Lived here for 20 years and always loved this place until tonight. Came to a show out on the plaza, went to eat at the cup for dinner afterwards, less than 45 minutes after the show, and they had taken my debit card from a tab and put it in a vault, and told me to come back tomorrow (30-minute drive). Who knows if that’s what even happened. They stole my debit card!! I had to cancel it because I didn’t know what they did with it. Totally sucks to have a crappy staff who had zero compassion. We were treated like total garbage. Don’t ever believe they care about you because they don’t.
F841TSians
Very interesting and quirky hotel/ bar/ music event place etc. we enjoyed happy hour and drinks afterwards a couple of nights. Nice food and drinks served by friendly staff. People watching around the live music events was also entertaining.
Larry F
Loud 70s disco music right outside the window until 2:30 when it was replaced by slightly less loud music that played the rest of the night. The shower would scald me, then get chilly with no discernible pattern. No tvs (historic hotel, so that’s ok). No elevator (all rooms are second or third floor). I guess if you want to party and drink until you pass out it’s for you. If you actually want to sleep, forget it. All this for $260 a night? NEVER AGAIN.
EAN44
What a fantastic place to stay nostalgic and quirky with great staff and great antique items like old telephone exchanges, the hotel rocks at night as a music venue and night clubs until 2am so be prepared for loud music in rooms until early hours but all part of the experience Parking in underground car park and the hotel gives you a free ticket to leave once done
O1339BJginab
This place was terrible. When they say they are a loud hotel it's an understatement. The rooms were so loud the windows rattled and you could feel the bass of the music in your bed. I wore head phones to drown it out, but it didn't help. We left about an hour from check in. Note they do not refund, $200 down the drain.
ShawnM75321
Well prepared food at reasonable prices -- for a downtown restaurant. I ordered the fish & chips, but subbed the fries for a cup of chili. The fish was very crispy outside, but hot, tender and moist inside. The hearty chili had chunks of cubed beef in it, making me wish I ordered a larger size.
jkX6766JV
It's hard to write a fair review, as Hotel Congress is not the typical hotel. First, this place functions more as a nightclub. I chose the hotel based on location and was taken straight to the reservation page without receiving a warning about how noisy the premises were until I had paid for my room. I suppose that is my fault for not investigating further, but I decided to keep my reservation and give it a chance. It was very busy when we arrived to check in, and there was nowhere to pull the car up and unload. Entering the hotel, one has to make it past a crowd and bouncer to find the concierge, who in this instance was very curt, perhaps because she was being pestered by people who wanted to buy cigarettes. Anyway, there is some charm to the hotel due to the preservation of the retro details, but it is also kind of seedy. Our room did not smell very fresh so we chose to leave the windows open, despite the torn screens. The noise from the street was extremely loud, as promised, and didn't began to dissipate until three or four in the morning. By then, we had shut our windows to try, with a white noise app and earplugs, to get enough quiet to sleep some. The hotel can't be faulted for noise, as they do warn guests, but the noise is pretty extreme. As to other details, they really have preserved old fixtures and bedsteads, etc., but that means if you are taller than about 5'2" things are kind of uncomfortable. I am 5'9" and the bathroom sink was only slightly higher than my knee. We all skipped showers because the spigot was so low on the wall and the water pressure and temperature uneven. I will give the place points for good food and service at their Cup Cafe, including excellent service, and a more personable concierge at morning checkout. The rooms were relatively clean, but old carpet is still old carpet, and not that appealing. There are just too many caveats to recommend this hotel for a stay--a major one is that there is no elevator and there are no bellhops. You are told to carry your own luggage up one to two flights of stairs--guests should be warned about this before reserving a room because there is no way an elderly, disabled, or frail person could manage this. I'd also say it may not be a safe place for a woman traveling alone given the large number of non-guests (hundreds) milling about the premises and the scant attention given to security. I would mainly recommend this hotel to those looking to crash after a night to drinking downstairs.
phvi2617
I didn't stay at the hotel, but popped into their small jazz venue, the Century Room, while walking by. Wednesday nights feature traditional jazz, and there was no cover for bar seating. Service was good and the music was superb.
D9958ZLrileyb
This place is a great place to stay if you're looking to party. Solid drinks, great atmosphere, cool bartenders (Jenny in the hotel lobby is the best!). But don't expect much sleep. Subwoofers will be rocking you to sleep until 2am.
The hotel is old and out dated. I was extremely disappointed with my stay. The room was old everything in it was old. My bathroom was filthy and there is no modern appliances in the room. The art in the rooms is quite frankly scary. They are over priced and bank on the history of the hotel. I think it is an excuse not to modernize and invest in updating the hotel. I do not recommend staying here. They only upside is the location.
arthury957
The staff is nice and friendly. The location is excellent for access to downtown Tucson. The rooms, though, are small, with no tv and inconsistent water pressure and temperature in a tiny bathroom. Separate spirits for hot and cold water loses its charm when you are trying to shave. There is also no elevator. On the weekends, unless you are part of the party, you will hate the fact that the blaring music will not let you sleep before 2 a.m. They openly state the hotel has no quiet rooms and you sign away any chance of a refund when you register.
