The Charter Hotel Seattle, Curio Collection by Hilton — Hotel in Seattle

So a couple stars for having a location in a good part of town to see an assortment of things and for Joyce the concierge who was very nice. Everything else about this hotel though seems to be about looking nice in photos but cutting corners or squeezing you for more money or to cut costs. So we got a ride from the airport provided by the hotel but they don’t provide car seats as we requested, only a booster seat and it’s $15 extra. Fine. The booster seat was the thinnest flimsiest booster I’ve seen and I paid $15 for him to sit on that for 20 minutes. Then we get to the hotel and nobody is there to take our bags. I tip the driver $10 as he was handling my bags out of the car, I assume he’s with the hotel as it was their ride service so think they’d take them in for us, nope, after I tip him he takes off and leaves us at the curb without bringing in bags. Fine. No door man to help either. In my five days there they never had a doorman present. They have a whole little stand area out front so that must have been the intent at some time but someone clearly decided it wasn’t worth paying someone for that. So then you get in the door and they usually have a few people at the front desk but they’re usually too busy talking to each other to acknowledge you.

Getting to my biggest gripe of the trip, I’m Honors silver and my wife is Honors Gold with the Surpass Amex we pay the annual fee for. So she gets hot breakfast free, right? Nope. At first they said we’d get two $18 breakfast credits each day but then the supervisor texts me later and says that they won’t be giving us that because I’m the main name in the reservation and something About it being a “friends and family” reservation so they have no way to change it to her name. Funny because when I check in they put her as the co-guest on the stay. It’s a name in the computer, if they really wanted to change it they could, it’s clearly a fine print item designed to keep from giving out benefits. Also when I booked the reservation I just booked a normal reservation thru the Hilton site and there’s no option for a “friends and family” or to opt out of it. It all seems like a convenient excuse to have fine print to avoid giving benefits for Honors members. It’s not a minor cost either. We pay $95 for the card to get the status and were told that’s good for $180 in breakfast credits (2x18x5) so now I have to absorb that cost on top of $15 for a flimsy booster seat. So far the Hilton Honors program has overwhelmingly been an experience where I’m told no at every turn because of some fine print somewhere. I’ll be looking to switch to another hotel chain who actually honors their advertisements, pun intended.

The room itself was ok. It’s one of those rooms that looks slick and modern in photos but lacks in polish when you get there. I went on the site and selected the specific floor and room I wanted. But when I checked in, guess what, yup, that room isn’t ready but they have another for me. I’m taking a shower and notice the water is backing up and about to overflow over the edge, I pull back the cover over the drain area to find it completely blocked by hair. So I go ahead and dig out a bunch of strangers hair so I can unblock it and take a shower without flooding the bathroom. That’s isn’t the sort of thing that results from a single stay, that accumulates over many weeks so it makes you wonder all the other stuff that’s not being cleaned for weeks. The thermostat short cycled. It clicks on & off, all night, glad I had earplugs. Internet is slow. Towels are small and scratchy. Light for the vanity mirror was broken. The rest of the room is decent, just some weird choices they made. They put a chair just blocking the whole area between the bed and window area so you have to maneuver it out of a tight space to go open and close the windows. The mini fridge is jam packed with their stuff so you don’t have room to put anything of yours and the door for the cabinet and the door of the actual fridge open at opposing angles. None of this is any major headache,...

This is the absolute worst hotel experience of my life, without exception, at an absurd price. The experience includes children being exposed to a mostly naked man because of the hotel staff, hotel mismanagement causing us to be locked out of our rooms twice(!!!!), surly staff, and pathetic amenities.

First night, mostly naked man. We had 2 rooms and came in separately. First room was fine. Second room, when we checked in, the keys didn't work. We took multiple trips downstairs with false assurances that everything was fine before front desk staff concluded that the door lock was out of batteries. They sent up engineering to get into the room, which they eventually did--only to open the door on an occupied room where a poor old man was sleeping in only his boxers! Our entire family, including kids, came into the room as he stumbled to his feet and yelled in confusion. We were lucky he had boxers on! The keys were made correctly but to a different room.

During the second day, I was absolutely exhausted and desperately needed a nap and came back to our keys not working--none of them. Turned out, after multiple trips up and down and waiting 30 minutes for maintenance again, the batteries were actually dead on the door lock this time. Apparently it happens often! I was so desperate for sleep that I fell face-first into bed while the maintenance worker was still replacing the locks.

Second night, I went down to ask for another blanket, as calling the front desk doesn't always result in them picking up. The night auditor / reception clerk forgot and never told anyone, and an hour later, my husband went down to ask again, and he was quite surly. We got the blanket at midnight when the kids were already asleep. I had asked at 10:30.

