The Grand Hotel in Salem

This is the only hotel I will stay in when I am visiting my son in Salem. I love this hotel. It is very reasonably priced for a luxury hotel. I paid $159 a night during the Christmas holiday! No parking fees and a free breakfast every morning. It's not just a continental breakfast either. It's a full buffet. The staff is super friendly. I can't say enough about this place. The beds are super comfortable. I always get a good night sleep. I feel very safe here.

We stayed at The Grand Hotel when we were in town to see a show. We found the hotel staff welcoming and the lobby nicely appointed. We loved that they had warm cookies for us upon checking in. Our room was comfortable. We relaxed in the hot tub and pool. Very clean and quiet. We enjoyed a happy hour cocktail before our show at the restaurant. The hotel was so conveniently located that we were able to walk to our show. In the morning the breakfast was well organized and delicious. Last but not least, they have a great parking garage on premise. The next time we are in Salem Oregon we will definitely stay here again.

Perfect location for attending shows at the Elsinore theater. Or doing many things downtown. Love the free covered parking so you don’t have to think about it. Rooms are comfortable and amply large. Nice to have a sofa and a couple chairs. Great L desk makes it so you could even play cards across it. Super friendly desk staff. Feels very safe, secure, and clean. Favorite place to stay in Salem for sure. In house restaurant is perfect. Already looking forward to the next stay.

The most outstanding customer service! I travel for work frequently and was pleasantly surprised when arriving at The Grand. Clean, friendly and comfortable. Russ was the absolute highlight of my trip. He went above and beyond to ensure things were perfect!

The rooms were clean and spacious. The hotel is top notch. The staff was pleasant and helpful. Bridget shared her personal hair spray with us. One of her colleagues offered to run to the store for us. The free buffet breakfast was among the best I have seen.

The staff is amazing! I was there for a summit meeting that was catered. The wait staff was on point without being overly present. I left some items behind in my room, called them to see if they could ship them to me and Gabby was so helpful. The hotel is beautiful, the room was perfect and I had an amazing experience. I highly suggest The Grand Hotel when you're in Salem.

This is one of my favorite places to stay and favorites to recommend. Great staff, great location. I do advocate for employees, and I do hope this company treats their employees well. Employees don’t want to work hard for a business that does not treat them well. BUSINESSES, please be good to your people, without them, you wouldn’t have the business ❤️

The jacuzzi rooms are very roomy and elequant. Perfect place for business trips or to just get away in town. You can walk to all the good restaurants and waterfront park downtown and it's right next to the convention center. Pricing is pretty fair for the experience.

I don't know how this place gets good reviews. This place needs a serious refresh. Hasn't been touched since the 90's. Don't let the marble floor and cathedral ceiling in the lobby fool you. (Had to stay here for a work conference.) The first room they put me in had pink bacteria around the tub drain. I'm a double amputee and take my legs off to shower so I sit on the tub floor. I don't want my bits and pieces to get pink bacteria on them so this is a big issue. Shouldn't it be clean anyway?? I was moved to another room which was above a main street and I could hear every car with a loud exhaust drive by. It seemed like every other car in this town is modded. I couldn't fall asleep until 3AM. I asked to be moved to a quieter room and was moved to another room with the pink bacteria around the tub drain and where the granite surround meets the tub. I decided to just spray it with sanitizing spray and wipe it off with the hotel washcloth instead of moving rooms again. I'm addition, the room smelt of gym clothes. When I opened the thermal blanket there was crusty something on it. The leading edge of the curtains had a stain on them. The bed was lumpy and the AC unit was loud. Also, phone reception in the hotel is really poor and the hotel's WiFi is slow af. So, you're switching between the two in an attempt to get a good signal. The staff were great, though. Very professional and accommodating. They were the only good part about the stay here.

I like this place. Rooms are nice. The lobby is old-school expansive. The breakfast setup is second to none. Their restaurant is quite good. No negatives.

The location and lobby are great but our room was just kind of average. It looked cool and the room just kind of killed it for me.

Planing a family and friends reunion I discovered this hotel that has great reviews, fair pricing and great location. The idea was to have over 14 people together and enjoy good food and wine, unfortunately I found out their restaurant was close since the beginning of the COVID nightmare, so I spoke to Russell Rodriguez to seek alternatives, he kindly suggested a few near by restaurants and even made the reservation to the one met all our needs. Russell is a dependable person, if I had a hotel or any other business in the hospitality field I will put him at the very top of the operation!

