Sunday, August 14, 2011

Brookwood Inn, Rochester New York - Gloves Off Review

Ok, I'll spare you the rant over why I was all the way up in Rochester or how it turned out, and try and give a fair review of this establishment. Its right off the tollway on the right, so its almost impossible to miss it. My first impression of the Brookwood Inn was a moderated level of luxury. The lobby is nice with flat screen TVs playing news or sports or whatever the desk staff decide on and comfortable furniture. There is a small computer/printer set up on a balcony overlooking the lobby with okay computer access, and the hotel also offers free Wifi (more on that later). There is a small resaurant/steakhouse/breakfast buffet just off the lobby. I didn't end up dining there for a number of reasons, other than to enjoy the complimentary breakfast buffet (lots of baked goods,good coffee and a waffle iron was enough to keep me happy. If your standards are higher, then keep em to yourselves).
The rooms are well maintained and about a half (maybe three-quarter) step up from your average economy fare. Note: I did not stay in one of the exclusive theme rooms they have at the front of the hall, so don't even ask. They looked very nice when housekeeping had them open to clean, but beyond that I got nothing for ya. 

The Good Stuff: Probably one of the best complimentary breakfast deals I have seen at a hotel. The room I slept in was clean and well maintained. The bathroom is pretty straight forward (no frills, but not the end of the world) and the shower is roomy. All the staff I encountered where perfectly polite and helpful (something less and less common these days) which always motivates me to see the brighter side (although silver lining is sometimes a better description) of a hotel. There is a small pool and hot tub on the premises, and noth are not too shabby. I have to applaud them for their fitness center, as it probably has better equipment than many peoples local YMCA or 24 hour gym (albeit few machines, but what did you expect).

The not so good stuff: Aside from one thing (which I will address in a moment), I really didn't have anything bad to say about the Brookwood Inn. I have lots of little critiques. The Wifi is slow and would boot me about every 45 minutes. The hotel information book I found in the room is pretty sparse on the information and not too helpful with some of the details. The rooms are oddly numbered (the higher number rooms are actually on the lower levels, so pay attention to directions from the person at the desk). Vending machines are arranged kinda comically (soda machines are on the bottom floor? seriously?) but the proximity to a number of gas stations weighs that out to a certain extent. 

Now for the bad news: The price. A basic guest room is going to run you somewhere in the range of $120-$150 per night. This is before you tack on meals or any other kind of extra service. I can only imagine what the luxury rooms cost (Strike that. I don't want to know). I get that its a nice hotel, but that's still an insane price. Just my $.02.

Overall, the Brookwood Inn is a great little place. I enjoyed my stay (the hit to the pocket book, not so much) and (if you decide to stop in) hope you do as well.

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