Linden Row Inn — Hotel in Richmond

No. Just NO!

I've read some of the other reviews, and apparently some folks have enjoyed their stay, with great service and nice rooms. That was not our experience.

We arrived late in the evening after an exhausting day of travel. We circled the building, looking for a place to park, not sure that our car would be safe left unattended. Upon entry in the tired, old (historic?) building, we were met with an odd, musty smell. There was no one at the front desk, and we considered leaving. Probably should have.

We called out "Hello!" a number of times, and after a considerable amount of time a young lady appeared to check us in, explaining that she had been in the restroom. She seemed annoyed at our arrival, indifferent at best. Beyond that, she was otherwise cordial. Perhaps she had had a long day and was ready to go home. They did have a cat named Annabelle, and it seemed nice. One star for the cat.

It's an old building, so getting to the room required not only using the elevator, but subsequent flights of stairs to access the room. Part of its "charm," I suppose. Inside the room it was very spacious, but otherwise noticeably unadorned. There were two queen beds, the first one was not level, and listed to the side. I looked to see that the bed was supported on the platform by 2 x 4 lumber, so maybe the first one had fallen off. Wary at this point, I checked for evidence of infestation, but did not see any signs.

The was an old worn chair, the kind that you could probably not sell or give away, but would likely have to pay someone to haul off. Next to the bed was an uncovered electrical outlet that could have been fixed with a 49 cent outlet cover from Lowe's. The drapes were old and worn and did not close all the way, letting in light from the street below, which was not conducive for a good night's rest.

The cleanliness was questionable, with a noticeable amount of dust on the base of a lamp, making me think that attention to detail was not a priority. Or am I just picky? I tried to turn on the television mounted on the wall, but it did not work. It could have been that the batteries in the remote were dead. Beyond that, wires were dangling haphazardly from said TV. Again with the "attention to detail" thing.

Every painted surface appeared to have several layers of paint, not unexpected for an old building, and the wallpaper did not exactly look recently updated. What my wife thought might be a tear in the wallpaper up in the corner turned out to be a large spider, which I concluded was a house spider, common in Virginia. Surely it was harmless, but we didn't want to share the room with it. My wife is funny that way.

We checked out the next morning, telling the person at the desk that our travel plans had changed. We asked to be refunded for the second night. He explained that he would have to ask the manager, but that we would have to contact the third party through which the reservation was made. In fairness, I did not lodge my complaints with him, but my thought was the staff is probably acutely aware of the condition of the inn, and has likely fielded its share of complaints.

Instead, we booked the next night at the Omni, a short distance away.

As of this review, I have yet to see a refund from the Linden Row Inn, or from the concierge through the third party airline website. Guess I'll chalk it up to lessons learned - first, do not equate "boutique" or "historic" to "a nice place to stay," no matter what the hotel website tells you; second - do not book your stay through a third party airline website; and third - read ALL of the reviews you can.

I'm wondering, especially in light of the good reviews, if these places save the best rooms for people who book their stay directly, and save the crappy rooms for those who go through third parties. But what kind of hotel would maintain crappy rooms at all? It's a shame, really, because I think that with a modicum of attention to detail and little expense, the Linden Row Inn could be an acceptable place to say. But let's face it, it will...

