The Ridgeway Inn in Memphis kept me from murdering my carpet layers!
Written: Jan 13 '02 (Updated Jan 13 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: The concierge was wonderful -- he saved my day!
Cons: Was told the room was non-smoking but someone had been smoking in it
The Bottom Line: The concierge level service was wonderful, but the room had a sagging, sorely in need of a facelift feel. Excellent cheesecake!
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If not for the concierge at The Ridgeway Inn, I might be in jail right now for murder and mayhem.
I arrived there one Saturday night after one of the most aggravating days I have ever endured.
Background:
I had endured two weeks of a continuing torment during the installation of new carpeting, including finding dye stains on the first round of new carpet (after my carpet was ripped out and all my possessions moved to other parts of the house). Then the replacement carpet didn't match the first new carpet. Everything had been moved, not once, but three times. It was the worst example of customer service I had ever endured.
My Experience
It was a Saturday night. I was hot, tired and still furious at carpet installers who showed up five hours late, then said they would have to come back on Monday. I had ordered them out of my housed, yelled at the manager of Home Depot on the phone, slammed a cabinet door so hard the glasses fell out and broke, and then spent an hour on the phone trying to find an available room in Memphis at 5:00 pm.
My house was completely uninhabitable. My bedroom was an empty wasteland, with my disassemble bed in the dining room. My 32 inch tv was placed dangerously closed to the commode in my "potty room"... the contents of my closet bottom rack were stacked inside my bathtub. My shower was filled with chairs.
That's just the kind of scenario hotel managers dream of their guests enduring just before they arrive for check-in.
Oh, yes, I had stopped at Home Depot on the drive to The Ridgeway, just so someone could "see my face" after what they had put me through and inform them they would be picking up the tab.
The Ridgeway
The only room they had available when I called was on the concierge level, at a price of $150 (with tax). I was assured they had a non-smoking king size room available for the evening. I told them I would be there in less than an hour, but gave them my credit card to guarantee arrival. I didn't need another screwup that day.
The Ridgeway is a small hotel located on Poplar Avenue in Memphis, just off I-40 and directly across the street from a memorial garden. It's about 12 miles from my house.
I had been there to meetings in the past and had also eaten lunch and dessert there before. They have wonderful Cafe Expresso desserts from The Peabody.
Check-In
Just as my mood had started to mellow a bit, we arrived for check-in. I had ranted all the way to the hotel and the venting seemed to help. My poor husband.
When I told the clerk my name, she said, "We've been waiting for you."
I thought that was strange...it had been less than an hour since I called for the reservation.
Okay, king size, non-smoking, concierge. So far, so good.
The Room
I couldn't wait to get to the room. I was hot, tired, and cranky. A nice shower and a cocktail should fix me right up.
Then I walked into the room.
It was hot!! There were ashtrays. I was furious.
I called the front desk and told them the situation.
Their reply:
"It is a non-smoking room."
My retort:
"No, there are ashtrays in here. And it smells like smoke."
Their unbelievable reply:
"There are no other rooms available."
My high-pitch screech:
"I'm paying you $150 for this crappy room with a view of the cemetery. It's a hundred degrees in here and it smells like smoke! I don't think so!"
Enter the concierge, my knight in shining armor.
"Ma'am, I will take care of this for you. Please come into the lounge and let me fix you a drink."
He led me by the arm and found me the coolest location in the concierge lounge area. There were hot and cold hors d'oeuvres which my husband began to check out. We hadn't eaten all day and had been moving boxes and computer equipment -- we were starved.
The concierge was a soft-spoken kindly gentleman who inquired about my cocktail preference.
"I'll have a double vodka martini, with extra olives and good vodka." I felt like the top of my head was about to explode. How could this day have possibly gotten any worse?
As I sipped my wonderfully concocted martini, brimming with huge olives and really good vodka, I began to relax a bit. Nibbling on cheese and chicken wings, I noticed a flurry of activity near our hot, smoky room.
I still had alternate inclinations to cry and/or kill someone.
Then concierge magically appeared with a second martini and I realized my first glass was drained. I filled my plate with the hors d'oeuvres and savored my martini. For the first time all day, I had begun to relax.
The concierge returned to assured me the room had been freshened and the air conditioning was now operating on high speed. My room would room be perfect for me and my day would soon be much better.
When he brought me my third (double) martini, he also brought us two pieces of divine cheesecake.
"You are so wonderful," I told him. "If three double martinis and cheesecake can't fix a problem, there is no cure."
The Room
When I returned to the room, there had been quite a transformation. It smelled fresh and clean, the ashtrays were gone, of course, and the air was quite cool and comfortable. We still had a great view of the cemetery across the street, but that struck me as ironically fitting for the day from Hell.
The room had seen better days and was a bit shabby around the edges. It was not overly large and the decor left a bit to be desired. It was rather drab and looked a bit faded. I'd say it was time for a renovation. I would have serious concerns about staying in one of the regular rooms.
In the armoire was the television. It was about 19 inches and it worked well. My 32" television at home was still sitting in the "potty room" so I was grateful to have any t.v. to watch.
The bathroom was fairly small, but clean. It had Bath and Body Works toiletries, so I did feel somewhat more at home. I noticed there were a couple of bottles of complimentary Memphis water. There were plenty of towels (not great, but pretty good).
There was really nothing special about this room at all, except for my new best friend the concierge! The lounge area was comfortable, with several tables near the buffet area and two comfortable looking sofas in front of a large television. It had quite a homey feel, quite unlike my carpet-bare house!
The next morning we had a pretty nice continental breakfast in the concierge lounge before returning home for round three of the carpet layers from Hell.
Overall Recommendation
The service at the concierge level was great. The cheesecake is always wonderful.
It does concern me with the faded state of the concierge-level room. Of course, I probably got the only room that hadn't been recently modernized, considering the day I was having.
I suspect there may be other rooms that are shabby. I would recommend this hotel with reservations (no pun intended). I would definitely ask to see the room before I checked in, just to be safe.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
diverpam
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Member: Pam
Location: Collierville, TN
Reviews written: 263
Trusted by: 350 members
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~~~~So many oceans...so little time!~~~~
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