The Guild Downtown Vine Street

The phone support was kind and helpful, but getting checked in was a hassle. We’d booked through a discount site and didn’t know the property was fully virtual, since the email told us to check in at the front desk with ID. It took several calls to sort out the virtual key, and there was no one on site to help with room problems. Our room had a nice layout, but it wasn’t clean enough for what we paid. There was pink residue on the walls, floor, comforter, and shower, and the shower soap containers were empty. We only had lukewarm water, too. The floors and comforter were especially disappointing. We also hadn’t realized there was no parking. For a one-night stay, keeping our car in a garage cost extra, money we could have spent elsewhere in the city.

We had a good stay and would come back. Our suite felt like a comfortable studio apartment, with a full kitchen and high ceilings, and it was nicely modernized. The building and elevators are older, though we mostly took the stairs, so that wasn’t a problem. I’m not sure whether there’s staff on site. I did see a security guard in the lobby a few times. Virtual support was easy to reach, and they quickly fixed a minor thermostat issue.

The location is great, with restaurants, bars, and some attractions an easy walk away. City noise at night could get bothersome, though that’s what I expected in a city. The room itself was nice, but cleaning seemed rushed: there was dirt and dust in the corners and hair on the shower wall. This was my first time staying somewhere with virtual staff, so it felt strange not to have someone greet me or give me a sense of the area. I flew in from Los Angeles, and staff arranged an early check-in, which I really appreciated. I hadn’t noticed that the front door code had been emailed, so I waited about five minutes to get into the property. No big deal, and the stay was decent overall.

The little convenience store in the lobby was a pleasant surprise. We also found parking right across the street at a very reasonable price, and the apartment was clean, spacious, and handy for downtown. The building keypad gave us trouble, but I understand that’s the building owner’s responsibility. Someone was on site when we checked in and helped us get through it. The keycard inside the room worked fine.