Do not stay unless you book above Superior Level
I stayed this past weekend (Jan 15, 2012) at this landmark hotel, and was terribly disappointed. I booked their base rate room online (superior) and upon arrival, the room was facing a building in an alley. The room was nice, so I did not think much of it, as we were only there one night. Then in the morning, the dumpster trucks were out in full force. There are numerous dumpsters in the alley, and the noise was terrible first thing in the morning. Upon checkout, I politely asked if the hotel was booked, and was told no, not at all. I suggested that they not use that side of the hotel, unless they have to when the hotel is full. The front desk clerk replied that there are different levels of rooms, and she will note in my file that next time I reserve, they will try to sell me a more expensive room. Not the type of service or reply you would expect. High end hotels like the Ritz even put you in a decent location (not asking for a larger room) when the hotel is not near full, and they have it available. Very disappointing and would not recommend based on this!!!! For $300 per night before tax, you can do better!