Barlow Hotel

This is the worst customer service I have ever experienced in my 50 years of travel.
They put us in a room in 65 degrees weather
And the heat would NOT turn off. It was miserable and we called the emergency line and begged for help with no response.
We still have not heard from anyone.
At 130a we actually found a another hotel
And we ran out so happy to leave the oven.
You will notice there are many bad reviews on this hotel — please don’t ignore them as we did.

The owner has since removed his very derogatory and false comment. But continues to show his true colors in his comment on my Trip Advisor review. I always thought good customer service meant apologizing not insulting your guests, guess The owners of The Barlow don’t believe in that.

I stayed in one of the suites, the most expensive rooms, for a weekend in early June. It was actually the weekend of a wedding referenced in a review below. Let’s start with the positives. Hudson is a lovely town. Now the negatives. My «suite» was a single room with a pull out couch crammed into the corner that was so cramped when opened that you had to crawl all over one another to move around the room. But I guess that’s all part of the «charm.» And speaking of charm, I was witness to the interchange referenced below. I travel more than most and spend an average of two nights a week in hotels. I can honestly say that I have NEVER witnessed such a rude response to a guest as the offer to give her some earplugs to offset the room’s noisy AC. I found my interactions there to be most unfriendly. The overview when I checked in was mechanical and rote. I needed to use a printer, and it was as though I had three heads. But the interchange over the AC really took the cake. And I submit that the supposed comments from friends of the bride is some major made-​uppery. The reviews of this place are telling. Advice from this seasoned traveller: Go to Hudson! It’s magical! But avoid the Barlow! It’s dreadful!

Poor customer service. Was given misinformation regarding our stay so was charged an additional night. Staff left earlier than times stated that they would be open not to mention given wrong information regarding parking. Asked for recommendations for coffee shop and was given wrong directions. You’d think that she’d know where shops are located.
We were there for a wedding. In speaking to other guests, they received wonderful customer service at their B&B «Front Street Guest House». One friend was given a ride to the wedding because he was already running late. He stayed at the Inn at Hudson.
The Barlow is not worth the price and you’d expect better customer service. Staff is nice but not very competent employees. Don’t stay here. I wish that I read the Unilocal reviews before booking

Lovely developing property. In this traveler’s eyes some lovely intrinsic details are being overlooked; lovely wood work is not maintained, painting is sloppily done all in the presumption that a high tech shower means a lot. If you are staying in an old school inn style hotel in Hudson, NY, you expect attention to detail in the beauty of the building.

Unilocal needs to introduce a Zero Star policy if only for the Barlow Hotel.
The sidewalk entry awning, the front door signage and the lobby are very inviting and misleading, drawing you into the house of horrors. The staff is almost competent and they are accommodating. They are just innocent bystanders in this story.
Once you pass the lobby things start to fall apart. The hallway carpet is ghastly, the woodwork looks like it has been renovated with a hatchet. The painters were unable to afford drop cloths and to clean up after themselves. The installation of the hallway electronics is unique.
Once you get to the room it is very much like the entry, the initial impression is pleasant. But to get the full effect you need to spend some time in the room and look around. There is unfinished woodwork with gaping holes in the wall which has been partially blocked with scraps of wood; drywall is coming apart at the seams; bathroom sinks falling off the wall; drywall scored and painted to look sort of like the unfinished bath tile next to it; bathroom tile painted to look sort of like the wall next to it; tub doors installed over existing tub door tracks with enough mold growing under it to produce penicillin for a generation (which was specifically asked to be cleaned but never was).
Those are some of the damaged, unfinished or just falling apart items, there are others that are just plain strange. The owners installed humongous shower controllers/​sprayers/​heads that take up a great portion of the bathtub if you have a room with a bathtub and almost the entire shower if you have a room with a shower. Do not take a shower while someone else uses the toilet, I was scalded in both rooms when the toilet was flushed while I was in the shower, like staying in cheap Italian pensione in the 70’s. I’m also not quite sure if there were mattresses under the sheets we were sleeping on, the beds were so hard it felt like plywood or concrete.
The ultimate insults start on our last night. I went to the bathroom around 12:00 am and sat down on the toilet but jumped up immediately because it was soaking wet. I turned on the light and noticed the bath mat in front of the toilet was also soaking wet and stained (light) brown. I looked up to the ceiling and noticed water dripping out of the vent that was above the toilet. I was repulsed. I rushed down to the lobby and found a sign on one of the desks with an emergency number on it and called it. The person at the other end assured me it was only «some condensation», as if it wasn’t any big problem and I should just deal with it. I said that it wasn’t condensation, it was feces that was dripping on me. He said that he would be right over. (I would like to explain that I am an architect and I own commercial property. I know what condensation is and I also know what dripping feces looks like.)
When the owners arrived, one came up to the room, took a look at the dripping ceiling and the soaked toilet and towels on the floor and said that I guess I need to move you. He showed us the adjacent room that had a large portion of the ceiling above the bed recently cut away and not completely patched. My wife was afraid of the same incident occurring so refused the room. We were moved to another room upstairs. We had to pack all of our belongings (it was a lot since we were on a two week trip) and move it all to the next floor at 12:30 at night. The owner carried ONE of my wife’s bags.
The owner never apologized for the situation we were in the whole time he was there but the other owner did stand downstairs and whine the whole time about how late it was.
But the true horror was not experienced until the next morning. The girl at the front called the room at 11:05 and inquired if I was aware of their check out policies. I said yes but I believed that we had some extenuating circumstances because of the occurrences the previous night and that we would be out in a few minutes. I went down shortly after that to get the bill while my wife finished packing. When I arrived she started to explain that they weren’t going to charge me at the higher rate for the better room they moved me to but would just keep the bill the same. I asked, in shock, if she meant that she would be charging me anything for the previous night. She said «why, do you think you should get a discount?» I said of course I do. She said that she would discuss it with the owners and they would get back to me some time in the future, she seemed scared of dealing with the owners at that time. I said, no call them now. So she called, spoke to one and said they will call back in a few minutes. They called back a few minutes later and said that they would give me a $ 25.00 discount (off of an $ 800.00 bill).
THAT WAS AN INSULT. The owners are incompetent and indifferent. Pictures enclosed.
To add insult to injury, the owners had the gall to post a reply to my Expedia review that was a complete lie.

