The Parkview Hotel

The historic building feels well kept rather than old or run-down, and the location was handy for our Syracuse University visit. My son and I stayed there while touring the college, and the rooms were nice enough. I’d stay again, though the breakfast and service fell short of what I’d hoped for. Breakfast was waffles, cold eggs and sausage, toast and bagels, yogurt, and juice, which felt limited to me. I’d also read that the front desk can be unattended at checkout, and that happened to us: several people had been waiting at least 15 minutes. I left our keys on the desk because I had no time to wait for someone to return.

The desk staff were friendly and helpful, and parking was plentiful and easy to work out. My room was clean, with a hot shower and great water pressure. I stayed after work ahead of the expected heavy snow, and would come back if I need to.

The split payment we clearly requested was handled incorrectly, and the resulting credit card problems are still ongoing. Since checkout, we’ve sent many emails and called repeatedly. Our emails were never opened, and the people we reached by phone kept passing responsibility along without offering a fix. At checkout, there had been no one at the front desk. I waited a long time, called several times, and went to the lobby, but nobody appeared. With a flight to catch, I had to leave a written note explaining why I was leaving. This went far beyond a minor inconvenience and caused serious financial and administrative trouble. I found the service extremely disappointing and unacceptable, and would not recommend this hotel to anyone.

Our clean room had a door that wouldn’t close properly or lock, so we were eventually moved to another room that had been cleaned. We stayed two nights, and aside from the gracious service and the hotel’s proximity to the upstate hospital, the experience was a big disappointment. Under the new ownership, several amenities advertised on the website, including the airport shuttle and snack concessions with water, have been discontinued. Nothing consumable is sold or given out apart from the free breakfast.