Quirk Hotel Richmond

The shower took a good 10-15 minutes to get properly hot, though that wasn’t a major issue. The beds were comfortable, the room was spotless, and the staff were kind and helpful. I loved the artwork and atmosphere in this one-of-a-kind historic hotel. Worth the trip, and I’d visit again. Five stars!

My husband paid nearly $700 for a Quirk suite as a Christmas gift, so I could have a solo staycation as a working mom of two. He chose it because the website pictured a bath, but there wasn’t one in my room. I tried calling the front desk and the phone didn’t work. I had plans to meet friends for happy hour after checking in, so I moved on and tried to enjoy the night. The shower had no hot water. Reading more reviews afterward, I saw this wasn’t a new problem and still hadn’t been fixed. The main blanket was thin, and both the sheets and towels were scratchy. I asked the desk for another blanket, and they politely brought one. In the middle of the night, the toilet wouldn’t flush. It eventually worked after the tank refilled and I held the handle down. For the price and star rating, that shouldn’t have been something to worry about. I barely slept. At checkout they said I’d get a partial refund, but after I called a week later, the $100 credit I received didn’t even cover the fees. I won’t recommend this hotel or stay there again on a future trip.

The rooms had fun art, and the staff were great once we arrived. I could text for fresh glasses or to have our cake refrigerated, and they made room for our photos and offered help when they could. Our microwedding stay at Quirk was lovely and memorable. Getting there took some effort. The website didn’t work when I tried to book, and the sales team took several days to reply. Once we were on site, staff didn’t all have the same information about our rooms or parking questions.

The bathroom was nice, and I liked having a robe in the armoire. The room itself felt like a drafty studio in an old mill building, in a recently gentrified neighborhood, and the bedding reminded me of a hospital bed. The gallery and quirky cupcake look don’t count as amenities to me. I’ve included photos so you can judge it yourself. I booked one night at Quirk Hotel through booking.com, paying $300 up front after taxes and fees. I’d included my dog in the reservation, but still had to pay another $75 pet fee at check-in. Maybe that was because I used a third-party booking site. There was also a mandatory $30 valet charge, since they have neither a garage nor a lot. That put the one night at just over $400. The restaurant closes at 9 pm, and the lobby and cafe seem to be local places to work and hang out. For what it is, it costs too much.