BLU-Tique, Akron, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel

I booked the penthouse for my stay; however, upon arrival, the heat was not functioning. After fully unpacking, I was required to move rooms and was offered a smaller accommodation. While this was acceptable under the circumstances, it was not the experience I had planned or paid for. Aside from this issue, the stay itself was generally fine. The room was clean, and the bed was mostly comfortable. The windows are not soundproof at all so you can hear everything that’s happening outside. My primary concern involves the service in the hotel restaurant during breakfast. The staff member assisting us was unprofessional throughout our visit. She openly discussed internal staff meeting matters with us, remained on her phone at the bar for approximately 25 minutes, and did not bring the mimosas we had ordered. When our food arrived incorrectly, she immediately blamed the chef, stating that he had “messed up the order.” The chef later came out personally, corrected the mistake, and handled the situation professionally with an apology. Additionally, the server informed us that their payment machine was not working and asked if we could tip her in cash, explaining that she was “going through hard times.” This interaction made us uncomfortable and detracted significantly from the overall experience. Fortunately, this was our only visit to the restaurant during our stay. While the accommodations themselves were decent, the service issues ultimately impacted our experience, and we will not be returning.

I was overall very disappointed with my stay. This hotel had been recommended to me by multiple people, so my expectations were reasonably high. Unfortunately, the experience fell short. During dinner at the restaurant, there was loud screaming coming from the kitchen area, which was both uncomfortable and unprofessional. After placing my dinner order, I was later informed that they could not prepare my meal due to an “emergency” involving the chef. Based on the staff conversations I overheard, it seemed there had been some sort of altercation in the kitchen and the chef had stormed out. More concerning, someone attempted to enter my room during my stay. The individual had a key card that opened the door, but thankfully the deadbolt prevented entry. I presume this was a front desk room/key mix-up rather than something more serious, but it was nonetheless unsettling. I intended to report the incident to the front desk the following morning, but no one was present at reception when I attempted to check out. A restaurant staff member ultimately walked over, took down my room number, and told me it was fine to leave. Overall, this was a very disappointing experience, especially given how highly the hotel had been recommended to me.