Renee B.
Yelp
The Cambria was a decent economical boutique style hotel. Although the decor was nice and a bit edgy, it lacked in the amenities of a true boutique hotel. The room was a little bit dirty, and contained some residual items from the previous guest. Not the worst thing to happen, but not the most high end experience. The biggest disappointment for us was the costumer service we experienced which would have helped the overall take away.
I really liked the unique scull wallpaper and the bedding. The mattress was nice as well as the sheets. The in room
coffee station was pretty basic and could definitely stand an upgrade. Not really enough cream or sugar to make even a decent cup but I did appreciate them using local coffee.
The bathroom was nice aside from there being absolutely no exhaust vent. Not a huge deal unless you're sharing a room with someone and need to remove bathroom odors. It also made it a bother while getting dressed and having to put on makeup. The mirror completely fogged up and the bathroom was the only room with significant lighting to get dressed. I had to wait about 30 minutes to clear the steam enough to use the mirrors. I'm not sure I have ever been in a bathroom without any ventilation whatsoever.
Our alarm clock buzzed at 6 AM, which was the worst. I get up so early on a regular morning, that I really was looking forward to sleeping in for a few hours. Not only did the alarm go off, but I couldn't turn it off and ended up just unplugging it. All in all the accommodations were above average but below average from what I would expect from a "fancier" hotel.
More disappointing than the lack of amenities and that dang alarm clock was the less than amazing customer service. The valet was friendly but they made sure to request a good review, which seemed like their main objective. Not a big deal.
Front desk could definitely use some costumer service training. They came off as a bit snooty and bothered which is not what I was expecting at all.
We inquired about a late check out upon checking in the evening before. We were told that late check out would be at 12, and anything after that would incur a charge. The next morning as we headed out for our breakfast reservation, we let the front desk know that we would be a little bit late checking out, but well before noon.
We received, I guess what I would consider an abrasive response from the gentleman managing the front desk, as he told us that they were super busy and booked and could not accommodate a late check out. That is not what we were told the evening before, and it caused us to have to cancel our breakfast reservation. I understand not being able to accommodate an early check-in at times, but a late check out should be woven into their time schedule, at least for emergencies. I mean, it is New Orleans. People get hung over, they sleep in late and other unforeseen things. He was basically letting us know that we had to get out at 11.
Before we could barely make it back to our room, the same gentleman called our room to tell us that he personally would help the housekeeper clean our room and accommodate a late check out. I'm not sure who spoke to him about his previous response to our request, but he did a complete 180 which was a little bit strange. I explained to him that I had already canceled our reservation on the elevator trip up, and he attempted to lecture me about how difficult getting breakfast seating in that area would be anyway. I guess he didn't realize that I'm from New Orleans, and know how brunch works. That was also irritating.
At that point, I was pretty annoyed with how we were being accommodated, so we hastily packed up our stuff and hit the road. Sometimes all it takes is a little bit of problem-solving, people skills and sympathy towards customers. The gentleman was definitely lacking, and his attempt to accommodate on the backend, was futile at that point.
I'm not sure that I would choose the Cambria to stay again, because I think customer service is so important, especially in a city like New Orleans. If I wanted an experience as though I was in Los Angeles or Brooklyn, I wouldn't be vacationing in New Orleans.