Very disappointing. Don’t stay here unless you don’t mind wasting your money.
This hotel supposedly opened early 2013 but looks as if its been running for years. The carpets are stained in the hallways and elevator and the paint jobs must have been done by one who can’t follow straight lines!
We thought the ‘fireplace in each room’ was a nice touch until we learned the thermostat can only go up in temperature and not down!
Shower was nice but did not function properly… shame.
There is no over night service… no one to call after hours… and no complimentary breakfast either.

We have stayed at The Croff House twice and loved it both times. Our hosts Russ and Duncan made both stays special. The inn is beautiful, the rooms clean and cozy and breakfast outstanding. All in all we felt pampered and well taken care of. So we were really looking forward to staying at their new hotel The Barlow.
We checked in then went right out to meet friends for dinner then drinks. When we returned the room was hot — about 85°F. We set the thermostat to cool at 70°F and went to bed.
When we woke up the temperature was 83°F. We also noticed that there was no fan in the bathroom — just an open duct and a hose protruding downward from the ceiling. Both were unfinished and apparently we had been given a room where repairs were ongoing. Additionally there was drywall dust on the shower shelf and the lower part of the bathroom door. Finally there was a hole in the drywall under the sink and the places where drywall met the bathtub had not been finished properly.
I showered for about 10 minutes then my wife showered. While she was washing her hair the hot water ran out.
We decided to mention these things when we went out for the day. Given how immaculate and well run Croff House was we thought the owners would want to know. The young lady at the front desk said she could look into getting us another room (in a way that indicated that doing so would be an imposition) but we declined since everything had been unpacked already. She said she would notify housekeeping about the missed cleaning and told us how to adjust the thermostat to make the room cooler. She also said she would ask the owner about an adjustment to our room charge. Finally she questioned our ability to use the shower and to tell the difference between hot and cold water.
When we returned that evening the drywall dust was gone. So far so good. The temperature was back up to 83 though so we opened a window (only one worked — the other was broken) to cool off. Unfortunately we had to close it before bedtime since we were on the first floor overlooking an alley. Another night sweating…
At checkout when we were asked how we found our stay we mentioned all these issues. The same young woman from the day before was checking us out and had to be reminded we were not happy. I asked if there had been an adjustment and found there had not. She pointed out that the cleaning had been done and that she thought that had resolved things. When we complained about that she became defensive and argumentative.
Finally I told her we expected better and certainly didn’t expect her to argue with us. The lack of preparedness for these issues, the apparent defensiveness of Russ’ replies to other negative reviews and the failure to get simple things right all spell huge problems for The Barlow. I’d love to see the guys fix this but I will not be back to find out what happens .
NOTE:
I find it sad yet amusing that Russ included a reply to go see reviews on TripAdvisor, as you’ll find this story there as told by my wife. LOL

I made a reservation in October for a November vacation, however 1 month prior I had a death in the family. I called to see how I could get my deposit back and Danielle at the front desk could not have been more cooperative or sympathetic or understanding. I am looking forward to the next time I will be able to stay at the Barlow.

I’ve been driving since Austin, TX on my way to Maine and decided today to skip NYC in favor if something more relaxing in the Catskills. I have a small dog with me so i had to call many hotels on the way before I was referred to the Barlow. I called their number and a machine told me to get online and then it hung up. You can’t talk to a real person to rent a room in a small town bnb ?!? So I pulled over and got on their website where it does say «pets permitted» and made a reservation. My receipt specifically says pets permitted. 3 hours later I get there and the front desk attendant says only one room is pet friendly and it’s occupied. She didnt try to work with me at all, just rudely said theyd refund my money. COULD’VE SAVED ME SIX HOURS BY PICKING UP THE PHONE. So now I’m driving back to New York in the middle of the gd night. Get your shit together Barlow

The Barlow is as good as it gets! A perfect stay in Hudson, NY. What once must have been an office /​housing building has been transformed artistically (and very comfortably) into a boutique hotel. The owners have thought of everything. The amenities, the linens, the comfortable beds, the furnishings throughout — all were perfect choices for this seasoned traveler. The friendly service at check-​in to the continued request to assist in any way (dinner reservations, shopping suggestions, etc.) made me feel like a star. Thank you Barlow Hotel for a perfect stay!

Not Ready For Prime Time
My wife and I stayed at the Barlow for a wedding this past weekend. It’s clear the property was rushed to open, as the shoddy workmanship was apparent in many ways. I could almost overlook the shower unit falling off the wall, the faulty bathroom door, the broken intercom, but the lack of central A/​C during a brutal heat wave should have been cause for at least a discount. Oh, and the rear entrance was littered with garbage and grease.
I wanted to take the opportunity to speak with management about the disappointing condition, but was unable to as no senior staff was present at our check out. I was told to email my concerns, which I did. My email was met with a request to recall the co-​owner, Russ. Russ was fairly unsympathetic to my complaints because I failed to take the time during my friend’s wedding weekend to deal with the issues of his sub-​par property. Rather than attempt to build good will and offer me an adjustment, Russ hedged and offered me a discount for a future stay. I’m pretty sure Russ knew I wouldn’t be back.
I recommend lodgers seek other options until the many kinks are worked out.