Androy Hotel, Superior

I called for a reservation and the person who answered was RUDE! I was spelling my name/email addy using..B as in boy etc. He told me to STOP TALKING LIKE THAT and just spell it. I did, he got it wrong AGAIN. I tried to correct him he yelled at me saying THAT"S WHAT I SAID. Which he had wrong again. If THIS is the first thing you get before you even stay there, there is NO WAY I would walk into your door. Customer Service classes are needed in this establishment!

(first rated in summer of 2008) There have been few hotels which have given me so much to think about and thus compel me to write a review. On the one hand, the staff was remarkably friendly and pleasant, the room was clean, partially remodeled and fairly quiet, the building is conveniently located near Duluth (both by city bus, bike (via US 2 only) and car) and has an early twentieth century charm. The Androy is an imposing structure which was the de facto executive headquarters while former President Harding fished on the Brule some 45 miles away. And last, but certainly not least, it is walking distance from The Thirsty Pagan, brewer and purveyor of some of the finest beers/ales I have had the privilege of tasting. On the other hand, the rooms are small and I wonder if any amount of scrubbing will make the carpets clean. The building could use some freshening up all around and the somewhat dingy dropped ceilings detract from said early twentieth century charm. While all the borders/other hotel guests we ran into were impeccably polite, the Androy is clearly in a rougher part of a rougher town. This is not a place I would recommend to a my (grand)parents/in-laws/professional associates and the rooms are impractical for families with children. And yet, there is something endearing about the Androy and Superior, WI in general. If nothing else, at $50-$60 a night for two people, it is an excellent value if you are looking for a place to sleep. 10/8/2011 update: We stayed, en route to northern Minnesota, another night at the Androy. Not much has changed. Same dingy carpet in the reception area. Same mishmash of roaring 20's charm along side chipped porcelain sinks. Same delightfully friendly service and good value. Same easy walk from delicious beer at The Thirsty Pagan. We would definitely stay another night. Tip: Ask for a room facing away from Tower Ave if you are sensitive to sounds and want to open a window.

On a Saturday night, this was the only place available for the night and we were skeptical at first. We were actually impressed with the friendliness of the staff and the convenience of the restaurant downstairs, which is open 24 hours on the weekend. The building has a vintage vibe and if you can get over the imperfections (such as stained carpet and chipped paint), I would recommend this place to experience something fun and new for a reasonable price.

First, the employees at the front desk act like they are doing a favor for you to stay there, but it was late and i had to stay there. The room smelled like old smoke. , the carpet is disgusting and when i went to the bathroom, the toilet was not even cleaned. It seemed that someone peed around the toilet and no one cleaned after. The bathtub was without a good rub for years and the sink was the most outrageous thing. Old and all rusty. Never again !!!!!

I have to say that the minute we drove down the street that The Androy is located I wanted to turn around and find a more expensive hotel. The block is full of bars and has a few strip clubs and since this was a family vacation with our 2 year old son I was a little nervous. I told my husband right away if I heard sirens or gun shots we would be leaving. When you walk into the lobby its looks as though the carpeting has been there since it was built. Very run down and stained. But the customer service was very good and we were greated with a smile. Our room was small but the carpet looked newer and clean and I loved the octogon tile and the super deep ceramic tub. The hot knob fell off everytime we tried to turn it on or off so I had to use to strength to get the perfect bath water for my little boy. The hallways smell like stale smoke and the room was humid but it was quickly remedied by turning on the air conditioning. This is the perfect hotel if your looking for something antique and I may add that we surprisingly felt safe the entire time despite the location. If you look closely you'll notice the old switch board and the mail chute which is cute, we were also told by the lady at the front desk that the Kennedys stayed there in its prime! Pretty neat! Nice place to stay to sleep but you'll definately want to stay out during the day for fresh air.

We stayed there in the King Suite which had a gross partial decaying moose head over the bed. It was so disgusting that we just payed the $80 and we never did sleep there. The carpet was questionable and we put towels on the floor so we didn't have to sit on it. We didn't dare lay in the bed. We returned to the room after bar close and just packed up our bags and drove home. It was too creepy with that moose head, yuck.

The Androy Is a little old, has paper thin walls, ( people seemed to be quiet after 10pm ) and has a cigarette smell and not located on the best street, But was very close to The Bong bridge and it did not take long to get to Duluth, The resturant " Poppa Dons" was a good greasy spoon with fare price's, you could also order food and take it up to your room, that was a plus! The Androy lounge had pretty cheap prices for their drinks .all located in the Lobby of the hotel. The staff was really nice and the rooms seemed clean but small. If your going sight seeing and only staying a night or two this was a great Hotel on a budget.

I will not ever stay at the Androy again. We just took some young people from our church and rented two rooms for a Friday night. About the only attractive thing about our stay was the price, but, you get what you pay for. The carpets are filthy in every part of the hotel that I saw. The lighting is poor. Nothing has been fixed up in anyway in many years. The entire place smells of musty cigarette smoke. (It also has the smell of a nursing home.) The sink in the bathroom of one of our rooms was brown with rust. It is not in an area that made me feel at all safe. At 3 am, when the bars closed, the drunk people took to the streets and kept all of us awake for another hour or two. (We were on the 6th floor and could still hear constant screaming.) The service was nothing to brag about either. We called down for extra pillows and never received them. There were not bugs crawling in the rooms and the sheets did seem mostly clean. That was about my only consolation. We've all agreed we will not stay at the Androy again!

We stayed at the Androy during the Duluth Tall Ships festival. Room was clean and comfortable for the $39 for Thursday and $59 for Friday rate. Good location for public transportation bus system. Hotel is old, but clean. Most residents seem to be retirees who stay month-2-month. People are friendly. Only problem was bath mat in tub - since tubs are old and curved, matt will slip, so be careful! Restaurant was not that great. Would stay again if needed a room in Superior.

Whether or not you will like the Androy, I believe it is all about expectations. If you are expecting Marriott, this is not your place. You have to appreciate how vintage the Androy is. You have to want to totally geek out about the original 1920's bathrooms with octagon tile, the old mail chute, the big chunky keys for the original doors, the step back in time lobby, the original hotel telephone switchboard, and a room with two queen sized beds for only $50. The Androy has almost a cult following. People either love it or hate it. But if you love it, you will come back again and again. But those who love it come back again and again. I fall into that crowd. Can't beat the location - can walk to any number of live music or night life venues. Papa Don's restaurant downstairs is one of the best greasy spoon breakfasts in town and open 24 hours. Walk across the street and get a Vintage Italian Pizza to take back to your room. Just minutes from all of the attractions in Duluth without having to pay out the nose for Duluth Hotel prices (and couldn't find this kind of character at those places anyhow). So many reasons to love the Androy!