Very neat hotel!!! We had a great stay. Hotel is beautiful. Her old age is very well maintained & renovated. Staff was super nice & accommodating. We earlier 2 hours early & they allowed us to check in early. Location was great, near a ton of dining options. I would stay here again in a heartbeat.

Grand Classic Hotel This is a great classic hotel in a great location in downtown. The rooms are stylish and well appointed. The bathroom is large, with both a tub and a great walk-in shower. Very comfortable beds. Beautiful lobby and public areas. Very friendly and helpful staff. In addition to its own good restaurant and bar, there are great restaurants and bars close by. Great stay.

Beautiful hotel I enjoyed my one night stay in this historic hotel. The staff were all friendly and the room was very clean. The room was huge. I had booked a King bed but they only had two queen rooms available. This didn't bother me as the room was was immaculate with nice furnishings plus I was using a free night certificate. Bix Bistro in the hotel has great food. Parking was free which was nice, though the parking lot was almost entirely full. The next morning a beer bottle was set right by my car, which was disturbing but no damage to my car. I'd like to stay here again with more time to explore the area and perhaps the bowling alley in the basement.

Very Unpleasant Experience We stayed here several times in the past, but a recent night had completely changed our opinion about this place. Before going to bed, we like to untuck the comforter for better movement inside, but while doing so we found a pair dirty slipper-socks (see photo) underneath. Our immediate reaction was terrifying – does the hotel not change sheets between guests? What about COVID? What was more surprising was that when we called the front desk, they acted as if it was not a big deal. We had to wait for more than half hour to get the new sheets (this was almost 10pm), not to mention had to change the sheets by ourselves. When the issue was brought to the attention of the hotel general manager, we received no explanation, no apology, no offer of investigation, and no follow up (even if it was promised). Although they deducted a very small portion of our bill, the damage was surely much more significant. Wherever we traveled after the night at Blackhawk, the first thing we do was to check under the comforter for any unpleasant surprises. Fortunately, no other hotel has as bad of a record as the Hotel Blackhawk. We will definitely not stay here again.

Long story short. DO NOT stay here. *** I will caveat this review by saying (as a Platinum Elite member for life) this is the first negative review I’ve ever written in 22 years staying at a Marriot as they are consistently clean and dependable with professional staff. And I will continue to stay at Marriott’s in the future as this is a complete exception to the rule. I also want to make sure you know everything stated henceforth is FACT. There is no exaggeration as people tend to do when upset. We took notes while there and wrote this in a calm collected mind days after returning home. The story needs no exaggeration as you will see. Reviews and word of mouth like this are priceless nowadays and we are lucky to have social media outlets to spread these words. They serve as education for prospective guests to decide if this is the venue they are looking for - providing either an endorsement or a warning. With that in mind, I want to detail our recent experience with the BlackHawk Hotel to provide readers with insight into a prospective stay here. CONSIDER THIS A WARNING! Two of us arrived in Davenport, Iowa on Feb. 19 for a 4-night stay. This was our first travel experience since COVID, and was not a leisure trip. We traveled there because a parent was just diagnosed with cancer and we wanted to spend time with her. The last thing we desired was a stressful hotel experience. Having grown up in the Quad Cities, we were familiar with the hotel and were looking forward to a premium and relaxing stay, moving past the stresses of nearly a year of COVID and a very ill parent. You need to know that the BlackHawk is an “Autograph” hotel. These are in line with the Ritz Carlton’s in terms of quality and expense. This was once a beautiful hotel, frequented by the likes of Cary Grant, rich in history until the downturn of the economy and the hotel became a place for vagrants. The floor where Cary Grant died burned down from a Crystal Meth lab that was active on that floor. Marriot has since taken it over and tried to restore it but to no avail. As we walked from the elevator to our room, we passed a room with a loud group partying and the door open, people carrying drinks to enter this room without masks. There was confetti on the hallway floor (which lasted the entirety of our stay…so no vacuuming of the hallways for at least 4 days). We had upgraded to a suite by using 4 of my 5 yearly distributed suite night upgrades. We were stunned when we walked in and our shoes literally stuck to the floor (like being in a dirty movie theatre with soda spilled on the floor). Each step was like the sound of pulling two Velcro strips apart. Upon closer examination, we saw