Curtiss Hotel, Ascend Hotel Collection

“Great overall, but a few key things lacking here”

Overall, a great hotel experience. Pros: good location (a block or two from the historic city hall; short drive to canalside, the original anchor bar, etc.), very friendly staff, really neat hot tub/hot spring that is both indoor and mostly outdoor, complimentary breakfast and coffee/bottled water … more

Overall, a great hotel experience. Pros: good location (a block or two from the historic city hall; short drive to canalside, the original anchor bar, etc.), very friendly staff, really neat hot tub/hot spring that is both indoor and mostly outdoor, complimentary breakfast and coffee/bottled water in your room, valet is also included, smart features in hotel rooms including ipad controlling lights, room service/valet requests, beautiful bathrooms with smart shower features and a bidet, etc. Cons: microwaves don't come standard in rooms at this hotel that is commonly advertised as "the only 5-star boutique hotel in Buffalo" so the only way they'd let me use a microwave during my stay was by having a staff member physically bring a microwave to my room. I requested they do that after being told I couldn't bring my food downstairs to have it heated up. It took them one hour and 10 min so my wife decided to just eat our leftovers cold. Speaking of leftovers, good luck fitting those in the room's mini- or, micro fridge as it really is. It's technically a mini fridge but 70% of the space is being used as a mini bar money grab- $5 cans of soda, plus more outrageously expensive alcohol and snacks are on a weighted system that if touched/moved, you'll be automatically charged. There's so little room left over for your own actual food/drinks that it's nearly impossible to keep leftovers in the fridge. Also, the rooftop bar never seemed to be open. We stayed for 3 nights. Tuesday = closed as it normally is on Tuesdays. Wednesday = was told it would be open 5-10p but never opened due to what sounded like a staffing call-out/emergency. Thursday = was told it would be open 5-10p but it closed 2 hours early because they hadn't had any customers for a while. It's a shame they advertise this amenity but can't stick to actually providing it. Also wish the complimentary breakfast at "Buffalo's only 5-star boutique hotel" had any hot items (scrambled eggs, bacon/sausage/pancakes?)

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“Terrible pillows”

I booked through Priceline, and while the property is visually stunning and the restaurant was incredible, it definitely doesn’t deserve a 5-star rating. The elevators are so dim you can barely see the buttons, the sheets feel rough, and after being up since 2 a.m. traveling, I was looking forward … more

I booked through Priceline, and while the property is visually stunning and the restaurant was incredible, it definitely doesn’t deserve a 5-star rating. The elevators are so dim you can barely see the buttons, the sheets feel rough, and after being up since 2 a.m. traveling, I was looking forward to a good night’s sleep. Instead, the pillows are so uncomfortable that I’m still awake writing this review, unable to fall asleep. (I'm not looking forward to tomorrow night.) The bidet doesn’t work, the fridge space is taken up by for-purchase items (leaving no room for leftovers), the AC unit is noisy, and the rooms themselves are far too dark. Come here for the food, not to sleep.

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