Nice Rooms, Incompetent/Careless/Rude Staff, Gunfire outside
Our suite at the Knickerbocker are quite nice, but the behavior and attitude of the staff is beyond abysmal.
First, a member of the staff entered our room mid-day unannounced only to apologize after realizing that he failed to verify that we were present. Not a tremendous problem, but when the young woman at the front desk replied "What do you want me to do about it" with the tone of a flippant teenager, I began to suspect that a severe deficiency in manners may have been evident in the staff.
Fast forward to this evening. Following a lovely meal off the premises, we chose to turn in a bit early at 11:30 pm only to discover that despite our best intentions, the bass from a party downstairs was more than audible in our room.
Acting prudently and with restraint, we decided to phone the front desk to inquire as to why our room had been inadvertently annexed into the party downstairs, but yet again we were met with a curt and quite rude response.
Sean at the front desk informed us that the party was a greater priority for the hotel, and that the family dictated that the music was to be set at a certain volume. On one hand I appreciated his honesty, but on the other, I truly would have preferred that he at least pretended to care about the guests who chose to stay at his property.
Since we're out of options for the evening, we've decided to stay up and try to watch TV for the time being, but given the circumstances, the staff could have easily made up for the negative situations that arose in quick succession.
Also, I was alarmed to learn that while I slept the prior night, a possible gang-related shooting took place mere blocks from the property. This wouldn't have been a concern if like nearby hotels, the Knickerbocker chose to enlist any type of security measures within their lobby.
Would I stay here again? Maybe on a dare, or if someone else was footing the bill. Yet I've had better experiences in road side motels, and the employee training regimen could use a serious revamping to better serve the interests of the guests, and more importantly simple common sense.