footprints from multiple shoes, as well as prints from bare feet. That was a clear warning sign that there were issues with the room and the hotel. Upon closer examination, it was apparent the room was not in the shape we expected from an Autograph collection property. (Photos attached.) The drapes were stained. There were 3 duct tape strips on the ceiling. Hershey Kiss wrappers on the floor. Dirt and confetti (the same confetti from the hallway, even though we were told they keep rooms empty for 3 days between the stays) under the bed. Debris and hair under the couch cushions along with candy wrappers. The TV screen had fingerprints and something smeared all over it. Different things in the room did not work (lights under the microwave, vanity lights in bathrooms, remote control for one of the TVs, TV in the mirror of one of the bathrooms, etc.). The fitted sheet did not fit and kept revealing the mattress pad which is not changed between visits. It was clear there was no attention to detail from the cleaning staff. And, given COVID, naturally our minds went right to wondering just how clean and safe the room was. Keep in mind one of us is 62 years of age with diabetes and we were visiting an 85 year old each day with cancer. We were scared for our own health and that of those we came in contact with. ***It is Important to note that one of the assistant manager’s mother heads the cleaning staff. So, no matter how calm and pleasant we were about delivering the news that the room was in shambles, she took it very personally and defensively instead of taking accountability and resolving the issues. We brought these issues to the attention of multiple hotel staff as they rotated each day. Reactions were mostly defensive, and the stories varied from staff member to staff member. The utter variance of facts we received depended on who you spoke to and varied so much that we had no choice but to feel lied to. Back to the timeline: We had the floor cleaned initially that night. We were told they used hot water and some “swiffer juice”, but it didn't solve the problem. It was still sticky. And, not just in spots, but every inch of the suite was this way. After another two cleanings, it improved but never resolved and we were anxious about it. The first night we got in too late to inspect the room but the next day in the sunlight is when we realized the room was in much worse condition than just the floors, as noted above. We asked to be moved to a standard room but were told there were no other rooms vacant. So we tried switching properties, but no other Marriott properties were available. At another point on the third day, we were told we could move to another room, but had to do so right then and there. We declined, as we had family obligations we were committed to. So, we stayed in the room and just dealt with the anxiety of a less than satisfactory room, on top of the stress we were already facing. Saturday night we returned to our room at around 9:30pm to hear loud music and the smell of marijuana emanating from a room down the hall. It was still a bit early and we had faith the noise would calm down at a reasonable hour so we went into our room. Throughout the rest of the evening, we heard numerous voices in the hallway at top volume, as well as the door slamming many, many times since they rented two rooms and were partying between the two. The voices and door were heard clearly through the wall of the suite bedroom (our wall was across the hallway from the noisy room). Despite it, we did fall asleep eventually (with noise cancelling headphones on) but sleep was disrupted, and finally we were awakened again, this time with angry shouting like a fight was occurring with obscenities that children on the floor should never hear. There was such anger, we became nervous and literally I was sick to my stomach. This was at around 2:45 a.m. We immediately called down to the front desk to let them know this was going on. Without even having to say which room was the source of the noise, the front desk employee said, "oh yea, rooms 920 and 921." They were aware of it through multiple other callers, yet it was still continuing with no regard to the comfort of other paying guests. After no action within 10 minutes, we called down again and she told us that she was waiting for the police to arrive. In the meantime, we were looking through the peephole watching people come in and out of the room, talking loudly into their phones in the hallway and hollering. The police came shortly after 3:00 (our photos are timestamped at 3:10pm) and the guests were asked to leave the hotel without repercussions. Through the peephole, we counted more than 20 younger people (guessing on average 16-18 years of age) leaving the room. Not one of them carried a bag or suitcase or wore a mask; they rented the room to party. We also heard a conversation between one of the guests and the front desk employee. He was asking why they got no warning. Her response that we clearly heard was that she had "told Trayvon about the complaints and he said they would settle down by 2:00." So, just realize if you are looking for a restful night, they consider it acceptable for partying to continue