PROVIDENCE BILTMORE HOTEL

By • Just say NO!!!

Overall Rating: 2   Location [2] • Room [8] • Service [2]

Don't bother to plan ahead so that you are sure to get what you want. Don't bother to confirm before going either. Nothing you do will help, they will bump you in a heartbeat. After reserving a month in advance, and confirming days ahead, after checking in (not even while standing at the front desk), you will find youself put into any closet they decide to place you. No mention of any error or problem, no concern or adjustment when you arrive. They will wait to see if you will accept this deception and still pay the price of the luxury suite. All you will get is a "Gee, we're sorry, but there is nothing we can do.".

The linens and bedding, while being of high quality, were stained and spotted.

The parking, $25.00 a night, is much to high for guests. They say it is for the valet service, but you would pick this hotel because it is within walking distance of where you would want to go so that there is not much need for the valet.

The restaurant, while seated in under 15 minutes with no reservation, took almost 2 hours to receive food, but giving credit where credit is due was very good, everyone enjoyed their meals.

Not worth the aggravation, frustration or price.
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By mlisakelley from Phoenix, AZ • Perfect weekend getaway!

Overall Rating: 10   Location [10] • Room [10] • Service [10] • Value [10]

I went to college in Providence. I walked by the Biltmore everyday, and said to myself that one day I would stay there.

This May my dream came true!

The experience could not have been better. It was like a second honeymoon for my Husband and I. We have a 17m old daughter and this was the first time we were able to have a weekend alone since her birth.

We were booked into a king suite with a beautful city view, a flat screen TV (my Husband was in love) and a very nicely appointed sitting room.

The bed was the most comfortable bed we have ever slept upon, and the staff was warm and professional.

We will never stay any where else when we travel back to Providence!
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By folsmnancy from Folsom, CA • Romantic Getaway

Overall Rating: 8   Location [10] • Room [8] • Service [8] • Value [6]

We loved the historical look.
History everywhere in the lobby and close by attractions.
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By Hidden Vacations User from Seattle, WA • Disappointing & not worth it

Overall Rating: 2   

My fiance and I, and our families all stayed at the Biltmore for our wedding weekend. Never again. One thing after another went wrong, despite the very friendly staff.
Reservation and rate info differed depending on whether you talked to someone on the phone, the Internet, or in person.
The rooms were downright scary - when my fiance and I arrived a day early to preview the suites we had reserved for our families to make sure they were OK, the ones we saw on the 5th floor were dismal, had chipped/peeling paint, holes in the wall, a strange smell, and a decidedly inelegant and non-sumptuous feel that was anything but the "richly appointed and luxurious" feel that the Web site promised. In fact, I told the front desk person that I felt like Jack Nicholson was going to jump out at me any moment and chase me down the collapsing hallway or that I might discover the body of a dead president gone missing under the bed. When our families arrived, they were informed that the air conditioning was broken so their "suites" were stuffy and muggy.
My sister-in-law and my mother-in-law had made 2-day appointments at the spa and then were told only after the first day's appointments were paid for, that their appointments for the next day were for some reason canceled and unavailable.
Dinner in the hotel? Save yourself while you can. Service was generally quite good, but the food was oversauced, with little evidence of seafood that didn't look like it was first chewed by someone (or something) else, burnt burgers (c'mon - it's just a hamburger!), insects in the water and no water refills, very little bread, and French Onion soup that tasted like it had been distilled to the potency of the Dead Sea. Then, the next morning, we noticed that the hallways had big bags of what seemed like rubbish and laundry dumped into the corners.
At that point, I felt more like I was at Motel 6 but being ripped off at very un-motel-like prices.
There were very few other guests in the restaurant and the hotel, so we didn't even have the excuse of a crowded venue to present to our families as an apology for their experience thus far.
Finally, I kept hearing by way of explanation from the staff that "it's an older hotel." I can understand and appreciate the charms that an older hotel has to offer, but charming features are quite different from misleading advertising, poor operational capacity, inconsistent information from phone/Internet/in-person reservations staff, and prices that are much "newer" than the various "older hotel" characteristics might warrant.
Perhaps it is possible to get a nice room at the Biltmore, but after all the advance prep and trouble that I went through, I couldn't figure out the secret to getting one. Perhaps at one time the Biltmore was a grand old place, but I'm afraid that it seemed to be just an old place now. The only thing grand about it is the deception. I was thoroughly embarrassed to have been the one to recommend the Biltmore to the wedding party as a special place to stay for the special event - especially as our other friends and relatives who opted to stay at the nearby Westin, the Marriott, and even the Holiday Inn had much better accommodations and experiences.
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By Mary C. from washington d.c. • valet service was exceptional

