Heritage Hotel & Conference Ctr. — Hotel in Southbury

So happy we found the perfect reception venue at the Heritage Hotel in the Timbers Room! Jennifer and Chris Allen are superb and very easy to work with! They addressed all of my questions promptly and made the months running up to the date of the wedding easy! Turning in our final counts and food selections was simple and they even made sure we had high chairs at the proper tables ahead of time. The day of the wedding, the tables were set exactly the way I had hoped and decorations distributed as we discussed on drop off day. They even helped include a last min wedding gift (a giant wood carved anchor) into our sweetheart table decorations! We had SO MANY guests compliment the amazing food and both mine and my husband's filet were so delicious and exactly the way we had requested they be cooked. We also had a yummy breakfast the next morning, and the food again was on point. We also checked out both pools the morning after the wedding and they were clean and exactly what we had hoped for! We cannot say enough wonderful things about hosting our wedding reception at Heritage Hotel and their attentive, kind event staff! 5 stars to this special crew!

The only fault of the evening was working with the front desk staff as they were not good about handing out our welcome bags, even giving out ones for another party/wedding to some of our guests. We also had 7 left over after the wedding (should have only had 2) and unfortunately individuals who came in Friday missed our welcome reception as they did not get their bags. (I confirmed the day previously- in person- the number of bags and that everyone was listed on our room block). My sister and brother both also went back to the front desk to request their goodie bags cause they had helped make them, but didn't get one. At that same time, the front desk staff member was not very polite. Additionally, upon my husband and I arriving for the reception, we quickly wanted to check in to our room and refresh before going to the cocktail hour. We missed most of the cocktail hour as the front desk staff did not advise us the wedding suite was on a totally separate side of the hotel and required a separate elevator. We walked around the main part of the hotel rooms for 27 min, and called the front desk and were put on hold, before a wonderful cleaning lady came to our aid and brought us to the correct elevator. I didn't think we would have needed to ask, but make sure you do ask directions if you have access to the suite. However, the suite was amazing, bed was uber comfortable and the remainder of the staff was very helpful and accommodating. Just wish I had gotten to enjoy some of the yummy cocktail snacks that everyone...

This is a mid range hotel disguised as either a resort or high end events center. Frankly, I think they have an identity problem and try to rake in cash with superficial imagery rather than guest experience or basic facilities maintenance. We'll be going elsewhere next time we see family in Southbury.

Detailed review below.

Decor: 4/5 - A pleasant rustic feeling. Out room and the general feel of the hotel has a distinct cabin feel to it. Very fitting for the location and done well. Hall carpets have bubbles throughout the building and seem to need to be re-stretched or replaced. Grounds are kept very nicely.

Room amenities: 1/5 - Heat was finicky and our room remained around 60-62 degrees throughout the 3 days until the morning of our checkout. Family had heat issues last year as well. Beds were not near as comfortable as other mid range hotels and probably are needing to be replaced.

Hotel amenities: 2/5 - Pool and fitness center are of great quality. Unfortunately they are also open to public membership and can be unusable. Swim training and water aerobics classes can easily crowd the pool beyond use to guests. Pool table, an arcade, and ping pong are maintained well. There are also several computer stations for guest use, some in open common areas and some with a little bit of privacy. Did not use, but its nice to see. Hotel breakfast is comprised of cold eggs, soggy hashbrowns, french toast, bacon, sausage, oatmeal, a variety of breads, orange juice and coffee. Made the mistake of trying it twice. Do yourself a favor and take a short drive to Panera or something.

Staff: 3/5 - I only interacted with one member of supervisory staff, Julia. Frankly, she should be at a 5-star hotel. Attentive, pleasant, guest focused; she'd go far in hospitality. Support staff were pleasant. Both representatives at checkout seemed to be entry level. Neither could make adjustments and another guest and I were stuck there for a while to no real recourse. I can't speak for the other's experience after his 10 minutes at the desk; but my final charges were inflated, I was told it would be adjusted with a new folio would be emailed to me, and it would be settled. It did not happen that day, but I gave it the benefit of the doubt and waited. 48 hours after check out and the issue still had not been remedied. After 30 minutes on the phone I was told again that it would be remedied and I will have the folio emailed shortly. That was an hour ago, so lets see. If its not remedied by the end of day I'll have my bank deal with it and sadly I'm sure that will be an...

One of the most bizarre experiences I have ever had with a hotel. Had a party stay here for my wedding. Very flexible in the beginning with room blocks and answering my questions - felt good about that and the room rate was solid.

Now fast forward. They offer breakfast (which was actually delicious), and I needed to provide a headcount before. In my emails with their team, it originally sounded like I needed an official count and to pay prior. We verified that was not the case and that I would pass out tickets to my guests. Cue to after my wedding when we arrived at the hotel. Person at the front desk could NOT have been more rude. Then informed me that 'tickets were my responsibility'. I have never been so confused. I was then informed later after complaining by the staff that I was expected to create breakfast tickets for my guests, like a school art project. How in the WORLD does this make any sense vs. me estimating the folks and just having them walk down to breakfast and say their party. This is absolutely asinine to me. When I brought this up, I got a rude response that I was told this "repeatedly". I have coordinate many events in my life; this is not a thing.

Additionally, the faucet in my room was broken, which sprayed all over my freaking wedding dress and my wig. The shower was also opposite cold vs. hot. I was told when I called down...would have been nice to know since they seemed fully aware and I wasted 20 minutes of the morning after my wedding and was late to my own breakfast because I was under the assumption that there was no hot water. The rooms are run down; furniture is scratched, tubs are stained, carpet is disgusting. My cousins' room had literal blood in it.

This hotel and space has a lot of potential. The grounds are nice, the place is huge. There is a tavern. The food is solid. The staff is so next level rude. And for this reason, I will not be back and neither will anyone in my party.

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