Ridley House - Key West Historic Inns — Hotel in Key West

We originally booked this hotel in July, 2023 for this trip, which we just took in February, 2024. I’m a Bonvoy Titanium member, but also use American Airlines to book hotels, to help gain status with AA. I say all that to say that I solely chose this particular property because it was a Kimpton, or so I thought. It seems that this property changed ownership on January 9, 2024 and is no longer a Kimpton and it was noticeable when we got there.

First the good stuff: Location is easily walkable to most anywhere you want to go, from Mallory Square to the Southern Most Buoy. It’s still slightly noisy with road/horns/brakes and those types of noises. Bed was comfy and nicely firm Housekeeping did a nice job keeping the room refreshed while we were out for the day, so we came back to a made-up room each day. They offer nice, locally made bagels for the free breakfast. The not so good stuff: The room, room 11 was tiny! Smallest to I’ve ever stayed in. For $2600 for 4 nights, it’s a total rip off! There was no where to put luggage and clothes, so we literally had to live out of suitcases. There was no curtains on the windows, just blinds. So at night, the pool lighting lit up the room, making it tough to enjoy a dark room to sleep in. There was no pressure at all from the shower and the sink water never got hot, but the shower did. There was pump hand soap on the vanity and pump body wash and shampoo in the shower and all three smelled, looked, and felt like the exact same stuff! There’s a guy working the office in the afternoon who doesn’t seem too happy to be asked questions by guests. He was curt and borderline rude when I asked for 2 extra towels. The property really needs to be refurbished! The columns holding the covered patio were completely rotted at the bottom. The pool steps and deck are in desperate need of being refinished. They charged an amenity fee… for what?!?! So, after paying $2400, I got a bill for $166.52 for the amenity fee, plus related taxes – RIDICULOUS!! There are properties in Key West with a pool that charge this fee and are worth it, but this isn’t one of them! The front desk isn't 24x7, like most hotels... They close at 10PM... So, if you need assistance (lost keys, need extra towels, etc), you'll need to call the number on the window.

Overall, I’ll stick with Marriott and Hilton to book properties when visiting. We visit Key West often and prefer not to stay in these “no name” places, as they don’t seem to be nearly kept up as nicely as places run by Marriott,...

My wife and I just returned home after five nights at Ridley House in Key West. The location is great, the staff accommodating, but the room (Essential King) was aspiring to be disappointing. Our choice of Ridley House was based solely on prior experiences with Kimpton and IHG properties. As a seasoned traveler I usually have a good handle on the right questions to ask about a hotel where I'm about to be a first-time guest. Also, this was our fifth time traveling to Key West so I thought I had a pretty good handle on what to expect from hotel properties on the island. I did not check to see if the room had a closet, if the bathroom door would open without bumping against the toilet, if I would be able to open the television cabinet doors enough to actually watch TV, and if there was a place to store our clothes, and if the room was more than marginally larger than a king-size bed. Upon checking in we further discovered the dead bolt lock didn't work, the shower drained slowly, and a drawer came out into my wife's hand as she was attempting to put some of her things away.

The repairs were handled quickly once we let the hotel staff know. Ignoring the fact that none of those issues should have been ours, the room was still miniscule and uncomfortable. We raised the room size issue to several different people, including Kimpton Key West Corporate staff, and received an almost identical response from each suggesting to us that our room-size complaints were not the first. The irony is that a hotel chain holding itself out to be boutique gives scripted, "it's the guest's fault," standard answers.

One of the goals of this trip was to find a Key West home away from home of sorts for longer stays. As a result, we found properties with locations as good, much larger rooms, places with more amenities, a better physical plant, and lower nightly rates. If any of those properties had an available room we would have moved. In addition to still finding Key West an amazing destination and a place to stay next year, this trip was also a learning experience. We learned where Kimpton properties are concerned asking odd questions is a prerequisite. My Kimpton/IHG brand...

LISTEN - we tried many times for this place to redeem itself. But that never happened. Let me start with - skin had a strange reaction to what detergent I’m assuming they used on the sheets (that they ever changed the whole stay), and we got bug bites from the bed. Had to basically spray it down to freshen and fluff it up. Floors were absolutely disgusting. In ever hotel we have stayed in, the floors have never been so disgusting. You could not step out of the shower without your feet getting dirty. No fresh towels or wash rags the whole time - we went and asked for fresh towels and wash rags, 30 mins go by and nothing. Shower broke twice - waited about an hr for them to come fix it while the water continued to run. We had plans that night but had to call them off due to that and we did not want to leave with the shower just running. Our bags had to be left at the airport for a night due to flight issues so I called and asked for a toothbrush and toothpaste since they were complimentary - toothpaste was covered in of some kind of gunk. The house has so so much potential and it’s sad to see it being taken care of so poorly. And do not get me wrong - the decor and outside and everything was gorgeous! That’s why we tried many times to give this place several chances. But it turned out to be a catfish hotel. Pros: great location. close to Duvall st & Mallory square -Gorgeous on the outside and in (minus all of the dirt and issues) -Cold water & ice 24/7 right outside the rooms

I have never ever written a review and I never thought I would, but this was very...