Loews Annapolis Hotel

I travel 120 nights a year. I would like to think I have a good idea of hotel values; the feeling you have after you divided the dollars spent into what you got.

As much as I like to post only good reviews of hotels, this Loews is a bad value. The room rate was almost 170 and it was not a superior style room. Even in DC you can get a nice executive single for 150 to 200.

After that, Internet access costs $9.99 a day and if you are attending a meeting at the hotel, your Internet access is not available in the conference room. They also charged me for parking even after I told the front desk clerk twice that I did not have a car.

One of the greatest sins a hotelier can committ these days is to nickle and diming customer and that is what happened to me at this location.

To be fair, the room I was in showed some signs of redecorating in the last 24 to 36 months and there was the smell of new carpet in the building.

The hotel is about 8 blocks from the waterfront. Unless someone else is paying the bill, pass on the Loews.

I usually give reviews equal to the number of stars a hotel should be and this hotel was a three star hotel. It was in a great location, within walking distance of the downtown area and it accepted pets. The hotel felt clean, and had some extra special touches like patio areas to sit and relax in; I especially liked the small terrace at the end of the hall, it was like having your own balcony and was big enough for several people to sit on. There are several different types of rooms at different prices. We stayed in one of the lower priced rooms, the price for our type of room should be anywhere from $95 to $140 during the summer. The room was clean, and had an average large bathroom, no balcony or special view.

I would recommend this hotel especially because of its location and I would stay here again. The books show it as a 3 star hotel and that is exactly what it is nothing more or less.

We booked a Loews hotel for the first time and wanted to bring our dog since we would be in Annapolis for only one night to attend a concert. The lobby was airy and very nice with gorgeous hardwood floors. Our room was extremely clean, spacious, quiet, nicely decorated and I really enjoyed the bathroom organizer that held the toiletries I usually have all over the counter. Under the counter there's a large wicker laundry basket for wet towels which I thought was a nice touch. I used my Loews member card for the first time and was promptly delivered a bottle of Napa Valley merlot and and huge tray of fresh fruit and nuts. Customer service was superb and we will definitely stay at Loews again. We had breakfast this morning at Breezes and the staff was very accommodating and super quick. We had a great time. Absolutely no complaints whatsoever

Interestingly, I, too stayed here for a cousin's wedding!

I don't understand all of the negative reviews! This is not an expensive hotel--If you don't pay for 5-star, you can't expect it! For the money, the hotel is just fine!

The pros:

1)Rooms are spacious and in decent shape. Sure, there are some shabby parts, but overall, everything was fine. One of my favorite things was the wit in the rooms. For example, my fiance looked under the bed while we packed to leave and there was a card under there that read, "We looked here, too" from the hotel. Cute!

2)The service, particularly from the bell staff, was superb. The valets/bellboys were so kind and service-oriented--they always had our car ready and anticipated our every need.

3)The toiletries are great (for what that's worth)! Great packaging and fragrance--modern and fun.

4)Convenient location. Easy to walk to historic waterfront area (literally about 3 blocks) and the Naval Academy. Still near the freeway, too. Also, about a 5 minute drive to a shopping mall with a movie theatre and a Whole Foods!

5)Bar and restaurant have attractive ambience and tasty food. The restaurant, Breezes, isn't cheap, but the food is good, particularly for a hotel restaurant.

6)The place was bustling. Every night we were there, there was some sort of event or convention taking place in the atrium and/or ballroom, never loud or disruptive. I liked the feeling of "company."

Cons:

1)There's at least one surly person on staff: A gal that works at the bar was impatient and rude when I needed her help with a to-go order. Who needs that?

2)There are some good rooms at this hotel, but it's easy to get a bad one. If you stay here, insist on a room with a courtyard view OR a view that looks toward the waterfront. Otherwise, you could get stuck with a lousy room. For example, our first room had a "view" of a stuffy, inside atrium. We immediately switched to a courtyard view, which overlooked the parking circle, which was quite pleasant. Additionally, my brother had a "Project View" room, which overlooked run-down low-income housing projects. The fellows hanging out on the stoops could see right into the room when the curtains were open. No, thanks!