My wife and I didn’t have a positive first stay here. No welcome when we arrived, which we normally don’t mind. After staying two nights and spending $700, though, I look at that in hindsight as telling of our stay. No service. The location is the only redeeming quality of the inn. We could walk to great restaurants and see the marathon, which was the purpose of our visit. The negative: nobody outside to direct customers for valet parking. We pulled around the corner, parked on the side of the street and called the inn for instructions. They told us to just leave the car and someone would take care of it after we checked in. At check in they didn’t mention that breakfast the following day would start at 0630 instead of 7. Our rate includes a credit at their restaurant, so the info would have been helpful—especially on the day of the race. Once we got into our room, someone knocked on the door. When I opened, a woman (who didn’t identify herself but presumably was staff) said, “Oh, you’ve checked in already.” She then turned and walked away, asking the couple she had with her to follow. Not sure what that was all about but seemingly a mystery they could have solved by asking the front desk. Maybe they needed our room? I don’t know. The first night was loud with adjacent coughing guests, drunks yelling on the street, and loud cars blaring their radios. Old place, old windows. Shower had good hot water with inconsistent pressure. Old place, old plumbing. Used the $50 restaurant credit at lunch for three people: two sandwiches, two beers, and a smoothie. Depending on who worked the small reception desk, they acknowledged our coming and going both days. We returned from the marathon in the early afternoon and they hadn’t serviced our room. On our way out for a walk, I asked whether they had serviced all rooms and was told that the staff works from 8 to 5. Ok, sorry I asked. Sure enough, when we returned at 4:40, two pleasant ladies were leaving our room. The second night of our stay was quieter by virtue of the heater running most of the night. As a final memorable service experience, while packing for our departure we received a call from the front desk. They wanted to know if we had asked for our car from the valet. No, not yet. Once we were ready, we called and were told there were two cars ahead of us, so it would be 20-30 minutes. Two valets to retrieve three cars evidently takes half an hour in RVA. Not long afterward, the front desk called again to confirm that we wanted our car. Yes. Stop calling and please just start the 30 minute process. We went downstairs to check out. The staff didn’t ask about our stay. They asked whether I wanted my receipt via email or printed. They didn’t ask if we had a car with the valet, either. So I asked again about it. There were two cars still ahead of us. I guess the 30 minutes starts at check out? This process is so confusing. While waiting for the car, I reviewed the statement to learn they had charged us for valet parking on the first night but not the second. Our room package included the parking, so we shouldn’t have been charged for either night. Of course common sense would have questioned valet parking on the first night but not the second. Perhaps we moved our car. Might explain why it would take half an hour to claim it; maybe it’s not in the valet lot. I returned to the front desk where the two staff were heads down clicking on the computer. Maybe busy reviewing statements for accuracy. I asked one of the staff to remove the charge since my package included it. They did but didn’t offer an explanation or apology for the error. Just a new printed statement.

I don’t normally write reviews but would be remiss if I didn’t share my poor experience with other would be customers to the inn. Don’t waste your money here. They don’t care. If you’re ok with a transactional experience, secure a reservation. Having walked many miles in RVA now, there are ample alternatives that may cost the same, more, or less than the Linden. Try...

This is a really neat hotel/inn with definite period charm. It's actually two sets of row houses and their accompanying carriage houses that have been given new life as rooms and suites. It is a really interesting and cool concept. The back sides of the row houses border around the carriage houses, and the wide porch areas and open railing from the backs of the room entryways gives one the feel of an antebellum home. When you walk in the front door of your section, you have stairways to one side that lead you up or down a level. But if you walk straight ahead down a short hallway, you'll see the door to your room. Suites are one door to a floor, non-suite rooms are two to a floor.

To ease any security concerns, the main entrance and exit to/from the premises is only through the main front door where the check-in desk is. This is convenient to the loading zone just outside, and a section of parking as well. There are (alarmed) emergency exits throughout for evacuation needs. There is also an elevator to access the upper floors in addition to the stairs.

The suites are very spacious and take up the entire length and one level of a row house. Aside from not having a full kitchen, you could practically live in one! 14-foot ceilings, tall windows, grand pocket doors, plenty of seating, and unique antiques made for a pleasant setting. The pictures really don't do the size and scale justice. My room's parlor had two huge windows looking out at the street and the library across the street. The bedroom side had a window looking out towards the porch that offered a wrought iron table and two rocking chairs that overlooked the patio/courtyard. I loved the decor. The bathroom featured a large sink counter space, roomy tub, and excellent showerhead, water pressure, and plenty of hot water. My room also had a mini-fridge and Keurig unsuspectingly housed in a massive armoire. The flat-screen TV was perched atop the armoire, although I never turned it on during my stay. The wooden flooring, crown molding, and mantles are restored originals. Mirrors and real art were nice touches, the chandeliers and ceiling medallions were lovely, and the heavy light-blocking curtains and plush rugs were appreciated. I found the place to be clean, comfortable, and very welcoming.

The staff members, especially Banika, were very friendly, helpful, and attentive. You can tell they strive to make your stay a pleasant one.

Parking can be a bit of a challenge during the day, but spots free up around the Inn in the evenings. You're easily within walking distance of several eating establishments if needed.

While not affiliated with the Inn, there is a restaurant located on the ground floor. Parterre offers delicious eat-in or take-out fare. If the weather is accommodating, be sure to eat outside on the patio/courtyard which it shares with the Inn. Or grab your meal and enjoy it on your own porch. There is no room service, but this is a fantastic option for a meal (or two) during your stay.

Do keep in mind that the Inn is a very popular wedding venue. Stays during the week will likely miss all of the related excitement that's happening on the weekends. One could easily see why this would make a beautiful setting for a special day.

The Linden Row Inn is unique. It's not your 'cookie-cutter' chain hotel. It's a little something special worth checking out to enjoy. Plus, it's in a great location downtown. Need a getaway for a couple of days? Want to 'unplug', but still have all the necessary conveniences? This would be a fantastic option. I had a very nice stay, and do plan to...