Whoever curated the art in the convention center, great job! (That can't be an original Diego Rivera though, right?) Comfy beds, hot tub was relaxing, staff was very nice.

The Grand Hotel is tops! We stayed there when in Salem,OR last year and this year. The hotel was beautiful, very clean,excellent hot breakfast buffet, accommodations for every request, plus the most friendly,helpful staff ever. The GM Scott really takes pride in his hotel and staff. He wants each guest to have a wonderful experience there. We won't go anywhere else!

UPDATE: We did came back here, not in 2016, but in 2021, and it's almost back to normal after the pandemic. Our Complimentary Breakfast: see photo. Each of us have to pick one for each category. Because it was summer, I decided to take a quick shower. It was QUICKER than normal. I couldn't use the shower! It was too high for a 5'1" woman, to adjust the nozzle, so it was pointing above me, and I didn't want to get my hair wet, not having a shower cap available. Instead, I used a wash cloth, soap on me, and using the same wash cloth water running, to rinse off me several times, until I'm no longer soapy! The toilet paper, I didn't noticed the first time, is too far to reach! Other than that, I slept before sunset, hubby took photos to enjoy later, I was too tired! But, I was able to wake up (this is normal), to view what's outside our 5th floor window.

We had a wonderful 3 nights stay this past weekend at this hotel. It without a doubt covered our needs and we would not hesitate to book with them again in the future. The room was clean and the front desk staff were always nice and friendly, which we appreciated. Our only semi complaint would be that we wished we had had a better view from our room. We were only on the 2nd floor, and had the view of a small close fenced in area with stone landscaping. It wasn't bad, it just didn't give us a downtown view, considering we're from Las Vegas and appreciate a great window view. Lol Next time we'll be sure to make a special request for a better view. Hotel was very convenient to all of the wonderful perks of the downtown shops & restaurants. Lots to do within walking distance. Breakfast was included each morning in the Marion room believe it was called, right off from the front desk/lobby area. The food served its purpose but was not what we had expected based upon their website which made it sound like it was an actual chef prepared breakfast each morning. Lol Basically on the same level as most hotels that include breakfast. The eggs with cheese and the eggs with mushrooms looked like a little more effort were put into preparing them than most places, but that was about it. Overall decent enough breakfast, nice clean eating area with a sweet older lady managing the area. Hotel was also connected to the convention center. Until next time...

We were driving down to Northern California and decided we wanted to cut the drive in half. We had the money so we decided why not stay somewhere nice. We selected the Grand Hotel in Salem figuring it would be a swankier establishment. We got a room on the 5th floor, it did have a sitting area, but it was just average. I have been in Holiday Inn Express hotels with better features. It had a tub (one of my requirements) but the tub did not have the slanted back so you could not really relax in it, the shampoo and soap were in the bottles fixed to the wall of the shower (what I imagine would be prison shower style) but they were up too far to reach if you were taking a bath. There were barely enough towels and wash cloths. We selected the hotel because we wanted room service and despite having a working restaurant in the building, They do not do room service! You can also hear the street noise even on the 5th floor and this place is nowhere near the freeway. I was not impressed for what we paid.

We had a great stay! Comfortable and clean rooms. The complementary breakfast was good and filling.

Underground parking, great staff, and prices equal to nearby hotels that don't have the amenities that the grand hotel has, it just can't get any better.

This place SUCKS the rooms are filthy and while I was there they forgot to clean my room for 3 days NO towels & NO TP on top of everything else. My gold earings got stolen from my make up bag for the vanity table.???? Never again I believe in Karma !!! They are severely understaffed, and should not be running the hotel at full capacity

The rooms are in great working order. I stayed for 2 nights for a wedding. The staff was all very helpful and courteous of the wedding parties and all guests needs. Was not disturbed in any way outside of the usual hustle and bustle of a typical Hotel like this one. Pool, cable, WiFi, and breakfast all included. Prices were a very fair market price for booking in late October. I could not really take more photos but everything was very clean and housekeeping was always on point with concerns.

