Hotel Du Pont

The bed was super comfortable, and the hotel itself is beautiful and quiet. But there was no hot water at the sink or in the shower. The bath had water hot enough to rival the sun. At $600+ a night, working hot water would be great. I wish I could say you get what you pay for.

We were on the top floor and had terrible views, including of residents of a halfway house loitering day and night beside the unsecured lot where our cars were parked. At $65 a night for valet, I'd expect a secured lot. This didn't feel like a five star hotel. There was no turn-down service or welcome note. I mentioned our anniversary when booking, but no one acknowledged it at check-in. I asked for a sleep/sound machine and got no response. In our luxury king suite, the outlets and heat weren't working. An “engineer” said the GFI kept tripping and we just had to reset it. After it popped four times in 20 minutes, we had to ask to move rooms. I asked again about the sound machine in the new room and was told they'd look into it. I also had to request ice, then wait 20 minutes or more. They were meant to bring both the ice and machine; the ice came eventually, but no machine. When I called, they finally said they didn't have one and offered a fan instead, which they eventually delivered. This was very disappointing. I've stayed at many five star hotels, including Trump Towers, Waldorf, and Langham. To me, this is maybe three stars at best.

While exploring downtown Wilmington, I popped into this beautiful hotel and was glad I did. The lobby is gorgeous, with lots of information about the hotel's history and some fun facts about famous people who stayed there. There's also a small gift shop, and the hotel connects to another food hall. Check the website for their hours before you go.

Our room was spacious and the bed was comfortable, but the wallpaper was peeling. There was a coffee maker with only two tiny paper cups and no mugs. The holiday decorations in the lobby were lavish, though it was too cold to sit there. The bar looked beautiful, but service felt indifferent. The only ladies' room on the main level was closed, and I eventually found one near the ballroom. We were underwhelmed.