gretta S.
Google
TEA TIME EXPERIENCE - My friends and I recently visited the hotel for afternoon tea to celebrate a birthday, but unfortunately, the experience fell short of our expectations. We arrived just 10 minutes early and were met with a rather unwelcoming attitude from staff. Although our table was clearly set and ready, we were told, rather bluntly, "Well, it's not ready yet," and left standing awkwardly near the bar area.
We had also requested a small birthday celebration with a cheesecake and a song, and were assured this would be no problem. However, neither was provided, and we later learned the server claimed it had been done, which was simply not the case. Maybe she got confused with another table, but the place wasn't really busy.
During the tea service, we were only checked on twice — once to serve the tea and once to clear the tray. We were also surprised that there were no refills offered on tea, which felt disappointing considering it was meant to be a tea-focused experience. One of our friends was allergic to oranges, which we tried confirming there were no oranges in the macaroons but the server didn't know and couldn't really give us a set answer. My recommendation would be to also get to know the menu so people with allergies are not in doubt whether or not they can eat one of the 10 appetizer options we had. The server mentioned it might be "Mango" yet the item had extremely zesty flavor. I guess it would just be a safety thing to know the menu.
Overall, the service, particularly in the Orleans Room, came across as disinterested and dismissive. On the positive hand, hotel is absolutely beautiful, and the pastries were great.