The Desmond Hotel and Conference Center Albany Review

I was visiting someone, so I cant speak for the rooms. The lobby was a bit confusing, with all that was going on.

The Desmond it's a hotel that thinks it is more than it is. Decent conference space but not quite the high end space it thinks it is.

Long term parking lot was cleared, had to dig my car out of 18" snow :(

I went to The Tavern bar. I thought that $7.30 was a bit steep for a shot of bottom shelf bourbon. Service was fine. The food looked incredible.

Did not stay...trying to get info about John Edwards event that was rescheduled twice. I was transferred to someone who was rude and directed me to John Edwards website which gave no info and when told him that, he did not care. Evidently not his problem. I would never stay at a Desmond again. If your staff doesn't care then I assume no one does then.

The people running the hotel were all friendly and helpful -- service was fine -- but the hotel is filled with a pervasive smell of mildew/mold, from the lobby into all the rooms. The beds were also *quite* hard -- I like a firm mattress, but there are limits. The photographs make it look better than it is; the Desmond used to be THE place in this area, when I was young, but it has the feel of a hotel that's stayed in that past and never really moved, slowly fading.

Even though it was old in appearance it have a beautiful setting and the wedding planner was very very nice and professional

Professional clean and good food for a breakfast meeting

Had a great lunch today. I was dropping my friend off at the airport and suggested we stop at The Desmond. It was wonderful. The waiter was adorable, attentive & and professional. I have been at the Desmond numerous times for different reasons and they never disappoint!

We love this place and I am beyond disgusted that they are changing the vibe of it. We have stayed here regularly and absolutely love the atmosphere. Now it looks like everyother cookie cutter hotel.

Clean, professional atmosphere. Slightly confusing layout, but the signage is clear and useful.

The hotel was beautiful and I went to see a psychic at the hotel and I would definitely go back.

My family and I had dinner at Simpson's. The food was very good and the wait staff was very attentive

No fridge in rooms, hot water out of both traps, shower too hot to stand under, no ice machines on the floors..

Ask if a wedding or event is scheduled so you can avoid the potential noise of a courtyard room.

We go every year and the staff is always friendly and help. The hotel is always clean

Great location and friendly staff. Lovely hotel and love the set up. Once I park my car, I can relax and rest. I like the different restaurants there, where I have a choice. I always love coming there when we travel!!

Every time I stay here I find myself asking the same question the following morning. WHY, why did I stay here? The rooms are antiquated and the service was once again poor. There are so many hotels of better quality for better rates on and around the Wolf Road area, pick one of them before resorting to guarenteed disappointment.

The outside looked like a run down hotel but once you get inside it open ups to a little town. I love this space now. I went for a home buying seminar and could stop looking around. The desk clerks as very nice even though we weren't checking in.

A very unique hotel. Nice rooms, friendly staff, good food.

Close to airport. 24 hour on-demand shuttle was extremely important to us, and did not disappoint. We were not left to wait around; shuttle was prompt. Hotel is very charming. Tub did not drain well; seems like an older hotel. Fun stay. Would stay again!

The bar is very nice but expensive however that's nothing unexpected. Additionally the bartender's aren't very friendly. They seem more concerned about how you inconvenience them when ordering a drink than being responsive to a drink order. The front desk is very professional and was quick to call a cab when asked.

It was a beautiful location, great service, and excellent start

A beautiful and memorable place and authentic space with nice decoration. Meals are great except if you order vegetarian, which you are almost always disappointed with the chef not being just a little creative.

I liked the decor and the way its set up and if you have a room with balcony even better it has such great interior sites down below..The room terrible..Bed was hard, pillows were over use The lamps and headboard were dusty including the coffee machine..Spider webs in ceilings and lets not talk about the bathroom it was. Not thoroughly cleaned and the towels had stains..

The old lady bartender is a nasty person and needs to be fired. It wasn t just one bad night, she was the same nasty person last year as well. The food is awful and overpriced. Don t order the burger, nachos or ruben bites. Disgusting. My drink was not right. I ordered a simple vodka, water and splash of unsweetened iced tea. I got something fruity. She dumped it and went in the back to make me a new drink. What bartender goes in the back to make a drink? No apology but more of an accusatory I don t believe you. Breakfast was $50 for eggs and french toast. Pool was freezing to the point we didn t even get in and hot tub was covered over with a flower bed. Newer hotels in the area that are less expensive and offer more amenities.

The salmon in the restaurant is great to say the least

Beautiful spot! The interior courtyards are very pretty, especially at night. You get the feeling that your outside but don't have to deal with the freezing cold winter temps. Small pool and gym area available. I can imagine this would be great for events and business meetings as there are a lot of separate conference rooms. Hotel room smelled a bit musty/mildewy but the room was spotless and in tip top shape. First hotel I've ever stayed at where the free internet was bot h reliable and fast! Would certainly stay here again.