until 2:00 a.m. This now becomes the hotel’s fault. As she was leaving the hall, we asked the employee if we could talk with her. We discussed what happened and our complete loss of sleep from the noise and among her comments was, "Well this is a hotel, and you know you are on the ‘party floor’”. Like it was now being deflected onto us as our fault??? Another employee told us, "we were on the party floor" as well. Another front desk associate told us that when the party checked in, they brought their own audio speakers. She also mentioned him by name, as if she knew him or this was a regular occurrence. She said he was 21 and paid $500 for the room. But there were two rooms? So $1,000??? On Marriott’s website you could book for $150 that same day. Why would he pay so much? Security deposit? Nothing added up. Anyway, our take on all of this is the mindset of this hotel is that the comfort and quality of stay of most guests seems to be sacrificed for the revenue and partying experience of others. At this point it all added up, the economy was hurting (more so in Davenport Iowa than elsewhere in the country). Combine that with winter in Iowa during COVID these rooms were quoted to us at $57 per night. Even if it was $150 per night, people do the math and see this as a cheap way to have a hotel room with two bedrooms and two baths and a full kitchen and living room to party in. We were told by a man the following evening who brought up more sheets to try to fit the bed (they didn’t), that he has seen doors kicked off, vomit in the sinks, couches turned upside down and way worse. Things happen. That's life. We accept that, but what is not acceptable was the attitude of many of the employees, including excuses and defensiveness. As a 22-year-long member of the Marriott Rewards Club attaining Titanium Elite status and currently a Platinum Elite for life, it's not how we expected to be treated. For two years I lived in a Marriot for three nights a week for my job. Thousands have been spent on this brand. In addition, for work, I have booked many conferences for them which included 100’s of people from all over the country convening, renting ball rooms, having them cater us for $5/bottle of water and renting Wi-Fi for $500 per day per breakout room, etc. 100’s of thousands I have been solely responsible for bringing to the Marriott family. But I digress. We heard many things from different employees. One mentioned the fact that much of the staff had been laid off during COVID and they had a lean new staff of 4 people. That's understandable and we empathize. But, given the current crisis situation, we would hope that cleaning standards would still be maintained, and guests would be treated with respect. Another employee was quite transparent with us describing the conditions that the staff have to endure; cut corners, few staff members, long hours, fear of repercussion for reporting issues. All at the expense of the customer experience! He begged us to share our situation on social media so that the owners would get the message. We have names of everyone we spoke to but we will preserve this gentleman’s name as he was scared to lose his job. The bottom line is we were expecting an upscale hotel experience, one that would provide comfort and refuge from the stressful experience we had that weekend. Instead, the hotel only added to our stress and discomfort. For the discerning guest, who pays for an Autograph hotel looking for a quality experience, we cannot recommend the Hotel BlackHawk. Advice for the hotel management: The effects of COVID are unprecedented. We get it. Travel and revenue were both down and there has been an impact. But just be aware the way you address that impact has a huge effect on your brand and reputation. This review will unfortunately result in lost business as there is another premium Marriot down the street. That is NOT our intent on writing this as we want you to succeed in our hometown. The cut corners are very apparent and not good for the hotel. As well as does the way problems are addressed with your paying customers. You’ve done nothing to compensate us, which I can show through the email we received from Marriott and from my account balance which never showed any points deposited from you. We asked to be refunded the four nights of suite upgrades that were applied and to be refunded a free night voucher that I used. We were still willing to pay for the nights if this was done. Three different hotel members said not to worry that they would be adding “9 nights” worth of points to us. The only points we received were from Marriot customer service which was 5,000 points. To put that in perspective…basic rooms at a Residence in are 27,000 points per night. So this was a sixth of a free night at the lowest tier brand of theirs. As the cherry on top, while riding in the Uber home from the airport, we got an email breaking down the charges. We were charged more than twice the rate that was quoted originally!!! We've yet to deal with this. We apologize for the lengthy review but we wanted to waste no more time on this event. We wanted one copy that could go to Marriot, Trip Advisor, Google, and Yelp. The BlackHawk Hotel; never again!