The hotel is connected to the convention center and shares the same parking lot. Rooms were decently sized. The bed was comfortable, but the loosely-filled pillows don't offer much support. I won't go into it but I don't really understand why hotels don't have good pillows. One thing I found unusual about the layout of the room is that the shower was against the inner wall of the bathroom. That is, instead of it being lined against the wall of the hallway, it's on the wall right next to the bed. The problem was that I heard the water and a person singing from the upstairs, downstairs, and next door late night (12:30, 1:30) and early morning (5:00). Bedside lamps had plugs for phones--a big plus. WiFi was weak and would randomly disconnect. Breakfast included scrambled eggs, link sausages, juices, fresh fruit, yogurt, coffee and tea.

Update- to my surprise the general manager gave me a full refund and was very kind about it. I was not expecting that at all but it is very much appreciated.

Working the State Fair in Salem in August promised to be hot, hard work. Decided to reward myself with a couple nights at a good hotel with a swimming pool. Checked in mid-evening and it immediately appeared that the Hotel Grand has the staffing issues we're seeing everywhere these days. Nonetheless, the desk clerk only eventually appeared to check me in. I was struggling with my belongings, and she actually had me move everything down to the far end of the counter and didn't even point me in the direction of a cart. Halls were HOT. NO security presence. It didn't feel safe and I watched my back entering my room. My small suite had a vaguely musty smell. Eventually (right before leaving) I discovered that the carpet under the desk was wet. Adjacent to bathroom. Hmmm. The toilet took several light flush and drains. Considering that a previous tenant might have overflowed it, I regretted my bare feet on that under-desk rug. The pool I so looked forward to was actually GREEN, and in many spots actually slippery with scum. The bath wasn't a good substitute and actually one of the most uncomfortable I've ever used. The bed was comfortable, but my needed sleep was interrupted by a violent skin reaction from the pool. The breakfasts were nice, and the two different women working there were very nice. The mini fridge in the room wasn't anchored to anything and a minor hassle on every use. NOT "Grand." NOT worth it. Marginally better than a tourist class motel. I'd give it two stars, if not for professionally courteous day staff.

This place I've had both good and bad experiences at. The hotel itself seems more antique style and everything just had an older feel. The continental breakfast is okay, nothing fancy even though the front desk made it seem like it would be amazing. The front desk girls are super friendly though and really displayed excellent customer service throughout both stays. The TV in the room is small and unfortunately isn't a smart TV. The bed is really comfortable and my sheets were clean with no visible stains. The room was a nice size and one time I even got a view. I will say on one of my trips there my shower was clogged and literally filled an entire bath within 5min of showering. It was disgusting. Overall I would stay again if I find myself in Salem.

My friend Gabriel recommended this hotel for my business travels to the area and I'm glad I listened. The place is very clean, comfy beds, very well located and the management team lead by Russell are always ready to help!

Great stopover in Salem. It's a large hotel and rooms are spacious with bedding that's so amazing. Big bathrooms can easily fit 5 people. The free breakfast was the icing on the cake, best waffles I've had in along time!

This is my go-to place to stay when I need to be in Salem. Scott the General Manager has been here for years and you can tell he takes care of his staff and his customers. The front desk is amazing, is staffed well and they are happy to assist. I asked for a large working table both times I was there this month for trial, and within minutes, it was in my room. Scott secured me several rooms on the same floor for my team to make it easier for us to work. I even saw him busing tables one morning - so clearly he jumps in when needed and this must be a reason the hotel staff all seem to be team players and helpful. I miss having Bentley's open, but I understand it will be shortly. There are fabulous other places to eat within a few blocks. Room was clean and housekeeping professional. I just recently returned from Chicago where I was at the Fairmount hotel and I received better service at The Grande.

A close friend had a very unique situation and needed a big help, he contacted Russ Rodriguez and he went above and beyond to help, excellent communication and goodwill made an adverse situation into a miracle and now we'll have a lot to drink during Christmas!

Hurts me to say that I'm checking out of the Salem Grand Hotel after 3 wonderful nights. From beginning to end, the professionalism and kindness of their staff is only matched by the historical beauty and location (downtown Salem) of this place. Where do I start? Bridget and Danielle helped check me in and get acquainted with nearby restaurants and their complimentary breakfast. Later I was greeted by hotel manager/GM Russell. He made me feel right at home. The breakfast here is top notch! Spinach egg omelettes, eggs benedict, sausages, hash browns, fruits, waffles, the works! The location doesn't get any better than the Grand. My view overlooked the Salem waterfront walking bridge. Too many eating places to count, you are literally in the heart of Salem. The room was spacious and very accommodating, didn't feel like I was in a sardines can. I can't wait to be back. I miss this place already, and I'm still here lol. The Salem Grand Hotel has so much Aloha, and it starts with their staff. Thank you for having me!!

