The 1857 Hotel — Hotel in Paducah

The word “hotel” implies a place you can SLEEP...

I was a bit wary before we got there. I emailed a week before our stay asking what the bar hours were… no response. I emailed again a couple days before our stay asking where we could park and again what the bar hours were (the drinks on their FB looked amazing). I was told there was a “special event” being held during our stay, so we couldn’t use the bar (though all the posts and information I’d seen invited the public to enjoy the bar). I finally got some clarification that the bar was in the “event center”, opened at 3:30p, and we couldn’t be there once the event started.

Of course, none of the few street spaces in front of the hotel were ever available on the occasions we needed to park. The back lot was close to the back entrance. However, once the “special event” was going on, I suppose we couldn’t cut right through the event to reach our room. A tent for the event was also blocking the little alley along the building… so we had to walk all the way around the block to get to the front door! Imagine that in poor weather and/or when carrying luggage.

We got back from a late dinner to very loud Bluegrass music – so loud we could make out every word. We tried to watch a Netflix show since we’d obviously have to stay awake until the party was over… but the music was blaring so loudly we had trouble hearing the laptop. Once it was after 10 p.m., and the music had stopped for several minutes and restarted, I got up to ask the kid at the front desk when the event was supposed to be over (when it might be quiet). My husband encouraged me to wait… said it couldn’t go on much longer. Finally, just before 11p, I was so exhausted I couldn’t take it anymore. I went down to ask the kid at the desk how long the event was supposed to last – he didn’t know. He asked, “Do you want me to ask them to turn it down?” Crazy. There is no way to sleep with a concert in the next room… nor did I think anyone should interfere with what looked like a wedding reception. I asked for the owner and was told he wasn’t there. My husband demanded the owner call him right away. We sat in the room for awhile (no call), and my husband went downstairs and demanded again he get a call from the owner (he said it looked like the kid and owner were texting back and forth). More waiting. We packed up and left. At about 11:20p, when we had just walked out of the hotel… the owner finally called my husband. He was complaining we didn’t give him enough time to “solve the problem” and was arguing he didn’t owe us a refund. He said the “music would be over AROUND 11:30p”. What, did they ask the wedding to wrap it up?? They argued on the phone for some time and my husband demanded a refund (as we weren’t provided the promised service – a hotel room for SLEEP). The owner was saying something about “this has never happened before.” Are special events a new thing in this building?? This can NOT be both a hotel the same time it is a special event center for a very loud band and party. Poor logic. Horrible customer service. The pictures of the room made it look like a romantic couples retreat. NOT AT ALL. We were on the road until 2 a.m. on our 12th anniversary… driving home very tired and upset. This is the worse little stay we have ever had...

I never write negative reviews, so here is the positive. This hotel is absolutely gorgeous. It's clear how much thought and effort went into designing this building from the rooms to the lobby. The location is also great.

However, after 4 days I was anxious to leave. By day 4 it was too obvious how much they want the name and recognition of luxury, but don't want to fill its shoes. Beautiful decor cannot do all the work for them. Here are some of the highlights of our less than lovely experience. Seriously, I've received better service at 2 star hotels.

If you stay, expect to be woken by the maids knocking on your door at 8:30 am whether you like it or not. After day 2 we asked the front desk for a tag to hang on the door requesting a later cleaning or no cleaning. They are not provided at all. They assured us it wouldn't happen again. Unfortunately, it did happen again. When we called the front desk that morning their response was, "Well, they have to get their rooms clean." We shook our heads and gave up. I have NEVER experienced this during any stay anywhere, but the desk clerk seems to think it's normal.

Don't expect total privacy either. There is a 1" gap between the door and floor of every room, enabling you to hear everything going on in the lobby and halls at all times. I was able to stick my hand through it, that's how big the gap is.

This is only relevant to guests who may need to work from their laptops or have another reason to need it, but the WiFi is horrible. It kicks you off ever 30 minutes to an hour and stays off for a long while after.

This also will not apply to everyone, but we found it pretty inconvenient to have to throw out our leftovers every night if we couldn't make it back before all employees left. There are no fridges or microwaves offered in the rooms or suites. There is also no common area offering a microwave at the very least. The only way to heat your food is to have the bartender take it to the back and heat it for you. Again, don't go too late or you will be out of luck.

Don't expect the desk clerks to help with much. Any requests of improvement are usually met with defense and mildly passive aggressive statements like the one quoted above. No remedies to your situation will be offered. They are too busy respecting the hotel, its staff, and their strange choices than respecting their customers and the fact that they're paying for the space.

The list goes on, but this review is already too long. Hopefully this hotel can get it together, because it has enormous potential. If you choose to stay here, I suggest only paying discounted rates. I would have given it a higher rating, but the lack luster service deserved a...

We stayed in #600, the condo. Our space was a one bedroom, 1-1/2 bath condo located about a block away from the main hotel. There is a long flight of stairs to get to the room (25 steps to be exact), but the room itself is very clean and nice. There is a full kitchen, living area, small dining room, separate, large bedroom and back balcony. Parking is on site behind the condo. Pretty much everything in downtown Paducah is within a short walk. Our room had a king size bed and large shower. While quiet for the most part, traffic was noisy at periods during the day/night (see below). A few things kept me from giving this room five stars. Maybe I’m being nit-picky, but for $200+ a night, these issues should be addressed: The bedroom has a small window. At night, a street light shines right in and is a beacon. I stuffed a throw pillow in the window, which helped somewhat, but there should be a window covering. Both bathrooms have a light/fan that turn on when you walk in. That’s nice, but they never go off. Sometimes you can manually turn them off, but sometimes you can’t and they run and run and run all night long. We had no tissues or hand soap at two the of sinks in the living area. The half bath is a toilet closet and doesn’t have a sink, so it’s logical to wash your hands at the bar area or kitchen sink. We got tissues because we picked them up ourselves, but they never delivered hand soap, despite calling us to see if they could enter the room to deliver it. On Friday and Saturday night, the bars close and motorcycles and loud cars leave at around 1:30 a.m. They are loud and the noise lasts for 15-30 minutes. I understand that is not the hotel’s fault, but it...