Overall Rating: 10   Location [10] • Room [10] • Service [10] • Value [10]

	the valets were very helpful...mike and eric were great
	i wish there was a better concierge service

I thought that the new renovations were nice....but need finishing....a few small problems with the room...but overall was comfortable......the valet service was exceptional....every morning my car arrived promptly..and the valets were very charming.....Mike and Eric (both handsome thought my daughter) gave us great directions and suggested several nice areas to tour......also the door man..(brad, i think) kept us laughing with his great sense of humor......

we hope to see the renovations finished when we come back next time to visit our daughter at Brown University......thanks again
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By • Biltmore Hotel

Overall Rating: 2   

	none
	Very poor service. Will never recommend this hotel.

When my husband and I went to check in ON OUR WEDDING NIGHT...we were told that our room was no longer available. They gave our room away with no notice. We got engaged there and wanted to stay there for our wedding night. I called the manager and wrote a letter and never received a response. I was very disappointed!
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By N/A from Boston • We left shaking hands and very hungry!!!

Overall Rating: 8   Location [10] • Room [8] • Service [6] • Value [6]

	Great employees, real helpful
	none

My wife and I ordered breakfast, simple eggs, toast and bacon. It cost 60.00+/- tip included. That was by far the worst food ever. Runny, cardboard, stale. Oh...the coffee you ask!!
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By Dave P from Saratoga, CA • Think Twice

Overall Rating: 2   

The accomodations and service at this hotel are sub-motel6 quality. The rooms are decrepid, the plumbing leaks, the motif is DARK, very drab...nothing like the exquisite photographs of the lobby,...that's it. Very high parking, non-existent service...never again.
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By • Biltmore built on tradition and history

Overall Rating: 6   

If you have a nostalgic yearning for a hotel experience that harkens back to the Roarin' 20's and you're heading for historic Providence, you'd do well to consider the Providence Biltmore. Built in 1922 and recently renovated, the Biltmore combines a stylish ambience reflecting its heritage with modern-day amenities.

During a recent stay, we found service generally responsive, except when trying to retrieve our car from the hotel's valet service. At early morning hours (when many travelers like us are trying to get to the airport), valet service is a hit-or-miss affair. This time it was a near-miss; we nearly missed our flight because of the length of time it took for the lone security guard to fetch our rental. And if you're looking for a budget-breaker, the hotel's $20/day valet fee may be it. There is reasonably priced public parking nearby, however.

For those without a rental car, the hotel's downtown location makes it a great choice for seeing this walkable city on foot. And for those wishing to venture farther out, freeway access is convenient. Also convenient is the Starbucks and the newly opened McCormick & Schmick Seafood Restaurant -- both off the hotel's elegant lobby.

As large and well-appointed as the lobby is, we found our room to be disappointing. It was very small. Two normal-sized adults sharing a room should be really close friends, because they'll be bumping into each other just trying to unpack. (In all fairness, our room looked to be the smallest on the floor and other guests found the size of their rooms adequate.)

I love old hotels. The transoms over the doors to the guest rooms. The winged-back chairs and fresh flowers in the lobby. The Providence Biltmore offers the feeling of style, elegance, and uniqueness that's missing from modern-day cookie-cutter chains.
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