Bonus absurdity: When I went down the desk the first time, a Jazz flight attendant was down for the second or third time because her door lock wasn't working. I asked the night auditor if he was sure there wasn't someone already in her room, and he said it was empty. But when he called the room, a guest was, indeed, already in it!!!!

On to amenities. I am completely confused as to who this hotel room is for. It has teo beds, but it has only double beds, so it's not for couples. (I didn't make the reservation so I had no idea the beds would be so small for a family!) But the bathroom has only a barn door with no lock, so it's not for two singles to share, either.

There is a fridge, but it's not a fridge that keeps food cold but rather a wine fridge only. And of course there is no easy, fast continental breakfast or even downtown buffet-style breakfast you often find in convention hotels, only restaurants with menus. My husband has a medical diet, and the kids get hungry outside of scheduled meals, so the only option is to check food into a fridge or freezer down in the lobby, and check it out to use some. This was the main source of the night auditor's surliness, but if you would only have a functional fridge, there would be no problem. They weren't even stocking the mini fridge with alcohol--you would have to order a wine that is best at 42 degrees, then decide that you really, really want to chill it in a wine fridge rather than in the ice bucket. I don't understand.

No microwave, of course. The modern style is fine, and it's nice to have a mixing valve away from home, but I'd trade that mixing valve 100 times for a microwave and a fridge. We have a 'city view' mostly of a rooftop parking lot.

Location-wise, the plus is that it is downtown. The minus is that it doesn't have a proper drive-up area with a canopy. Instead, you unload into traffic on one side and the bike lanes on the other. That's silly for the price. Valet is the only parking offered, and the last thing I want is to pay more money to wait forever for my own car, so we parked in a lot nearby. When you step outside, a keen nose is aware of nearby human urine and feces, and the closest flat lot has people who camp there and use it for all bodily functions, and shoot up boldly there. I'm out of...

(Continuing Updates to Meet Resolution Expectations 1 Day at a Time.)

6/16/23: Edit: Almost 1 month since my stay, 10 Days since the owner commented here, referred me to a website, and ignored me. (I have no clue who commented on this I have had 0% contact with them.) I hope everyone is okay with paying more for less. I have talked to probably 9 different Hilton reps over email, re-explained my situation to them, because they are clueless as to what my issue even is (as if there aren't multiple previous emails to reference) and have still gotten nowhere lol.

It's an okay hotel as long as you're okay with being lied to about what's there. I don't know maybe go tour the facility before your stay, so you don't end up salty and weird feeling about your experience here (that's a joke they should just make their advertisements accurate instead like what is expected from a corporation like Hilton, and a 4-star Hotel.

For instance, google maps says they have free breakfast... they don't. Unless you include the mandatory $25 per day that you HAVE to pay but GET to use as "Hotel Credit" Pretty much. That is my issue. I would've paid for the amenities I wanted at a different hotel. This hotel claimed to have them. I got there and they didn't. So, compensate it. It's not the biggest deal in the world but it's aggravating.

(Condensed version of the OG review, and the follow up. Most recent = top of review, least recent = bottom of review) VVVVVV

"After three days of communicating with various Hilton representatives, the issue I faced during my stay at the hotel was eventually addressed with an apology. However, the resolution advised was to simply contact the front desk, which was my initial step. Online service is rated 2, reflecting a systemic issue rather than a single hotel problem. Although the staff was friendly, they often delivered disappointing news about unavailable services. One bellhop in particular was overly concerned about us returning a luggage cart, which was stressful. Communication was challenging throughout the experience.

The hotel owners responded to my concerns after I left, which doesn't compensate for the problems encountered during my stay from May 19th-21st. The hotel should ensure accurate information is available on third-party booking sites to prevent misunderstandings like mine. Their post-stay outreach was felt as insincere, and I believe they should've taken proactive steps to address the issues.

Despite the issues, my stay wasn't entirely bad due to the fun I had in Seattle. However, the hotel was basic and dull with the only attractions being a rooftop bar, a downstairs bar, and a sauna. Even a Holiday Inn has provided a more enjoyable experience.

I will reach out via email to express my concerns. My confusion over the handicap room's standard features, for which the hotel's website provides unclear information, played a part in the overall disappointment. In-person interactions with staff led nowhere, and they prioritized new guests over resolving my issues.

My booking promised more features than were present in the room, which lacked a microwave, fridge, and minibar. The food at the rooftop bar was overpriced and not to my taste, although their cocktails were good. The room assigned was a handicapped one, a result of miscommunication on the booking site, and the hotel was unable to accommodate my request to change it. While the hotel's location is excellent, I found the stay uneventful and lacking in luxury for the price paid. I'd revisit the rooftop bar, but not stay at the...