Temma H.
Yelp
I honestly don't understand the rave reviews this hotel has. I've stayed in hotels of varying quality, all over the world. Luxury hotels in Europe, tiny hostels in Asia, motels driving across country. It's all about the expectations that are set for the visit.
The Dean Hotel charges rates that sets expectations above what they manage. I would say that they're style above substance, but honestly, I don't think it's that stylish of a hotel, either. They clearly have hired some skilled photographers for their website, and must have a couple of nicer rooms hidden somewhere in the building, but the overall experience was very disappointing.
I'm going to just copy and paste below highlights from the review I made on another website, when I got an automated follow up email from The Dean.
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This weekend, my boyfriend and I stayed at The Dean hotel. It was recommended by a friend whose wedding we were in town for.
The photos on the hotel website looked cute so we went ahead and booked one of "The Mates." It has a queen sized bed and "additional seating for one or many."They must expect people to be sitting on one another's laps in the case of "many," because the rooms are tiny.
It's very telling that the photos featured of the room never show the entire expanse of it, and just focus on small details, careful to only show part of the bed at one time.
A queen sized bed nearly fills the entire width of the room, leaving space on each side for a small column, which serves as an improvised bedside table. A large mirror stretches from wall to wall above the bed. If you want give yourself a glance before leaving, be prepared to stand on the bed, because there's not a full length mirror in the room. The bathroom mirror is the tiny of a tiny picture frame.
There was no place in the room to set a suitcase out of the way, or furniture to unpack clothing to. There were 2 metal coat hooks with 3 hangers on each.
The side of the room featuring the desk was dark. The only lighting in the room was provided by one small overhead light near the bed, a wall sconce on either side of the bed, and a light in the bathroom. In theory you could open the blinds to let in light during the daytime, however the windows face other rooms of the hotel. This means that not only is the light almost entirely blocked by the other rooms, but opening the blinds gives other guests a direct view in to your room.
The bathroom is fine. The black tiles with gold fixtures are a nice look. The tiny wood framed mirror, half covering up a wall vent that seems to do nothing, is less charming. The shower is TINY. The water goes from freezing to scalding hot very quickly, but don't worry - when you inch away from the hot water, you have the option of wrapping yourself in the cold, wet shower curtain, or pressing your naked body against the chilly tiled shower walls. It's impossible to avoid touching one or the other as you bathe. Also, I hope you weren't planning on shaving in the shower, or wanting to set down a wash cloth or anything else, as there are no surfaces to do so.
They provide a hair dryer. It started to smell like electrical burning before I finished drying my hair.
They also provided us with earplugs on the bed, instead chocolates. The accompanying note said the earplugs were for some construction being done on the hotel during weekdays, however the hotel itself is so noisy and lacks soundproofing that I image they're useful whether or not there's construction.
Have you seen Home Alone? Do you remember how Kevin was afraid of the heater in the basement? Yeah, that's what the heating sound like in the room.
There is an ice machine, but no ice bucket. Instead, they provide you with a bag for ice. I hope you use it all in one sitting, because there's no mini-fridge/freezer to place it in.
The decor is clearly supposed to be shabby chic, with the vintage furniture and old manufacturing signs mixed with thrift shop oil paintings as decor, but threadbare rugs is taking that styling too far.
The lobby is the best decorated part of the hotel. There's a cute seating area, lit by large windows by their coffee bar. The coffee is good. There's a neon sign, which says "FINE" on one wall, which I guess is this hotel's stretch goal- to be nice enough to be described as just "FINE."
Honestly, for $250 a night plus $30 parking, I expect slightly more than just FINE, and The Dean does not even manage that. Go stay at The Omni, The Biltmore, or almost any of the other hotels in Providence. They cost the same or less, and you'll actually have space to open your suitcase.
The best part of the hotel is the restaurant attached to it, North. Go eat at North, it's delicious. Just skip The Dean.