Commonwealth Park Suites Hotel, Richmond

The hotel is fine as long as you don't need parking. There is a tall caucasian valet that parks the cars like he is on the Indy 500. I saw him speed off turn the corner like he was moving into first position, then when he got to the garage on the corner, I thought he would go airborne because of how fast he went up the ramp. I thanked my lucky stars I arrived by shuttle.

My fiance and I booked a suite online and confirmed it with a credit card. Upon arrival we were told that the hotel gave away our suite and re-booked us at the nearby Doubletree hotel and would be picking up the cost of our stay. Our accomodations at the Doubletree was a double bed smoking room, not at all comparable to the suite we had secured through credit card confirmation at the Commonwealth Park Suite Hotel.Once we got home we were greeted with a bill for the entire amount of the cost of the Suite which was arbitrarily given away at the Commonwealth without any notice or consent. When Kathy inquired with the management she was basically told 'too bad, next time don't book online'. That's a paraphrase but the message was clear. They took our money for services they decided not to provide. Shame on them and the blemish they leave on professioanlism and Southern Hospitality

My wife and I stayed at the CPSH for 2 nights this month (Dec. 2007). Cons: the heater in our bedroom didn't work, and the hallway (9th floor) seemed a bit funky. Pros: the staff immediately shifted us to an even bigger suite next door to the one with the nonfunctioning heater. The new room had an immense bedroom and living room, spacious and well-appointed bathroom, and superb view of the State Capitol across the street. The staff were uniformally alert and helpful, the suite clean and well appointed, the hotel location outstanding, and the price per night ($135) at least $100 less than the other hotels I'd checked (Marriot, Jefferson). Plus I just plain like older hotels if brought up to date, as in this instance.

We spent most of our vacation in the hotel because of extreme heat. the room was great. the beds were comfortable. the pillows were the best. i loved the air conditioning. totally check out the museums while you are there!

I liked: the large rooms, and the downtown location. I disliked: the lack of professionalism in the staff. The housekeeping was sloppy: nothing was replaced even when it ran out. The desk staff unprofessional: they have shouting conversations from the desk into the office and back, about personal issues, making conversation difficult in the lobby. Checking in or out takes forever. I had to have my keycard reset twice because they had misprogrammed it and had to wait ten minutes both times to even talk to the receptionist. The bellman or maintenance man was standing in the lobby shouting into a radio and listening to someone shout back, the sound literally echoing around in the lobby. This made trying to work while wiating for our cab very difficult. What's sad is that this could be a very nice hotel: great location, great rooms. But the staff really detracts from the experience

My stay in the Commonwealth Park Suites was a comfortable one, but not spectacular. Since I'm usually in mediocre hotels and motels when travelling, it seemed the pinacle of luxury at first, but beneath the appearance it was only okey. The positives: The rooms are very spacious. The king-size bed was comfortable and very inviting. While I didn't use it much, the living room area was nice. Nice desk, and comfortable office chair. the wireless internet is very fast (although I would always like the option of connecting via an actual line, for more security). The desk staff was friendly and helpful, and always answered on the first ring. On the downside (although my list of negatives is rather long, there was nothing hugely wrong, just a lot of little things I should mention for honesty sake): the telephone in the bedroom did not work (there is one in the living room), and two of the lights had burned-out bulbs. The television always reset to a random channel (not the hotel's internal one -- they don't have one) which was a minor frustration. The bathtub was not only small, but old, and it looks it. It took about two minutes for the hot water to begin flowing in the shower or sink in the morning. I attributed this to the fact of my location (9th floor) and that I'm an early riser and was probably taking the first shower of the day of anyone that high and the hot water had to come up 9 floors through old pipes -- but it's an inconvenience. I had to request toilet paper. As in many older buildings, there are very few outlets, and the ones that did exist all had something already plugged into them. A single outlet on the desk (attached to the lamp) was nice for my computer, but I ended up charging my cell phone and PDA in the bathroom, and to use the iron, I had to unplug a bedside lamp. The fitness center was not a fitness center: just three old and thoroughly worn pieces of cardio equipment -- no weight machines, and was extraordinarily hot: the sauna opens directly into the fitness center, and clearly bakes it all the time. There are no vending machines and the prices for any snacks are extraordinarily high. Breakfast was good, although not great. However the service was painfully slow: the lone employee had to hand-write a receipt for everything sold, even individual cans of soda, for his own records, (even if the customer had not requested one) and this ground the service to a halt. All in all, a decent experience, but not a great one. I would stay again, but wouldn't seek it out. If (like me) a Holiday Inn is where you're usually staying, it's pretty nice. If you're looking for luxury, you'll be disappointed.

Pros: The location of this hotel is fantastic. It's within walking distance of the capital building, charming, hip Cary street, and and the canal walk. The view from our eighth-floor room was a beautiful surprise - right accross from the lovely state building and its park-like grounds. The roominess of the large, old suite rooms was a treat, and they were very functional, clean, free from odors, and looked freshly painted. The staff was always very friendly and helpful, quick to answer questions and offer suggestions. Cons: The decor was very plain (much different from the picture posted). The "fitness center" was a hot, tiny room, housing a a washer/dryer, sauna, and three worn-looking machines. (Up side: I opted for a walk and am glad it worked out that way. The front desk helped me plan a safe, enjoyable route, and I could take in the sights on a lovely Sat. morning.) The bathroom linens were brand-new, but hadn't been washed first, and the tub mat was peeling slightly from the tub. (deducted one point from "cleanliness") You get what you pay for, without a lot of extra tangible perks, but the other perks, like location, and service largely out-wighed the cons, and we would go back again.

The hotel has charm and is located near the heart of downtown, but the poor service and dirty room will cause us to stay at a more professionally operated hotel property the next time my firm is doing busines in Richmond. Without getting into too much detail...bugs in room, hair found in bed, hvac broken and the restaurant had only one employee working the kitchen and floor during breakfast(the server/cook was great and tried to serve all in the dining room to the best of his ability!)Overall, there are better places to stay in Richmond for the $.

This hotel seemed great when we first arrived. The room was spacious enough for our family with young children and all was well. However, after a closer inspection, and a few days' stay, we changed our minds. The desk help was unhelpful to the point of not caring about customers' needs or requests. On one occasion we stood out in the cold, waiting for the valet, only to find that he was inside and the desk clerk had not asked him to retrieve our car as requested. On the subject of the valet parking, there is NO parking on the street or elsewhere, but you are never informed that there is a $12.00 daily fee for this service (until you check out). Our room was not particularly sparkling, but seemed clean enough on arrival. After three nights, the linens had never been changed, the toiletries never replenished, and I actually watched the housekeeper "clean" our drinking glasses with a rag that she had been using for dusting. We bought plastic cups. One morning, we asked for a wake-up call that never came. Fortunately, we had also set the alarm clock. The locaton of the CPS is great--downtown and close to many things. The potential is also great. There have obviously been some nice improvements to a neat old hotel. The sad thing is that the customer service is so lacking and the housekeeping so pathetic that it ruins what could be a very good experience.

We stayed their the first week of June with three small children. It was wonderful. We got a suite with a one bedroom attached. The gretest part was not the huge living room where we could hang out. It was the fact the bathroom for the suite was in the hallway so people could get to it without walking through your bedroom. I would highly recomend this hotel.