I stayed at the Omni (North Tower) the weekend bef...

I stayed at the Omni (North Tower) the weekend before the NBA Allstars week. The hotel itself was not that great. The rooms have the basics (beds, television, ice bucket, iron, hair dryer, etc). There was no microwave and the tub stopper didn t work, so no reheating food or soaking in the tub for us.

I gave this place 4 stars because of the PEOPLE. The staff at the Omni are A+. Dranette was wonderful. I encountered her a few times during my stay I have to say I was surprisingly shocked with her attentiveness, knowledge, and willingness to go beyond expectations in meeting needs as they came up each time. I cannot say enough about Dranette. At one point I needed a lint roller and she brought a personal lint roller to my room for me to use. The words that come to mind when I think of Dranette are: authority, leader, understanding, fierce, knowledgeable, respectful, and hospitable.

During our stay, the main cafe, Centennial Grounds, was closed to any guests who were not in the NBA block of reservations. We had to go downstairs to the smaller cafe where the espresso machine was down, the drink cooler was broken, the credit card reader was down, and they had no eating utensils. That experience was definitely a let down.

The next day I called to see if these things were remedied before I got my hopes up about having my morning latte . I explained the experience of the previous day with Jessica in Centennial Grounds and she rectified the situation.

Jasmine and Benz at Top Draft were wonderful the two times our group went there to eat. I loved the outdoor heating. However, during one of our meals there was no heat because they ran out of propane for the heaters.

Bottom line (based on my one recent experience): the hotel itself was not so great, but the staff was amazing.