This is a preliminary review, I am having my wedding here in October. But so far, Amanda and Jack have been fantastic. Accommodating is not even close to the concessions they are making with all this Covid restrictions on us. I am happy so far and promise to update after my wedding.

Edit: So as an honest update, Covid-19 restrictions led to me not being able to have my wedding here at this time. They were as flexible as they could be but it wouldn't be a real wedding. Think "Foot Loose" on crack.

It was fantastic they had good food a gym with pool and other things to do

Great place to see what it was like in the 19that century

Rooms are mildly elegant. The internal court yards are quite surprising!!!

Overall I guess it is a good hotel. The rooms were a nice size as was the bathroom. The view was also nice. I was not totally happy with housekeeping. They did not leave us glasses or bath mat and I tip daily. They also didn t empty the melted ice container, it would have been nice to get a clean ice container, but remember we didn t have glasses. The hotel had a nice restaurant but they are very easily overwhelmed. I probably would stay here again.

A very unusual hotel that has a lot of character. The rooms are nice and clean and the restaurant and bar are more than acceptable though not exceptional. In general, a really cool place but sometimes front desk it gets overwhelmed especially if flights are cancelled and folks from the nearby airport come streaming in.

The hotel is set in Victorian style. The staff was welcoming and very helpful. I really liked the room but I do wish some things (carpets, bathroom) were updated. Overall I would return here.

Great hotel. Amazingly decorated. Wonderful place for a wedding.

It's a bit High Brow for me. One of the highest priced hotels in Albany. Plenty of shopping nearby. Close to airport so you'll definitely hear the planes flying low!

Starting to show its age but still a great place to host a party or event.

At a quick glance, the room seemed ok enough. We didn't spend much time in the room, it was a warm sunny day and the window was open when we checked in, so we thought nothing of it. I took a quick shower, where I found the unusually slippery tub, with only 3/4 strips of very old grip strips. The wallpaper was beginning to peel and there was no functioning exhaust fan, just a grate in the ceiling. The water pressure was decent but the temperature fluctuated a lot in the shower. Then I noticed was a dirty hand print on the bathroom door, which I cleaned quickly before my son saw/touched it or I thought to take a pic. We left, came back late to put our 5 yr old to bed, 1st hotel stay he can remember, the struggle to get him to bed was rough, so when we finally noticed the broken window (unable to close, screen clearly pried open and bent to the try to close the window manually by others before us) and my husband had surprised me by ordering a late dinner via room service, it was far too late to grab everything, including a cranky kid after 10pm to move to another room for the night when my husband tried to address the window at the front desk.

I will say that food was very conscientiously prepared to accommodate our food allergies and was very good, even arriving earlier than expected. Probably the highest quality part of the experience.

The clerk at the desk offered to comp the room service, of which we were actually still charged for half.

The beds are extremely soft to the point of sinking to the middle together. The pillows were minimal & flat. The outlet cover next to the best was broken. The wallpaper is peeling at the edges in places.

The absolute worst bit was what I noticed on the glass of a picture inbthe room. It has clearly been there awhile, and its schmear of what can only be assumed is a bodily fluid was only noticeable from a side angle rather than straight on, especially once it was dark outside.

I would expect this level of "quality" from a motel. Not a hotel that cost? around $200 for 1 night.

Good for all the many conferences it hosts simultaneously, but very little else. Next time we'll get a cleaner room for less cost (or at least I'll feel the cost was justified) at another nearby hotel and drive the few minutes over for the conference.

Old school English Colonial charm. Very friendly and helpful staff.

Let me start by saying this place is GROSS I CANNOT believe all of the good reviews, maybe I have different expectations. My allergies/sinuses began going crazy as soon as I set foot in this place. This hotel is in serious need of a renovation, as you can see from the pictures it looks as if everything is original from 1974. I'm here for a vintage look, but please clean! I will NEVER stay here again no matter how many times I visit Albany. I wanted to be completely honest in this review because I wish others would have been and I could have changed my reservation prior to arrival. The best thing about this hotel is that it's close to the airport.

Great service, nice staff, and prompt transportation. Clean rooms and a unique historical feel.

We went there for a technical training seminar that depended on wi-fi Internet-access. Don't come here if you are planning a technical training seminar that depends on wi-fi Internet-access. The continental breakfast was solid though.

Probably the worst experience someone could hope for. I reserved a room in the King Ball Room for my reception and there were disgusting drawings on the wall of male genitalia. Mind you there are kids attending my party. I didn't ask for a refund but I implore you to never reserve your event here. I hope you will take my advice because you'll thank me if you knew how horrible my experience was. It was an important time for my husband and I and I really wish we invested in a better venue.

Charming and clean with unique features such as the "village" set up. The service and the food was good. The place could use some updating in the rooms.

Nice hotel. Good Location. Beds are pretty firm though

Went here for a Beer Festival, and it was amazing. The beer was great and the ambiance was unique. The style was completely different than other hotels.