A great place for our family to stay! We enjoyed the Grand Hotel for many reasons: -Clean and spacious -Safe place to park our car -Great breakfast offerings -Extremely friendly and helpful staff -Great location for walking around downtown Salem and, a quick drive to wineries.

Staff was super accommodating and helpful. I messed up my reservation date and they went above and beyond to fix my error. Loved the jacuzzi suite and so did my photography clients!

It's a convention hotel. Which means it's very noisy when there is clearly a giant intramural sports something going on. We had someone above us who was pacing around with heavy feet, making all kinds of noise around 6 AM. This probably wouldn't have been a problem if the building was better constructed. Overall, the room was OK except the view was ridiculous - see photos. It's conveniently located downtown and we were able to walk to dinner and the Capitol easily.

Enjoying a VERY comfortable stay this weekend. Hotel staff have been very nice and helpful for restaurant suggestions. Breakfast is delicious! Love the pancake machine! Visiting for the weekend but plan to return soon. Cheers to the restaurant's grand opening coming soon. Can't wait to see the menu!

The Grand Hotel was our home base for a 2 night stay in Salem. Honestly, it was one of the only ones I could find online, especially walking distance to the places we want to go. We arrived a big prior to check in but given that it was a Monday the room was already ready for us. The room was a spacious suite with a fridge, coffee maker, plugs on the lamp stands, etc. We had no issues with the room, the bed, noise, etc. It worked for what we needed it for. The free breakfast was...shall we say...not that great. But what free breakfasts are? Usually they are just good enough to get you through to lunch, amirite? I'd say the highlight was probably the make your own waffles. Coffee in the breakfast room as well as in the hotel room was absolute shit though - I am not sure what that brand is but I haaaattted it. Good thing Oregon has a ton of drive through coffee shacks? The restaurant/bar attached seemed like a touristy "fancy" hotel restaurant. We did go in and get a drink one night and sat at the bar. Service was OK, prices were peak tourist prices, and the atmosphere was sleepy. Location is well situated to walk around downtown, to the park, to restaurants, etc. Our tour guide for the Willamette Valley had no issues picking us up here either. Good hotel right in Salem...and maybe the only nice hotel?

I stayed here for 10 days after I had massive surgery. Upon booking the stay I asked if they had a walker, and was told that they did, so I requested it as it would be critical for my stay. When I get there, they did NOT actually have a walker. I was bed ridden the entire stay. I never allowed maid service in the room. The suite room was never used, and left completely clean. All trash was put in bags. Yea there were multiple bags. There was absolutely no damage done to the room, but I could not tidy up. I even left a $30 tip in the envelope for the maid. The next day I find out I've been charged $250 for damages! How?! For trash bags?! Again no maid service for 10 days! I'm appalled. Will never stay here again and will be seeing my surgeon multiple more times. Just a slap in the face after failing me with a walker so I could be more mobile. Do NOT stay here if you are recovering from surgery. And not to mention the restaurant is not even open and there is no room service. Unbelievable.

Really enjoyed this hotel during my stay in Salem. I was looking around for some nice hotels and after a while, I stumbled onto the Grand. Its close by the studio where I was doing business at during my trip and that made it the perfect spot to book. The people were friendly. Being from California I'm not use to that to be honest. The suite I got was really nice. Everything was clean. The room service was outstanding. I slept pretty well too. The bed was comfy, the shower was nice, and overall my experience was awesome! If I do come back to Salem, best believe this is the spot I'm booking.

For the price this hotel Offers little in the way of Service. A friend booked a suite of rooms for a 4 pm wedding, and the hotel doesn't guarantee check in before 5 pm! Not even for weddings or large groups. The check out time is 11:00 am, so your room rate doesn't even cover 20 hours. The hotel bar closes before 10:00pm Saturday. Very disappointed. Update after stay- the windows and walls Are so thin I could not sleep all night because of traffic. Avoid room 438 unless you are an insomniac.

The best place to stay in Salem!! Friendly, courteous, professional staff, extremely clean rooms Comfortable bed, great water pressure in the shower, easy parking To top it off Bentley's restaurant and bar are on premise!! If you're coming to Salem this is where you want to stay!

