Last January, I wrote about their Gourmand Restaurant, and how the breakfast was better than I expected. My family and I have been here on a couple of other occasions, all for breakfast, including a breakfast meeting with another couple and breakfast for Mother's Day (which was also our Anniversary), so we kicked-off our day-long celebration with breakfast at Gourmand.
Mother's Day breakfast was not as pleasant as other days - I guess the staff did not expect the surge in dining guests. They did have promos, so it surprised me that they seemed to be a bit overwhelmed as evidenced by the slow turn-around of available tables and the slow refill of food from the kitchen. That aside, it wasn't the worst I experienced.
This last weekend, we finally got to book a room and stay overnight. It was a multi-celebration again: our daughter's moving-up celebration as well as my mother-in-law's birthday. We were booked in a "deluxe room" on the 10th floor. So let's start with the room:
It was huge! Very spacious and very well appointed. And it had a king-size bed to boot! Very clean and cozy, with comfortable pillows and mattress. The furnishings were sparse, and I mean this in a good way - things were kept to a minimum without sacrificing comfort and the very modernist style.
The bathroom was also spacious though a bit narrow. No bath tub in this room, but then we weren't looking to stay in the bathroom too long anyway. But a tub would have been nice if you wanted to just lay in the water a bit.
Dining at the Gourmand for breakfast was again a good experience - far better than Mother's Day. My brother-in-law and I was hoping to try out the bar, but we were told it was under renovation, so we had a couple of drinks at the Lobby Lounge. I was enjoying their happy hour wine-all-you-can promo. I wonder what the Club Lounge would be like, and if membership was required? I will try to find out.
My suggestion: have the staff smile some more, and maybe a little training on customer service when it comes to communication. I know they may have been tired that evening, but then again, the hospitality is an industry to is meant to "serve with a smile."
Over-all, it was a great stay. There will always be room for improvement, but so far my experiences at the Excelsior have not disappointed.
P.S. - wasn't able to take photos, sorry.