3)The parking is expensive--$14/night valet (plus tip) and $11/night self-park. And the self-park lot is a little sketchy if you're walking from your car alone at night; the lot abuts the housing projects. Definitely set your car alarm and take valuables in to the hotel with you!

Overall, our stay at this hotel was lovely. The prices were fine and it wasn't as bland as, say, a Holiday Inn. Do make sure you get a room with a satisfactory view and I'm sure you will enjoy your stay.

Bad Beds! Don't sleep here...because you can't sleep. They need to just breakdown and buy some new ones. Location is ok, but not the best for the area. We had a "lovely" view out our window to the slums of Annapolis. Stay at the Marriott Waterfront or O'Callaghan's instead.

Bad beds,motel6 type towels, Mold around the bath tub, and a lot of noise

Very nice, clean hotel with lovely, spacious rooms. The only downside is that the immediate area is slightly "iffy" although we felt safe.

Stayed at this hotel for one night, July 30, 2003, and it was a great.

The hotel was clean, well appointed, with a terrific staff. The hotel is within walking distance of the historic area with shops and the water front, but be ready for a little walking. This was my first time to Annapolis. I can't wait to go again and would stay at Loew's. I had no complaints.

Stayed several nights for my cousin's wedding. Location is basically perfect. Can walk downtown within a few minutes and the shuttle will basically take you anywhere. First the staff are excellent. From the parking valets to Collette the concierge you can't complain. I do have a complaint though about the staff at Breezes (breakfast). Similar to the other review the waiters are curt and are not responsive. Ordered brunch with juice. The juice didn't turn up for 20 minutes and after repeated requests. The hotel from the outside appears fine but when when walk into the lobby you can immediately tell is extremely well used. The sofas are pretty worn and the place seems a little dated. On to the rooms - their best room a 1 bedroom suite was occupied by my cousin who was the bride. The carpeting has numerous stains and again the furniture was missing several pieces of its veneer. The rug also was severely bunched up in the center of the room making their best room look like a slum. The layout however was excellent with a full terrace with a decent view off the living room. Their deluxe room was no better. I had a separate living room and bedroom which were less in need of renovation but still the furniture was dated and aside from the decent collection of soaps it was sorely lacking any sort of ammenities. The beds by the way are terrible - very flat and in NEED of replacement. First night back was very sore and it was pretty hard to get a decent nights sleep.

Yes the place is very dog friendly and the hotel is very accomodating to someone traveling with a pet - they provided food, treats, water bowls and a place to walk a dog.

Most likely wouldn't stay here again and I'd look into some decent bed and breakfasts or stay at the Governor Calvert House.

Stayed at the Loews for my cousin's wedding and it was a bad experience. First, they allow pets and there is dog hair everywhere. In the rug, on the bedspread, on the elevator. I like dogs but I don't want to lay in a bed that Lassie slept in the night before. The room across the hall locked their dog in the room and went out for the evening. Poor Fido howled, barked, and scratched at the door for hours. Mysterious stains are on the rug. Looks like someone's dog isn't house trained. Then we went to breakfast and couldn't get served. They showed us to our seat and then disappeared for twenty minutes. We finally got a menu after we asked. About 20 minutes later we asked if someone could take our order. We waited about 10 more minutes and finally gave up when no one still didn't show up. We were probably lucky not to get any food because their would probably have been dog hairs in it also. For a coup de grace, the toilet overflowed causing a small flood. I picked the Loews over a cheaper Hampton Inn because I wanted a "nicer" place to stay. The other wedding guests that stayed at the Hampton said they had a wonderful time. I can't say the same about the Loews. Annapolis is a wonderful town to visit and I encourage all to do so. However, stay somewhere else besides the Loews.