We were In Salem to drop our son off for his first year of College. Our stay at The Grand was so wonderful. They went above and beyond to be friendly, accommodating and helpful. We felt like old friends of the staff. It started off with the manager helping us park our car (we had a roof rack Tulle on the top so it wouldn't fit in the garage) right in front. Then they stored all our stuff for us so we didn't have to shlep our sons belongings up and down the elevator twice. We had our dog with us and they gave him a little gift. Every day we were greeted with smiles and friendly, warm greetings. The breakfast was great, the rooms were comfortable and the location is perfect. We will be back every time we visit Salem!!! Thank you especially to Russ the manager. He and his staff were just amazing.

Hands down the nicest hotel in Salem, Oregon. Breakfast and service was on point! My family and I absolutely LOVED the Senator Suite!

The inside of the hotel is beautiful. High ceilings and local artwork make the lobby feel beautiful. Rooms were spacious and the bathrooms were nicely appointed. Our view was of a parking garage so that wasn't wonderful but we were there for comfort as opposed to the view. Rooms were reasonably priced and the underground parking was free and easy. The free morning breakfast is pretty comprehensive and hearty enough to get through to the next meal.

Had a very pleasant stay. Close to some really great places to eat and walk people watch.

The problem with Grand Hotel isn't the hotel (mostly. I'll get to that in a moment). It's the staff. Or more appropriately, the line staff. I say this because, the staff seem incompetent and incapable of basic due diligence when attempting to serve customers. Things like how to search for reservations, how to bill the correct cards for room service, etc. These are very risky, problematic "mistakes" that shouldn't be made. I read the other review where the guy's card was billed numerous times for someone else's room service. To me that's unacceptable and borderline criminal; it shows a lack of concern for the protection of people's financial information. Based on that and even my own experience it makes me think that their hospitality system is just poor and possibly in need of replacement. In my situation, even with a confirmation number, they somehow failed to locate my reservation (even though it was there) due to a name variation. Ok, so what's the point of a confirmation number that doesn't take you directly to the reservation? Worse, why aren't you verifying additional points of information to make sure you're on the right record? Two different staff members failed to locate the record. One of them proceeded to 'offer' to help by billing my card $1500 until the next day when they could call to verify the original card holder. Instead of questioning themselves, they basically were accusing me of trying to rip them off. If I have a confirmation number, there's no risk - someone booked a room for me. Nope, I left. This was at 10:45pm mind you, and I was dead sleepy and not in the mood to play games with them. Besides, they said if I didn't like it, go to another hotel, and I did. The one who reserved it called them to see what happened and they got a full explanation of their screwup (not sure why they couldn't figure it out when I was standing there). They asked me to come back for the less-than-one-day remaining stay. When I got there the GM did apologize, but neither of the staff did for their errors. I still don't understand how you can possibly miss a reservation with a confirmation number, sent from THEIR email. I got up in the morning and got coffee, the lady who threatened the $1500 recognized me, didn't apologize, just said it "shouldn't have happened" - yeah, of course it shouldn't have, but how about you acknowledge you screwed up and caused the situation to escalate when it didn't need to? EDIT: and Kristi R. who is the account responding to others, looks an awful lot like that lady. They offered a gift card to their restaurant - $25, for meals that exceed $30. That alone told me they really weren't apologetic. How about "when this customer comes in here, whatever they order is at no charge" instead of still trying to get money out of me? You guys. The other negative is that the room wasn't quiet. It backs up to a busy street, so I expected noise-suppressing windows. Nope. The bed was less comfortable than Howard Johnson across town (which should NOT be the case). The bathroom was smaller than HJ too (definitely should NOT be the case). So in summary, I'm knocking off two stars because of staff incompetence and possibly poor hospitality technology. The room itself wasn't horrible, but wasn't great. Fortunately, I've got no reason to go back here, whatsoever. Even if it was offered and paid for, I'd still go elsewhere, like Residence or something.

Good price for room, but - WiFi sucks - Walls are thin - Staff not that interested in helping solve any issues. Better values in Salem.

I can't thank the Grand Hotel enough for going above and beyond to assist me in holding a 90th birthday party for my Mom. Russ From the very beginning was kind, helpful and readily available if I had a question. I had been for over the years sad to see customer service just go by the wayside. Russ brought it al back, tenfold! From setting extra tables, to helping with caterers, every little detail, brought tears to my eyes. Thank you Grand Hotel, and special thanks to Russ. I wish I could give 10 stars!!