Lousy loud music with bad rhythm
Lived here for 20 years and always loved this place until tonight. Came to a show out on the plaza, went to eat at the cup for dinner afterwards, less than 45 minutes after the show, and they had taken my debit card from a tab and put it in a vault, and told me to come back tomorrow (30-minute drive). Who knows if that’s what even happened. They stole my debit card!! I had to cancel it because I didn’t know what they did with it. Totally sucks to have a crappy staff who had zero compassion. We were treated like total garbage. Don’t ever believe they care about you because they don’t.
Very interesting and quirky hotel/ bar/ music event place etc. we enjoyed happy hour and drinks afterwards a couple of nights. Nice food and drinks served by friendly staff. People watching around the live music events was also entertaining.
Loud 70s disco music right outside the window until 2:30 when it was replaced by slightly less loud music that played the rest of the night. The shower would scald me, then get chilly with no discernible pattern. No tvs (historic hotel, so that’s ok). No elevator (all rooms are second or third floor). I guess if you want to party and drink until you pass out it’s for you. If you actually want to sleep, forget it. All this for $260 a night? NEVER AGAIN.
What a fantastic place to stay nostalgic and quirky with great staff and great antique items like old telephone exchanges, the hotel rocks at night as a music venue and night clubs until 2am so be prepared for loud music in rooms until early hours but all part of the experience Parking in underground car park and the hotel gives you a free ticket to leave once done
This place was terrible. When they say they are a loud hotel it's an understatement. The rooms were so loud the windows rattled and you could feel the bass of the music in your bed. I wore head phones to drown it out, but it didn't help. We left about an hour from check in. Note they do not refund, $200 down the drain.
Well prepared food at reasonable prices -- for a downtown restaurant. I ordered the fish & chips, but subbed the fries for a cup of chili. The fish was very crispy outside, but hot, tender and moist inside. The hearty chili had chunks of cubed beef in it, making me wish I ordered a larger size.
It's hard to write a fair review, as Hotel Congress is not the typical hotel. First, this place functions more as a nightclub. I chose the hotel based on location and was taken straight to the reservation page without receiving a warning about how noisy the premises were until I had paid for my room. I suppose that is my fault for not investigating further, but I decided to keep my reservation and give it a chance. It was very busy when we arrived to check in, and there was nowhere to pull the car up and unload. Entering the hotel, one has to make it past a crowd and bouncer to find the concierge, who in this instance was very curt, perhaps because she was being pestered by people who wanted to buy cigarettes. Anyway, there is some charm to the hotel due to the preservation of the retro details, but it is also kind of seedy. Our room did not smell very fresh so we chose to leave the windows open, despite the torn screens. The noise from the street was extremely loud, as promised, and didn't began to dissipate until three or four in the morning. By then, we had shut our windows to try, with a white noise app and earplugs, to get enough quiet to sleep some. The hotel can't be faulted for noise, as they do warn guests, but the noise is pretty extreme. As to other details, they really have preserved old fixtures and bedsteads, etc., but that means if you are taller than about 5'2" things are kind of uncomfortable. I am 5'9" and the bathroom sink was only slightly higher than my knee. We all skipped showers because the spigot was so low on the wall and the water pressure and temperature uneven. I will give the place points for good food and service at their Cup Cafe, including excellent service, and a more personable concierge at morning checkout. The rooms were relatively clean, but old carpet is still old carpet, and not that appealing. There are just too many caveats to recommend this hotel for a stay--a major one is that there is no elevator and there are no bellhops. You are told to carry your own luggage up one to two flights of stairs--guests should be warned about this before reserving a room because there is no way an elderly, disabled, or frail person could manage this. I'd also say it may not be a safe place for a woman traveling alone given the large number of non-guests (hundreds) milling about the premises and the scant attention given to security. I would mainly recommend this hotel to those looking to crash after a night to drinking downstairs.
I didn't stay at the hotel, but popped into their small jazz venue, the Century Room, while walking by. Wednesday nights feature traditional jazz, and there was no cover for bar seating. Service was good and the music was superb.
This place is a great place to stay if you're looking to party. Solid drinks, great atmosphere, cool bartenders (Jenny in the hotel lobby is the best!). But don't expect much sleep. Subwoofers will be rocking you to sleep until 2am.
Restaurantji Recommends
Pretty darn good
The hotel is old and out dated. I was extremely disappointed with my stay. The room was old everything in it was old. My bathroom was filthy and there is no modern appliances in the room. The art in the rooms is quite frankly scary. They are over priced and bank on the history of the hotel. I think it is an excuse not to modernize and invest in updating the hotel. I do not recommend staying here. They only upside is the location.
The staff is nice and friendly. The location is excellent for access to downtown Tucson. The rooms, though, are small, with no tv and inconsistent water pressure and temperature in a tiny bathroom. Separate spirits for hot and cold water loses its charm when you are trying to shave. There is also no elevator. On the weekends, unless you are part of the party, you will hate the fact that the blaring music will not let you sleep before 2 a.m. They openly state the hotel has no quiet rooms and you sign away any chance of a refund when you register.
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