The Townsend Hotel & Bakery

“We spent our Valentine's Day evening at The Townsend Hotel and got the "Romance Package." WELL WORTH the price since the total included Champagne (full bottle, not a mini-split), chocolate covered strawberries, overnight parking, and a generous breakfast allowance. I'd do it again, for sure! And, it's right in downtown Birmingham where we did some bar hopping before having a beautiful dinner at a nearby steakhouse. All within very short walks from the hotel. The staff was courteous, knowledgeable, and prompt. Oh yeah, we had coffee in the room in the morning and it was delivered VERY quickly. We finally made ourselves leave the room and go downstairs to have breakfast. We both had a very lovely breakfast (Eggs Benedict and Bacon/Eggs) and that, along with the coffee in the room just almost fell within the breakfast allowance! It was all very reasonably priced. It was a truly memorable and enjoyable experience from check-in to check-out.”

“Such a wonderful facility, beautiful, great service and amazing room! I had so many questions, I was new to the area, and all of them answered! The entire staff and restaurant were tremendously kind and thoughtful! Everything is walking distance, surrounding area is wonderful to explore! I can’t wait to visit again!”

“The front desk staff was very polite and professional, and check-in was quick and easy. The hotel has a classic, older feel, which is part of its charm. However, there were some minor maintenance and wear-and-tear issues. We noticed stains on some of the furniture and a lampshade, and while the décor is nice, parts of the room are clearly aging. I didn’t use the minibar, but I was surprised by the $22 amenities fee, which covers coffee and other items I didn’t use. At around $300 for a king suite, I expected a more refreshed room and no additional charges. Overall, it was a pleasant stay in a great location, but for the price point, I’m not sure it offers the value I anticipated.”

“The Townsend is a very nice hotel. The staff was excellent , and one of the best I’ve encounters at most hotels .The rooms are nice but somewhat dated. The lighting in the rooms is not very bright and for seniors just too dim. Located in a nice easy walk area. The restaurant and bar area does close very early (10pm) and sometimes earlier. No fridge or microwave in rooms.”

“First, the hotel is clearly showing its age. The rooms are old and somewhat run down. Not terrible, but definitely not what I expected from a property with Townsend's reputation. The mattress is older and the skirt around the bed kept loosening and presents a tripping hazard when getting out of the bed. However, the biggest issue was that our room was located right next to a service elevator. It ran literally day and night, and every few minutes there was a loud humming noise that could be heard throughout the room which made it difficult to relax and sleep - definitely affected our stay. We checked in in the afternoon but arrived back for the night at around 11:00 p.m. and we discovered that the TV remote wasn't working. I called the front desk and explained that I was confident the problem wasn't the batteries. About 20 minutes later, a very friendly employee came up, but all he brought were replacement batteries. We tried them, and as expected, a few minutes later the remote still didn't work. We then had to call again and wait another 20 minutes for someone to bring a replacement remote. Then I discovered that the in-room safe had stopped working. Earlier in the day I had locked valuables inside but now it wouldn't open. Another employee had to come to the room and show us the "trick" to getting it open, which involved pushing, shoving, and applying extra pressure while entering the code. These are simply not the kinds of issues you expect at a high-end hotel. I explained these concerns to management. They were sympathetic and offered us a couple of complimentary bananas, which was appreciated, but it didn't really address the problems. The constant elevator noise and the various maintenance issues put a damper on the entire stay. Unfortunately, based on this experience, I would not recommend The Townsend to friends or family.”