Kim T.
Yelp
Wanting to enjoy the whole Magic Castle experience, I also decided to book a night next door at the Magic Castle Hotel (MCH).
Magic Castle Visit: For those of you who are not members and/or guests of the magicians, staying at the MCH will definitely guarantee you a visit there. A couple of weeks before your arrival to the MCH, the Front Desk Staff will email you - confirming your hotel reservations and if you stated are celebrating a birthday or anniversary here. In addition, they will also offer to book a reservation on your behalf to the Magic Castle if you have not done so already. Best of all, a complimentary shuttle is provided to and fro the Magic Castle.
Parking: $16.50 grand total ($15.00 + $1.50 Parking Fee Tax) with in and out privileges.
Side Note: Make sure you check your credit card statement. I was charged an additional day of parking fees ($16.50) and a mysterious extra $3.50 charge than what was originally charged on my printed receipt upon check out. I called the MCH and was told that it was a "holding fee" and that those charges will go away, which it did two days later. Still, not cool...
Check-In: 3pm w/Welcome Sparkling Lemonade.
Check Out: 11am
The Unlimited Snacks are awesome, especially, the rice krispies treats and M&M peanuts (my fave!). I only stayed here for one night and so the other complimentary services I didn't try out (24 Hour Soda Machine, Soft Serve Ice Cream, Popsicle Hotline and Free Laundry service).
Daily Continental Breakfast: 7am to 10am
Just your assorted/basic cereals, muffins, toast, croissants, mini scones, oatmeal, fruit, yogurt, milk (I didn't see any almond or soy milk), juices, coffee and teas. Lots of carb loading, not much protein.
High Tea: 3pm to 6pm (ended up missing this since after checking in, I was getting ready to get to the Magic Castle by 4:45pm).
No Elevators: Cute 1950s apartments converted into hotel rooms. No elevators here! My room was on the ground level, yay! However, it faced the busy street of Franklin Avenue, damn! Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep + the Queen mattress bed was hard and lumpy with plentiful pillows that were super flat!
Standard Room (fits one to two people): The room itself is basic and stark white, but it was clean and cozy. There's a mini fridge with an ice bucket and complimentary water bottle inside. No microwave here. The AC kept my room cool and chilled. The closet contained two extra pillows, a comforter, two bathrobes (scratchy and not soft and no slippers either), a suitcase holder, an iron/ironing board and safe inside, but no hangers.
Electrical/Electronics: Hardly any outlets, but there is a USB box on one side of the bed. The lighting in the bedroom is decent, but super bright in the bathroom. DVD player and flat screen TV with Spectrum channels. Strong Wifi with no password required.
The bathroom itself was clean and cozy too. Comes with a hairdryer, plentiful towels (decently soft), a box of tissues, extra toilet paper roll, two cups of glass, Tarocco brand toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, lotion, mouthwash and two bars of soap), two makeup remover towelettes, a small sewing kit, shower cap and vanity kit. The shower pressure was good, but the hot water (both shower and sink) were very limited and kept switching back to cold. The toilet itself is tiny!
Service: Friendly staffers that will do their best to accommodate and try to make your stay here pleasant. I was celebrating a belated birthday here and was bummed to find out the Front Desk had forgotten since there was no birthday treat/surprise in my room. However, the Front Desk quickly made up for it with a bottle of Pinot Gris.
Overall, my stay here was ok. For the (over)price room, service and amenities, I've stayed at other hotels that were far more magical. Truly, the best part of staying at the MCH was that I was able to catch some additional late night magic shows.