The Chesterfield Palm Beach

This stately hotel has some wonderful features. Architecturally, it is well preserved and and is kept very clean. Staff is polite BUT our server was in rote mode and really didn't have much regard for our enjoyment. Six of us had High Tea, which was okay but I have had better ones. The tea choices are not copious but certainly enough for us to be able to choose. What's important here is that 6 girlfriends had a grand time in a old grand(ish) atmosphere.

When we arrived, I thought my expectations would be dashed and they certainly were. There was no busboy to helps us with our bags, which we had to carry to the lobby ourselves. While walking to the lobby, we passed the exterior of the hotel’s Leopard Lounge. I noticed immediately that the paint on the iron tables was chipped in many places. Upon entering the lobby, you are greeted by quite worn furniture which appears to be from the 80s. The piping on the upholstery of a wing chair had become detached and was just hanging. The couch and chairs were very, very worn (you know how down cushions look when they are flattened and past their prime). The area carpet was laid in a haphazard way with no straight edges and apparently no carpet pad for cushioning. We then took our bags upstairs to our room, which the concierge said was a nice room overlooking the pool, did overlook the pool but was far from nice. Where do I begin? The outdated New England “colonial” furniture had been painted white and was totally incongruous with the hip vibe of Palm Beach. The white paint was scratched and gouged in many places and the carpet stained. The whole room had a musty smell, perhaps due to the leaky air conditioner, since repaired, but with the water stain quite obvious under the unit as a result of the leak. When packing to go home, all our clothes reeked of the musty smell. Perhaps that’s why there was a mold-like film on the face of the air conditioning unit which looks like it had not been wiped down in months. The closets were spacious, but the “colonial” furniture had but four drawers, leaving little room for two occupants garments. There was a piece of leftover food or bread crumb on our carpet for the duration of our stay, leading us to conclude that the carpet hadn’t’ seen a vacuum cleaner in at least four days (the duration of our stay). Now onto the bath. First, like the room, it was tiny. I get it, the hotel was built in the 20s when times were different, but at least it could be clean. The once white stone floors were etched with urine stains and the surface wornto a dull gray from lack of sealing and maintenance. There was a wad of previous occupants hair in the corner of the toilet and tub which took two days to disappear. There was a hair from a previous occupant on the rim of the toilet. The banana leaf wallpaper on the walls leading to the pool may have been trendy in the 80s but looks terribly dated today. A similar pattern is repeated on the carpeted hallway floors which look to be of the same vintage and quite dirty. When at the pool, there is no full-time attendant to set up lounge chairs, etc. It is catch as catch can and if there is no one there you have to go to the lobby to ask for help. If you want to go to the beach, you have to walk one-half mile with chairs and umbrellas they give you at the reception desk. There is no ride offered, despite the fact that there is a four or six seat golf cart emblazoned with the Chesterfield logo on the side of the hotel. For years, a friend of mine (a former president of a United Technologies subsidiary) always mentioned how nice this hotel was and how they would train their Rolls Royce to Palm Beach for the winter. That was years ago and this hotel looks like it hasn’t been updated sińce. That is too bad as it is a block from Worth Avenue and within walking distance to some of the best restaurants in Palm Beach. Unfortunately , due to our quite disappointing, and many times unsanitary experience, we will not return.

I am giving 1 star due to many factors.1 star appearance for the hotel. Looks like an extremely dated grandmas house, and I get it palm beach but it 's overly dated.1 star bed- it was very uncomfortable. I 'm sure the beds haven 't been changed in a few years or they use cheap beds.1 star, my rate was 1000$ a night, I could have slept better in a motel 6 quite honestly1 star, after checking in at 1am, someone called my room multiple times until I answered the phone at 8am and it was because they forgot who had called the office for luggage.1 star, their door hangers for do not disturb are not double sided, in fact one side says service room and in my delirious state, thought I was putting a DND sign on the door in fact, it said SERVICE and not once, not twice, but three times the maids pounded on the door, the last being the loudest where it shocked me so much I got out of my bed in horror and shock. The first two times it sound almost like the door next door. Also my room is directly across the elevator. Which has been extremely loud.2 star check in, very nice gentlemen. But hard to find in the dark, no clear visual for front, not well light outside and no valet late night.1 star Online it says free self-parking but in-fact they only offer valet, that is complimentary and at 1am is the front desk.1 star keys, they are from 1800s. Some might find it Nostalgic but I found it annoying.1 star. No help with bags, not bus boy, front desk became busy parking my car.1 star rate, I get it, it was late night but for 1000$ I would expect not only 5 star accommodations but 5 star service. This was not delivered. They need many updates to the rooms, beds? Furniture, and experience. Maybe due to covid there 's less workers, but that 's not an excuse for a 5 star 1000$ night hotel. This isn 't the breakers

The Chesterfield is a classic old style hotel, with friendly, helpful staff and charming decor. Some of the fixtures are showing their age but the character of the rooms more than make up for it. The English breakfasts were great, with many styles of eggs cooked perfectly (boiled, poached, fried, scrambled, etc). I would recommend the hotel to friends and look forward to visiting again in the future.

I don’t trust Red Carnation hotels any more. I don’t think they deal fairly with their customers and my wife and I felt victimized by their business practices. I would steer clear here.