Excellent, helpful & friendly front desk staff. Very dog friendly and got a super cute doggy bag at checkin with a toy, treats, and travel water dispenser. Good well lit grassy area nearby for pets. Cont breakfast exceeded expectation. Room was outdated in decor but clean. A bit off the I5 but worth the small detour for the great value.

I have seldom staying in such a nice hotel. I have traveled for work since 1978. I have stayed in literally 100's of hotels and motels all over the world, and in some totally bizarre little places and many major cities. This hotel was like coming home. It's lovely. It was just a joy to be to stay there. Everything was perfect. Check in was super fast. The gals couldn't have been more professional. Everything was super clean. I slept better here than at home. They had 4 pillows on the bed and usually they are all too big for me, but these four were all slightly different, and one was just right! They made the pillows not all the same, wow! Quiet. A lot of very happy people everywhere. Saw weddings going on. Great free parking. All this stuff in the room like fridge, microwave, lots of good coffee for a little pot, actual REAL bars of soap, many towels. It's going to sound like I work there, or I'm crazy, but I didn't want to leave. I actually felt sad having to leave. And that has happened to me in a hotel like ...never! Oh and the breakfast was one of the best I've seen anywhere, really good with healthy options.

Why my traveling compadre decided to pick Salem instead of something closer to McMinnville for wine tasting was beyond me, nevertheless, he picked it and we stayed. Once again, searching for the best quarters in town, we stumbled upon The Grand Hotel. There are many perks to being in The Grand Hotel, that some refer to as the Phoenix Grand Hotel (due to the big etched Phoenix Bird in the main lobby), such as the + free underground parking + spacious jacuzzi suites + organic paraben-free, sulfate free soaps & shampoos + free breakfast spread with tons of fresh fruits! + helpful concierge/staff etc... But all of those perks become irrelevant to me, from one entire night of not a mentionable amount of restful sleep. The wall unit in our room was a nightmare; it would not set below 65 degrees and was extremely loud. It continued to turn on and off throughout our entire night, blasting through our attempt at sleep. It took an entire evening to cool down our room and when it finally did, the alarm to wake up went off. I don't want to be bitter about it, but I would seriously never go back to this hotel, based off of this single experience. It was very, VERY uncomfortable. If you're not sensitive to that sort of thing, then this is your spot. Go here! It's a great hotel in the grand ol' capital of Oregon. Just not the spot for me...

We stayed here in February while checking out Willamette U, nearby. I loved the hotel. Large rooms, big, old-fashioned lobby. It was very close to the campus. I would definitely stay here again for the full service aspect, and by the way, except for one desk clerk who gave us funky directions to a downtown restaurant, the staff was extremely friendly and accommodating. It is a little on the high side compared to some of the other hotel/motels nearby, but has that wonderful old time feel nicely combined with updated fittings and furnishings.

I am currently staying here on an 11-night stay. Let me start with my "Likes": Staff is friendly and efficient, large lobby, Decor is modern, Leather love seat is very comfortable and contemporary, refrigerator and microwave in room, large wooden luggage table is convenient, large closet with ample hangers, wireless Internet is fast, hot continental breakfast is top notch with fresh fruit, eggs, sausage, assorted cheeses and pastries, bagels. Breakfast service is great, it seems that every morning they are replenishing the fruit when I walk up, parking garage is very convenient, my room was cleaned impeccably each day during my 11-day stay. Now for my dislikes: No ergonomic desk chair, poor water pressure, shower head settings do not function properly, I had to pull up the tub drain every morning, Tube TV instead of HD flat screen, bed is uncomfortable (like sleeping on a camel back) you have to slide to the center of the bed or you feel like you are laying on a hill, loud humming noise coming from outside every night, HVAC unit does not have a "fan only" setting, so there is no hope of drowning out the humming noise with the fan, the Bentley's restaurant is overpriced and the food is bland,

