This hotel has a marvelous facade, both literally and figuratively. The building's exterior has that yesteryear charm, the lobby is grand and impressive, and our initial impressions of the room were also positive, especially when we found out at check-in that we were getting upgraded to a suite. To recount the positives -- a marvelous city view, from the floor-to-ceiling windows and balcony at the top-floor suite. The room was very large, with a king sized bed, a separate seating area with a sofa and armchair, and desk, and the closets were very plentiful. The bathroom was also spacious. Various complimentary drinks, with a local flavor, in the mini fridge. Housekeeping kept the room in reasonably good order throughout the stay. However, in no way was this a 5-star experience. The room looked tired, dated, and uninspiring. The furniture was mismatched, and not in that "eclectic" sense, but just assembled semi-haphazardly. The only wall "decor" were two oversized TV screens -- one facing the bed, and another facing the seating area. There was no artwork, no floral arrangement (live or otherwise), no embellishment or special touch of any kind. A very cold and uninviting space in that regard (for a 5 star hotel, especially!) None of the furniture, wall coverings, or bedding held your gaze either. The bathroom decor and design were straight out of the 1980s, I guess, and might have been all the rage then but now they look, well, amusing. The footprint of the bathroom was equivalent to a small dance floor, but the shower cabin was small and creaky. At check-in we were advised that a complimentary tea service could be requested any time, which we did request immediately (we're big tea drinkers!). I guess it was too much to expect for clean cups and a couple of teabags to reappear automatically, on daily basis, because we had to call down for the tea on subsequent days. The tea itself was a very good brand. My biggest gripe with this hotel stay was the following -- a loud mechanical noise that seemed to originate directly behind the wall adjacent to the bed's headboard was almost nonstop, including through late and early hours. I sleep with earplugs, but even they were of little use because the sound waves vibrated through the wall and furniture. After a restless first night I brought this up at reception, first thing in the AM. I said that the sound resembled that of an elevator -- an observation that was dismissed before I even finished speaking, by the lady at reception. She said it was impossible for an elevator to be heard in our particular room. She suggested it might be the aircon system or something like it, and would have it looked into. I felt shushed, slightly embarrassed (we were upgraded to a suite across the hall from the ballyhooed Coco Chanel suite, after all), and, ultimately having experienced an episode of gaslighting. Why? Because when, on the last day of our stay, I opened the adjacent to our suite service-exit doors, I discovere
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