Hotel on Monroe, BW Signature Collection — Hotel in Town of Brighton

I want to start off by saying for a 3 star hotel (as listed), it's the best 3 star hotel I've stayed at that's for sure.

My girlfriend had outpatient surgery in the city so we needed a place for 2 nights, we opted to stay outside of the city at an easily accessible place that wasn't downtown with a lot of noise. The place was super quiet, in a great area, and a quick 8-10 minutes from downtown.

We opted to get the suite sight unseen as there aren't any photos available online that I could find, but for the small upcharge we took the chance just to have a bit bigger of a room for her to move around after surgery. I'm sure glad we did. In addition to the bedroom, the suite has a separate kitchen with a fridge, hotplate, microwave, toaster oven and coffee machine with a small dining table and basics. The living room had two recliners and a rocking chair which was a savior considering it was uncomfortable for her to lay down in the bed so the recliners were perfect. A TV in the living room along with the bedroom (bedroom TV didn't have a box for cable but the living room did, was fine since we brought a laptop and just hooked it up in the bedroom). Along with a full size bathroom with great shower pressure and temp. It wasn't "luxurious" by any means but, that's not what we were looking for either, if you want a full size more "apartment" feel stay, this is it over the single rooms for sure. And again, the price point was great for the upgrade.

Checking in is hands off and I was texted a link for when we arrived to grab the keys from the box as there wasn't anyone at the front office as we arrived late (11pm) but it was super easy and we were inside in no time. We stayed on 2 weeknights and I never heard any other guests throughout our stay, it was pretty peaceful!

Saving the best for last, the staff that was there in and out. The woman at the front desk was very generous as I explained my girlfriend was having surgery and not be alarmed if we came back and she was moving a little slow. She as well as another man who was there were very empathetic and always asked how she was doing whenever I ran into them. Got some extra pillows in a flash, and some recommendations for the city if we were up for taking a walk. The staff was extremely pleasant and I was glad we made the choice to stay at Hotel on Monroe. The staff also when not on location sent several texts asking if there was anything we needed which was great to see considering they didn't have any overnight staff there for the stay. For the price point you really won't find a better stay near the city, and if it's available pay the little bit extra for the suite for some...

I'm not a fan. Arrived on a Wednesday at 8:30pm to find every parking spot full. There was nowhere to park, but there were 4 open EV charging stations.

Arrived and found the front desk locked and empty. Looked like it was abandoned due to a large amount of what looked like laundry stacked in the middle of the lobby.

They had a phone number on the door, so I called. Only viable option was to "Press 2 for front desk", but I didn't bother because there were no front desk staff.

Another customer was having the same problem, and she let the phone ring through and a person eventually picked up the call. He was not at the hotel.

Eventually we called and got through to the same offsite person and he instructed us to click on the URL that was IM'd to us. I did, and it looked like I had to download an app or run an app. However, that didn't work, and the virtual front desk person said that their system didn't work.

So he operated it himself. Told me to press the blue button on the key dispenser, but nothing happened. He then told me to click on the pink button, but there was no pink button for 30 seconds. It eventually turned from blue to pink and I pressed it.

A tiny door then opened with a key inside. Roon "N". I asked where roon N was, and it was in the back corner upstairs. This was a dark area with no parking available, so we gave up and asked for a refund, which was professionally granted quickly.

The guy on the phone told me that it's a contactless hotel (a possible remnant of the Covid era), and I should have known to expect that there woudn't be any staff. The website says "Contactless check in available" - it doesn't say "Contactless check in mandatory".

This was a surreal experience. No staff, broken contactless system, no parking, and dark (insecure?) parking outside what would have been our room.

I also had a security concern because there was never an identity validation through the process. I'm used to hotels asking for ID before check-in, but not here. I appreciate all security layers to keep me and my family safe, and I personally felt that one important layer was...

Suprisingly I liked the room that was given to me It was better than what was in the pic. The bed was comfy but probably firm for others. But that's about it. There was no one to check you in which was fine But there should have been a note outside the hotel or an email sent to those who have booked earlier on how to get access to the room. I initially panicked when I did not see anyone and so did the couple who arrived soone after me. After I had left a message on the posted number outside the "check-in" area, I eventually got a call back who gave me access to a locked room card kept outside next to the check-in area. I did share this to the couple to gain access to their own room. I came into Rochester after they had a lot snow just a few days after Spring The room had an AC with a heat option but that did not work It simply blew in less of a cold air Thus I did not bother with it and just bundled under the covers and walked in the room with my jogging pants and hoodie Then, there was no control on the cable box. When I called about it, I was told there should have been one You'd think those responsible for cleaning the place would make it a point that the remote is in the room. I was offered to get a remote by around 1030pm and I obliged since I did not think Id get one sooner. Yet no one came. By the way the cable box was hanging just behind the TV making me think that the one before me was trying to figure out how to turn the cable on. I did put the box back into its place against the wall. I probably would book this place again out of convenience since it is located within reasonable distance from points of interest in Rochester. But Id be more cognizant of the weather if and when I visit the area again. And I def will leave a message to please leave a cable remote in the room...hoping...