I spent my weekend at The Salem Grand Hotel. I work at a live in job, and stay at local hotels in order to, occasionally, get away on my weekend. The Grand was my chance at an 'upscale' weekend, and a little bit of pampering. My first impression of the hotel is that while it is upscale, it is also inviting and in no way intimidating. The staff, from the front desk at check in, to housekeeping and breakfast attendants, are very friendly and made me feel at home in the hotel. A couple of "stand out moments": Guest check-in is at 3 pm. I was dropped off by my friend at 11 am, and my room was already ready. (The room was comfortable, and in fact I booked a double queen, because I procrastinated on booking the room through a travel site.) On Monday, I was hanging around in the lobby, looking around and taking pictures until Bentley's (the hotel's restaurant) opened. When I finally realized my Kindle was missing and not just up in my room, I called the front desk and they were holding it for me. The location is a plus. Downtown Salem. There are lots of good restaurants/shopping/site-seeing around. Though my view wasn't all it could be (above ground parking lot) - , the location was great. Breakfast had a lot going for it, but I fell asleep and only had 15 minutes to eat, so I didn't have a lot of time to spend savoring it. They do have waffles! The setup seemed very clean. (My ride picked me up before I had an opportunity to eat breakfast on my second day.) You might want to have an extra dollar on hand at breakfast for tips. You can also invite outside guests for breakfast, but that is about $12. Incidental fee $100.00 - this covers room service, movies, the gift shop. I only ordered room service the second night, so most of that was put back on my card. Room service is a plus. Only a little more (maybe a dollar) than going down to the restaurant. Onsite restaurant is a plus. The food is very good. Desserts are great. I didn't frequent the bar, but they have a huge wine selection, and fancy cocktails and 'dessert drinks' to be had. They have an espresso cart next to the gift shop. (Did not try this time.) In room entertainment: The stations on the cable seem like basic cable (About channel 70 is where it stops). I'm the type who likes to watch older shows, which are further up the television dial, but TV Land was available, and the travel & cooking channel. If you aren't a tv fan, you can rent all sorts of movies from the television. So, the places I usually stay at are, maybe $40.00 or so less per night. Is it worth $40.00 to stay at The Grand? I have to say: It depends. I would definitely choose to stay at the Grand if I were hosting family for a family reunion or wedding, or friends from out of town who might be more used to high-end hotels. For me, myself, although the Grand is a lovely, comfy place to stay with an attentive staff, I think I just would rather have "my" extra channels (with the old tv shows.) and save a few dollars. I did have a lovely time, though, and would recommend The Grand as a great host hotel, when you want to pamper/impress your party.

Pros: nice lobby; downtown location; large, spacious, clean breakfast room; underground parking; nice bed and pillows. Cons: no view from window; found a filthy towel in the bathroom; inoperable hair dryer; not much choice in breakfast foods.

Very disappointed in this hotel. We got one of their premium suites, the Senator suite and it was very out dated. The furniture was old and worn, the kitchenette was very small. No mini bar. The shower was dated. The heater unit was extremely loud and again seemed 30 years old. We actually had to bang on it to keep it from rattling. The pillows seemed cheap. Also they really need double paned windows because the road noise downtown is very loud. We paid a lot of money for a very shabby room. I will not stay here again nor will I recommend.

I booked two rooms over the phone for two night stays and requested to pay in advance. It took 4 phone calls and two emails to get my reservations correct and copies of the receipts. The staff was incredibly friendly, but it was very time consuming for something fairly basic. I've just finished night one or my two night stay. Let me start by saying the staff is amazing, the food is delicious and the hotel is clean. Unfortunately, I am EXHAUSTED. There is an industrial AC or heating unit outside my window. The room is never quiet and I am unable to enjoy an open window because of the units noise level. Aside from the noise, I tossed an turned on my lumpy hard mattress to the sounds of squeaky springs. The bed is the closet to prison I have ever been. I have a tendency to stay on one side of the bed, tonight I will try sleeping on the other side of the mattress. Fortunately, the lobby sells flavored coffee and ibuprofen.

I had a great experience, however the staff could use some coaching up. Short story, someone else's room service was charged to my room and the refund process accidentally included multiple transaction to which my bank declared fraud and issued another card. Coaching should include a verification of the room service receipts booked again each room by last name or room number. Accidents happen and unfortunately I was on the end of a few due to a mix up in room service charges. Again, my stay was great besides that.

We stayed here one night. Outdated decor in huge lobby. Front desk staff failed to mail out my postcard, it didn't arrive. Room was overpriced for what you got. Room looked out at fitness center, noisy machine in rear of hotel kept me awake as did the humming mini fridge (which I unplugged). Restaurant was a tourist trap, over priced, throw back decor, 70's bar/tavern music playing in the background. Interior design (carpets) gave us vertigo head aches. Breakfast area reminded us of a nursing home. Sorry folks, Salem is a depressing dump, avoid it if you can.