them “gearing up” for Indy 500 which I’m guessing is the one biggest event for the city and even showed a video of them moving in a race car piece by piece to put in the lobby. But when we arrived it was all fake. No car and when we asked the front desk agent, he mentioned he’s been here for a year and half and that has never happened. Not that I was dying to see a race car in the lobby but I find it odd that their social media page is putting up fake or outdated information. ||Overall a beautiful hotel. The staff is super nice and helpful but just some quirks about this hotel. I would stay here again on the off season if I’m passing through the area but for the price and name, I expected it to be on par with other luxury...

The Conrad is in the perfect location, in the heart of Downtown Indy, for a business trip or leisurely visit. My wife and I had a great stay for a couples weekend away. Unfortunately, their valet service ruined the trip. The valet employees, themselves, provided fantastic service - they were kind, responsive, and courteous the entire stay. Their management, on the other hand, was rude and unhelpful after reaching out to them regarding an issue (that remains unresolved). When my wife and I returned home (we’re two hours away in Fort Wayne), we found our key fob for our car was broken. We have a newer car, 2018 Honda Odyssey, that requires only a push start. For some reason, our key portion of the fob was separately from the fob enclosure - the key falls right out and doesn’t lock in. Without the key inside the fob, our car will not start and since it falls right out, it can easily be lost and strand my wife and two young kids. Our key fob is brand new (we just got it replaced from the dealership for $800). My hunch is the key was dropped by one of the valets or the valet thought they needed to use the key to unlock the car. Regardless, the key was working perfectly before we visited the Conrad, and not it’s broken and we have to pay $800 to replace it.

Generally, I’m congenial when it comes to issues like this. As a business owner, I understand stuff happens and it’s a blessing to even have good staff to service valet or hotels like The Conrad.

My real issue is with the valet management, which I understand is a contractor of hotel and not The Conrad staff itself (who were amazing by the way). When I brought up this issue (I called the manager directly), they blamed me for the broken key and said there was no way we can prove it was valet’s fault. The manager didn’t believe me when I said a brand new key fob programmed by the a Honda dealership costs $800. They did offer reimbursement for the valet fee itself (which I appreciated), but in exchange for “closing the case” as if $54 can make up for the $800 plus the incorrect way they handled the situation - I wasn’t ready to negotiate a deal like that (also, why do I have to negotiate deals with a hotel!). The manager’s tone was rude and accusatory, and what was a small issue became a prideful debate - which is not at all what I expect what the nicest hotel in Indianapolis, let alone any business in the hospitality industry.

The issue was escalated to the valet’s upper management, but remains unresolved. No contact or further effort has been made by The Conrad and I’m still waiting for a return call from anyone.

All this say, I DO indeed recommend staying at The Conrad hotel itself. It’s location is prime, right by great restaurants like St. Elmo’s; the rooms are nice (depending on your style); and the hotel staff and service is top-knock. I do NOT recommend using the valet service. Avoid the issues my wife and I are going through if you can. There are parking garages a short walk away.

For me, I’m going to avoid and steer my corporate clients away from The Conrad until this issue...