Great place to stay while you're attending a conference there. Was a little bummed they filled in the hot tub. Did take advantage of the exercise room and every piece of equipment was in good working order.

mouse scurried out from behind tv into connecting room. dont recommend.

The interior is extremely pleasant, with an artificial open town theme, and rather elegant ballroom. Service was very attentive and polite. Food was sufficient, although portions were overly large and excessively cooked. Recommended, although I did not stay in a room.

The restaurant is favorite of mine even though I don't stay at the hotel. Great food, atmosphere, and service.

I brought my residents to the Simpson for breakfast and it was wonderful. Great service and the food was delicious and all presented.

Beautiful center, the Koi fish in one of the fountains are beautiful. The meeting rooms are all useful for any sort of meeting. Staff members that I encountered were all both helpful and friendly.

Our staff stayed here for our last team meeting in Albany. Hands down incredible customer service. The food at Simpson's was , and the bar had a pretty solid selection of beer and whiskey. The Desmond really did a great job of making us all feel at home.

The kitschy colonial style/theme was pretty neat considering the history of Albany. Our team will definitely be back.

So first and foremost the Hotel is BEAUTIFUL! The staff are VERY friendly starting from my phone experience with them to arriving at the hotel. Myself and the front desk woman (i forgot her name) who was working on saturday 8/18/2018 around 4pm were chatting while she was checking us in and i told her it was my
Sons birthday! She made sure to tell him Happy Birthday and asked was it okay if she had room service bring up a surprise for him! My seven yr old felt very special when the knock at the door came and flowers and chocolates were presented to him! Thank you so much for that! After the kids went to bed my husband and i plus my parents enjoyed ourselves playing pool downstairs near the lobby although the pool sticks do need to be replaced, we enjoyed ourselves.Also my children loved the beautiful fish in the pond! Now the cons... The whole hotel smells of mildew really bad. Our room badly smelled of it and it was very irritating, the smell became even worst and in a way kind of unbearable when you enter the pool area due to no air circulating around in there. This hotel needs to do a thourough cleaning of the carpets all over and maybe even scrub the walls! The wall paper is peeling in certain areas of the hotel as well as in our room in the bathroom area! The carpets were dirty as if its been a long while since they have had a good cleaning. Also the furniture had a weird smell to it as well! Please do something about the smell of this hotel its way too beautiful and the staff are very welcoming for you to lose customers over the smell! A good thourough cleaning and maybe replacing some stuff like the carpets will possibly do the trick! Thank you for making my son and family feel special Desmond Hotel! We would love to come back when we go on vacay in the area again but unfortunately the Smell of this hotel will make me not want to.

The location as a venue for conferences is convenient, spacious, and historically unique. However, the wifi I can be intermittent. Some of the rooms are a little bit dated, but it goes with the overall theme of the hotel.

Beautiful conference center. Amazing grounds and lobby areas.

Stayed just for a night. Didn't have any issues and the staff was extremely kind.

Made for a nice stay vacation Dinner was excellent breakfast was good food was all cooked fresh except for those freezer burned home fries, come-on real potatoes are cheaper. Bar was nice too. The hot tub is now a tropical planter. Guess it was easier to fill with dirt than fix :( But I'd go back again Room was clean

The Desmond Hotel in Albany, NY has redefined how quaint a hotel can be. It is a hotel with a courtyard on the inside. It's like having an outside appeal with great atmosphere while within the hotel grounds so you don't have to clothe yourself for the weather. There are two restaurants in the hotel; The Tavern and Simpson's, where Sara, a wonderful waitress, serves with a smile. This hotel also has a pool, few exercise machines and a huge backyard where picnics and barbecues can be had. At the time I stayed they were renovating so there were no microwaves or fridges in the rooms which I hope will be arranged soon. Desmond Hotel is perfect for families, lovers, singles, reunions, conferences, parties, marriages, etc....

Great service but only thing I wish was different was the selection of the lunch menu, most of the menu was just either a type of salad or a type of wrap. The burger was the only other option which was very good though. Aside from that the hotel was vey nice clean and friendly

Was not happy with our stay. The room we were in was dated and left a lot to be desired. A huge bug greeted us in the room upon arrival. The bed was ridiculously hard and uncomfortable. Would not stay again.

Nice place but it needs some updating. I thought the food at the bar was good but pricey. The service all around was great. I would stay again.

This is absolutely the greatest hotel in Albany bar none. The staff is friendly the accommodations are dated, but quaint. Overall I love staying here.

Staff was friendly, grounds were well kept. Well worth a visit

Incredible food
Unique clean comfortable rooms

Very loud. Rooms were very dusty and didn't feel clean. Shower temperture was either boiling hot or freezing cold. The Desmond could use a little refurbishment. With so many other hotels in the area, we would not choose the Desmond again.