Chesterfield Hotel Palm Beach (bookable via Hyatt SLH). Bottom line review.

The Chesterfield Hotel Palm Beach, located in Palm Beach Florida, is a SLH (Small Luxury Hotels of the World) property which is bookable through Hyatt with points or cash.  When booking an SLH property through Hyatt, your room rate includes the following:

• Complimentary wifi
• Daily complimentary continental breakfast
• Room Upgrade (one category at check-in, if available)
• Early check-in (noon, based upon availability at check-in)
• Late check-out (2:00PM, based upon availability at check-in)

Chesterfield Hotel Palm Beach Bottom Line Review

My wife and I had previously stayed at this hotel about 15 years ago and we were amazed by the fantastic service at that time.  We stayed recently for three nights and we were utterly disappointed.  Service was awful.  And I don’t mean that it was awful for a top-end luxury hotel… I mean it was awful for any hotel.  Another downside: some of the bedrooms are noticeably worn.  On the plus side, the location is terrific (if you want to stay in Palm Beach), the courtyard was an awesome place to eat breakfast each morning, they offer free valet parking, and at least some of the beds are incredibly comfortable.

• Price: 25,000 Hyatt points per night (vs. about $500 per night at the time)
• Value: Decent value with points if your goal is to stay in Palm Beach.  I wouldn’t be willing to pay anywhere near $500 per night for this property though.
• Location: Very good.  This boutique hotel is, in my opinion, conveniently located on the island of Palm Beach, Florida, close to the famously expensive Worth Avenue to the south (where it’s fun to check out crazily expensive cars), the public beach to the east (about half a mile), and Royal Palm Way to the north where you’ll find the entrance to the Palm Beach Lake Trail, a nice little (and free) sculpture garden, and a bridge which provides an easy walk or drive across the Intracoastal Waterway to the now cool West Palm Beach (see: West Palm Beach quietly becomes cool).
• Breakfast: Fair. Great ambiance when sitting in the outdoor courtyard (shown at the top of this post).  Slow service.  Included continental buffet is unimpressive.  Other than the juicing station, it seems like a buffet you would find at a cheap hotel.  There is a mandatory $3 per person tip with the otherwise free breakfast.  I actually like that because I always find it confusing with free breakfasts whether tip is expected or not.
• Parking: Good.  The hotel offers free valet parking.
• Room: Fair. We initially stayed in a very small room with a queen bed but were upgraded the next day to a king corner room.  The first room had a decent view of the hotel’s pool and an incredibly comfortable bed (the most comfortable bed that I’ve ever slept in).  On the other hand, the room was very small, the wallpaper was peeling and the curtains were frayed.  The next day I asked for a room upgrade and we were moved to a big king corner room which was in much better condition, but the bed wasn’t as comfortable (it was fine, but not amazing), the views weren’t as good, and there was frequently noise from staff chatting below one of the windows.  Both rooms were attractively decorated.
• Service: Poor.  My interactions with the housekeeping staff and the parking valets were very good.  Most other service touch-points were bad to mediocre.  This was surprising since our previous stay (many years ago) was primarily notable for the amazing service.  What happened to this previously great hotel?
• Turndown service: Very good.  Every evening we found different treats in our room.
• Hyatt Benefits:  Good (but with effort).  Free breakfast was automatic, but I had to talk with the front desk manager on the second day to get acknowledgment that a room upgrade was an option (and he did upgrade us to a king corner room).  No one else seemed to know about Hyatt at all.  In fact, upon check in I had to sign a form showing that I would pay $510 per night.  When I said that I had prepaid with Hyatt points, I was told that revenue management would fix it.  The next morning I asked the morning desk agent and was told “we are not a Hyatt hotel.”  Finally, the manager acknowledged the deal, but I still needed his help to fix the bill upon checkout a few days later.
• Would I stay again?  Short answer: No.  However, I would consider staying again if they significantly improve their staff customer service training.

Photos and captions follow…

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