The Heldrich — Hotel in New Brunswick

This stay was not worthy of the 4-star listing or the bizarre concept that this hotel has won a recent trip advisor travel award. ||For starters, I called approximately 24 hours ahead of our stay to request an early check in. Honestly the person I spoke with on the phone was one of the few highlights. She kindly explained that they can’t guarantee an early check in, but they could make a note of when we’d like to check in and they’d do their best. Additionally she explained that if our room wasn’t ready we’d be welcome to use the spa, bar, restaurant, pool, or any of the hotel amenities. This seemed reasonable, so I agreed and told them to note a possible 1pm arrival and that I’d agree to an early check in fee if we were able.||Cue the next day where we arrive just after 1pm and are treated like unwelcome pests for even thinking we could check in early. When I tried to explain to the concierge about my call ahead and the amenities that we could potentially enjoy if our room wasn’t ready he interrupted and with a blank stare said “it’s really early.” That was the extent of our hospitality and welcome along with a reminder that they were fully booked. We waited in the lobby briefly, as he said “maybe the room could be ready by 2-3,” but realized the restaurant/bar wasn’t even open and none of the amenities explained to me on the phone the day before were likely to be an option. We left and decided to come back at check in.||Lo and behold, when arriving just after 4pm we were told our room STILL wasn’t ready…and were given complimentary drink tickets to a bar that STILL wasn’t open…great compensation. Imagine our frustration to be sitting again in the lobby and watching those behind us in line get checked in and sent to their rooms? I understand not being able to accommodate an early check in, but it was beyond frustrating to STILL have our room not be ready at the time we had booked and were paying for. Beyond this we were at the hotel for an important family event that we needed to be ready for by 6pm so it was entirely inconvenient to not have our BOOKED room until after 4:30. ||Overall the room was fine, but outdated. Also oddly small, uncomfortable pillows and a small number of towels in the bathroom. Not really what I was expecting given the 4 star rating and listed travel award. ||Finally, the next morning we noticed the pamphlet our keys came in said check out was at noon, but they had verbally told us check out was 11. We stupidly thought to ask if we could have a “late” check out at 12…which isn’t even late if you look at the actual pamphlet the keys were given it! That was a big fat no even though we pointed out that our room wasn’t even ready on time. The LEAST they could do would be allowing for an extra hour in the room we had booked. Imagine my frustration when a family member at breakfast said “I asked for a late check out at noon and they said of course!” Absolutely absurd. ||This was supposed to be a nice, comfortable stay for ONE night for an important family event we flew across the country for. I honestly have never been so frustrated by service and hospitality at a hotel. I’ve stayed at a Motel 6 with better service. If you’re staying in New Brunswick, avoid the Heldrich. Stay anywhere else. The ridiculously inconsistent service and lack of desire to provide any hospitality do NOT make it worth the money. Or who knows. Maybe try your luck and be the one member of the family that gets good service and a late check out? Depends on how willing you...

The Heldrich Hotel – A Complete Disappointment for Event Hosting If I could give The Heldrich a negative rating, I would. As the maid of honor for a recent wedding held here, I had an up-close view of just how poorly this hotel handles group events. To put it bluntly: do not use The Heldrich for any special occasion, especially a wedding. Here’s why: Room Blocks – In Name Only The concept of a “room block” seems entirely lost on this hotel. Not only were the blocked rooms scattered across nine different floors—making coordination on a wedding weekend nearly impossible—but the block also offered no discount. When I inquired about being placed in the reserved room section, I was told there were still unbooked rooms available, yet they “couldn’t” accommodate me there. To date, I’m still waiting for a refund with no response from management. It’s hard to imagine a more disorganized approach to what should be a standard hospitality service. Parking – Confusing, Expensive, and Mismanaged We were informed that complimentary parking required a minimum number of room nights. When we thought we had fallen, they said by approximately 15 room nights, we paid out of pocket for other family members and guests to make up the difference—only to learn later we had met the requirement. Worse, our final bill included unexplained charges for random vehicles. For a hotel with a valet service, the handling of parking was chaotic and opaque. Checkout Time – A Bait-and-Switch Our confirmation, room key holder, and verbal communications all stated a 12 PM checkout. However, on the day of departure, we were abruptly told checkout was 11 AM. No prior notice was given. Only after the fact were the bride and groom told they were “grandfathered into” the original time—a post-hoc excuse that’s as baffling as it is unprofessional. Event Fridge Policy – Inconsistent and Unclear The hotel provided no clear guidance on the use of fridges for wedding-related items despite the entire wedding party staying at the hotel for the full duration. If The Heldrich cannot accommodate basic, common-sense needs for a wedding weekend, it should not market itself as an event venue. Room Quality – Far from Four Stars The rooms are underwhelming at best. The air conditioning barely functions, and the furnishings are dated and tired—more reminiscent of a roadside budget hotel than a property claiming four-star status. I’ve had more comfortable stays at mid-range chains like Hampton Inn. Staff Conduct – Unprofessional and Disrespectful While waiting at the front desk, I overheard hotel employees openly complaining about guests and fellow staff. Such behavior is wildly inappropriate and speaks volumes about the culture of customer service at this property.

In Summary: The Heldrich failed in every meaningful category—logistics, transparency, customer service, and basic professionalism. What should have been a joyful, streamlined experience for the wedding party and guests turned into a series of logistical nightmares. This hotel is neither equipped nor prepared to host events of any significance. Proceed with...

We arrived at the Hotel for check-in at 4.10pm on Friday 28th December 2018. It was raining and as we struggled to take out our luggage from the taxi, no one offered to help despite the fact that numerous hotel staff were standing at the entrance.

We approached the Front Desk and mentioned we were checking in to join a tour group. The front desk staff was talking on the phone and ignored our presence. When she finally put down the phone, she told us that the keys were with the agent. As the agent was no where to be seen, we asked if she could help us locate the agent and she replied “I don’t know”. We told her that we don’t know who the agent is and we were told by our tour company in Singapore that she would meet us at the lobby. We asked again if she could help us locate the agent. She replied “No. There’s nothing I can do.”

Not accepting such a reply, we told her that she must at least know who she gave the keys to. With rolled eyes and a frown, she said “No. There’s nothing I can do.” We then asked to speak to her manager as we thought the manager would be more empathetic since we had travelled a long way from Singapore.

Our agent then showed up and gave us the keys.

As we were not happy with the treatment given by the front desk staff, we approached another lady at the front desk and asked to speak to the duty manager. The lady introduced herself as the supervisor and we highlighted our unhappiness. She also said the same thing that they do not get involved with the agents and there is nothing they can do to help. We told her we did not like the behaviour of the front desk staff. We highlighted that the key holder had the words “Welcome Guests” but we did not feel welcome at all. It was then that the supervisor said “my staff behaved like that because she felt attacked by you.” We were puzzled and asked the supervisor to clarify what she meant by “attack”. The supervisor then said “I did not say you attacked my staff.” We told her she just said that and now she denied what she said.

To our shock, the supervisor then said, “if you are not happy here, feel free to leave this hotel and stay somewhere else!”

This type of attitude is unacceptable in the service industry. We sensed a very clear discrimination the minute we walked in because we were part of a tour group.

When we finally said we will provide feedback to the hotel management, the supervisor said: “ feel free to complain and make sure you do.”

We had visited more than 20 countries in the last 15 years and stayed at more than 40 hotels and accommodation but we never felt...