The Kahler Grand Hotel — Hotel in Rochester

We chose the Kahler due to it’s proximity to Mayo as I needed surgery and had to have follow up bloodwork and testing over the weekend. We were looking for comfort and ease given a difficult surgery.

When we first arrived we had stated we wanted to be charged for parking straight to our room for each day, and asked for an easy room on the lowest level due to medical issues. We were given a room that was tucked off in a corner that made wheelchair access impossible and it was hard to access at all. When we got into our room it was fine, but the bathroom was not clean. It had a previous guests barsoap with hair in it, dirty stains in the bathtub and dirty spots on the sink. My husband cleaned this up. The bathroom was absolutely tiny and was hard to use before and after surgery. The shower itself sprayed water from the base near the handles and water pressure was poor. I am 5’5 and I was practically touching the shower head it was so small and cramped.

We wanted to use the pool but it was out of order the entire time, and after failing to get up to the hot tub, we needed a staff member to get us up there and unlock it. After we were let in, we realized our card did not work to let us back out the way we came. My husband had to carry my wheelchair down a flight of steps to the 10th floor as those were the only other access out and we could not get in contact with staff when we tried calling.

One time my husband tried to use the parking ramp and no one was available and had to charge his card. Tried explaining this to the front desk clerk and she completely misunderstood what was said and ended up having to redo a bunch of stuff on the bill. She kept stating I told her otherwise and that we somehow only wanted 2 nights charged for parking and wanted to pay at the entry with a credit card for the duration of our stay which was not at all what was stated at arrival or when I went to explain the situation for a refund. She kept arguing that I was wrong and didn’t know what I was talking about.

During our stay I had also asked the same employee for housekeeping to bring more towels and toilet paper to our room which never happened. We had to go down and get some the next day ourselves as it wasn’t brought up like we were told it would be. Our fridge also died while we were there and found out we were not the only room who did. We also got lost trying to get to Mayo on the weekend for bloodwork only to find out only employees can access the way TO Mayo. Mayo says they’ve told Kahler to tell guests this for years but the Kahler doesn’t post this on their website and hotel staff does NOT inform guests of this when asking or booking. The whole point was supposed to be to use this access. It was not worth the discount given all of the issues.

When trying to check out we could not find any staff available to help us and saw them all sitting in a room with the lights off hiding out to the side of the front desk laughing and on their phones. Once they realized I was standing there, then an employee came out to help me. If they were on a break that’s one thing, but to have all of your employees on break at the same time and sitting in a dark room away from the front seems more like they were hiding away when they weren’t supposed to.

We should have just spent the extra $60-100 at another hotel that was farther away like the Hilton up the street to have comfort and friendly employees over this place. It’s not worth the proximity to Mayo....

After reading some reviews of this hotel we were a little skeptical about staying here, but to our surprise we were VERY pleased with our stay. After we arrived we were checking in at the front desk and we noticed how friendly the staff was! There was a gentlemen in a wheelchair who needed an escort up to his room and the staff was more than happy to provide that service for him. We were up to our rooms right away. We noticed the rooms were a bit small, but who needs more space anyways when it is just 1 or 2 to a room? My moms room was 2 doors down from mine and everything was different, which could be disappointing for some, but I happened to find it cool and unique.The only downfall is their room had a microwave, mine did not. My room had a bathtub, theirs didn't. I had a nice desk you could sit at, theirs didn't, and also there were no screens on the windows and you CAN open them. Just a heads up. After my mom went into surgery I stayed at the hotel and checked it out a bit more. The lobby is absolutely incredible! There is a nice a very nice cupcake shop called Jem's Confections - there is a Starbucks right downstairs! Also a place to buy tea, and it is located right in the Peace Plaza. The Peace Plaza is one of my favorite things about Rochester even before I discovered all these amazing shops in the Subway level. There is a Cinnabon, Dairy Queen, A little pharmacy that has everything, a toy store, a chocolate shop, and some expensive clothing stores. I highly recommend stopping at Chocolate Stam. They have homemade Gelato and some of the BEST European chocolates I've ever had! The pool of the hotel is absolutely beautiful. It is right on the rooftop and the view is incredible from there. Although you cannot take the elevator up to the 11th floor because that is where the VIP rooms are located, as well as the pool. So you have to take the elevator up to the 10th floor then take the stairs to the 11th floor. A little odd, but kinda cool if you like exploring things. There is also a Sauna up there and a hot tub that is bigger than most. The night we got there we ate at the restaurant connected to the hotel and it was incredible. I had Vegetable Macaroni and Cheese with a Bloody Mary and Chicken. My step dad had a cheeseburger which he said was very good. My mom had turkey and mashed potatos and she loved them. The bloody mary was good, but it seemed like the olive and cheese have been sitting around for a very long time and tasted like someone touched all over it. Weird, but the drink itself was good and a bit strong.

So I highly recommend staying here if you will be going to Mayo and back many times. It is easy to find with many different entrances. The staff are great and respectful. The beds are great and the stay was DEFINITELY worth the price. To be honest I would've paid a lot more for this room. It was great and will be staying here every time I am in Rochester. Thank you to the staff that works there, you made this stay very...

The first time we stayed in December, it took forever to get checked in, Valet was nearly impossible to locate and ignored people as they walked around the lobby. We needed an extra blanket so we went to the front desk to ask someone. No one was there and we waited for at least 10 minutes before going up to our room to call House Keeping. We called House Keeping and the line just went dead. We called the Front Desk and asked them for an extra blanket and they just transferred us to House Keeping after we told them the line kept going dead. So, we called back the Front Desk and were told they weren’t sure anyone could bring us a blanket. Eventually they brought it but it took well over an hour. Even with that annoyance, we liked the overall vibe of the hotel and wanted to give it a second try. Which brings us to our January stay. We arrived and there was hardly a line. I started the check in process, provided the front desk staff with my credit card for incidentals, signed the agreement and headed to our room. We opened the door and were very confused to only see one bed when we booked two double beds. I checked my already paid reservation to confirm and we headed back down to the lobby. I waited in line for 30+ minutes only to be helped by a different employee. I explained we were given a room with one bed and we booked a room with two. She asked for our room number and told me that her coworker checked us in under someone else’s reservation. And my credit card was pre authorized for this persons entire reservation. Now mind you their last name didn’t even sound remotely close to ours so I have no clue how one messes that up. The staff member then called over her coworker and they then tried to make it sound like it wasn’t a big deal and that everything was reversed and my card wasn’t charged which wasn’t the case, there was in fact a pending pre authorization. They tried to get me to pre authorize our actual reservation in which I refused. Later that evening we called and asked for extra blankets and towels which you guessed it, never arrived. We asked for an hour in a half later check out time and we were told anything after the hour they would charge us for a half day rate. Which after everything seems silly that they couldn’t accommodate that. At checkout the Valet took 20+ minutes to bring us our car because they don’t label vehicle details on their keys and he spent that time using the wrong key fob trying to just locate our car. We will NEVER be staying here again. Even just observing the staff, no one has a sense of urgency, care or friendliness. Most people staying are patience at Mayo Clinic and just need people to...