The Campbell House Lexington, Curio Collection by Hilton

The exterior is pretty and there's a cool statue, but inside it felt like an ordinary hotel. The rooms are fine, though nothing special, and the old building comes with limitations. Finding your room can be a hassle, with confusing paths and poor signs. Staff seemed overloaded and stuck handling things that management should probably take care of. I don't recall seeing anyone smile except the barista at the coffee shop.

We left after only 10 hours because the worn-out carpet and smell were too much for my family. The place was empty, yet our room was as far as possible from an entrance, and the luggage cart had two flat tires. In the bathroom, the sprinkler head sat completely above the ceiling tile. At the front desk, we asked for adjoining rooms and were told yes, but the room we got wasn't adjoining. The desk person seemed oblivious to the problem. We left the next morning and had our friends cancel their reservation before they arrived. No more Hilton properties for a while.

The beautiful lobby gave me some hope, but the room was just as disappointing as the check-in. It was dirty and poorly kept, with stained carpet and several big flies buzzing around. There were hardly any outlets, no fridge or microwave, almost no room for toiletries in the tiny bathroom, and no ceiling light, so the room was incredibly dark. The next morning I made coffee and found the cup lids didn't fit. That would usually be a small thing, but after everything else it was one more avoidable frustration. I'd already had a very hard couple of days when I arrived, exhausted and carrying several bags from an Uber. I went to get a luggage cart and was told the only one was in use, so I had to make several trips with my things to the desk. I had prepaid through Super.com, but the staff couldn't find my reservation. From the start, I felt they were dismissive and lacking basic courtesy. I was tired and not dressed especially well, and their manner made me feel small and unwelcome. I had to call Super.com myself. It took about 30 minutes to resolve, and after their customer service agent confirmed on speakerphone that things should be fixed, I waited another half hour at the desk. When I asked for an update, it turned out nobody had checked the system again. They eventually looked and found the reservation had come through earlier. During that time, I saw other guests get patient, warm, proactive help when they had problems. The difference was hard to miss, and I was left wondering whether my appearance affected the service I got. For the price and the brand's reputation, this was deeply disappointing. I left frustrated, disrespected, and nowhere near rested.

The only bright spot was the woman at the front desk, who was quick and friendly when I asked for extra blankets. Everything else was a letdown. Our room had no mini fridge, the bathroom ceiling looked disgusting, the carpets were gross, and the ice machine didn't work. We spent $200 on dinner at the tavern, but they cleared our food before we were finished, had run out of both cocktails we wanted, and overcooked my steak. The TV wouldn't connect to Wi-Fi, so Netflix and screen sharing weren't options. For a fraction of the price, Motel 6 might have felt just as nice. We're not coming back, and I'd look elsewhere.