Northern Lights - Timonium

First off, to clear up any confusion, this place is now called the Red Lion Hotel North Baltimore (because somehow that 's less of a mouthful than Northern Lights at The Radisson ? . And while I really, really, really wanted to 5 star this place due to the very friendly staff, there were just some gripes that prevented it from reaching that status. When first arriving at the hotel, I actually drove by it because of it 's location. It 's situated in the back of a property filled with various office buildings. Being that the hotel itself is not visible from the road, I really did not think that this place actually housed a major hotel. If you look at the pictures posted of this property, the lobby is indeed as big as pictured. However first impression upon walking in, was that it was rather dark, looked old and outdated, and smelled a bit musky. It just seems like real estate that was quite posh in its heydays, but is now just outdated and in desperate need of a retrofit. Even the elevators looked like old service elevators, that creaked and groaned as it climbed up and down. As mentioned before, the service here was very friendly and efficient. Walking up to the check-in desk, the lady behind the counter was all smiles and literally checked me in at lightning speed (I just gave my name, handed over a credit card, and got my keys. All in the span of about 2mins . I 've checked into a decent amount of hotels in my time, but this definitely was the quickest check-in process I 've ever encountered. With regards to having a friendly staff, even the maintenance workers that I passed in the hallway were friendly and offered a quick greeting in passing (something that is simple yet quite refreshing after a long day of work . The rooms themselves were very spacious and clean. However upon further inspection, much like the lobby, could benefit from a complete remodel. Little things like a TV that didn 't work, sliding closet doors that long since fell off its rails and no longer slid, and a really loud AC unit that I couldn 't turn off since there were no visible thermostats. Room service was very thorough, and I never felt like they forgot to clean or replace anything during the week that I stayed. For the price that I paid, it was ok. It 's clear that the staff here actually care and take pride in their jobs. However it was very clear that this was an older property. Given better visibility, and a substantial overhaul to the entire building, this place could really be that much better. As it stands however, there are better options around for about the same price point.

Stayed here on business, on the customers dime, so I have no idea what the room rate was. Recently remodeled, but it feels like a paper over. The bed is comfortable enough; no fridge or microwave in the room. Water pressure is ok in the shower; crappy coffee maker in the room, no coffee service in the lobby. Breakfast is not provided. I don't have any reactions to mold in this hotel, so I suppose it's a good thing. The hotel is close to the interstate; if you have a car,you're not gonna be walking anywhere from this place. It's not close to anything else. Another reviewer mention $59 a night through Priceline; this hotel would be worth it at that price. Any more than that, I would feel ripped off.

I've eaten here twice so far for seminars. The food isn't too bad. Its just ridiculously expensive. My first time eating here I paid $14 for a sandwich, chips and 12oz can of Coke. The second time I paid the same but fries instead of chips. The coffee is not complimentary, they want $2 for a small white styrofoam cup and no refills. Bring your own coffee if you're attending a seminar or something here. However the bar, restaurant, bathrooms and conference rooms seem nice and clean.

I just checked in and already I wish I had read the Yelp reviews before I was fooled into booking here by this hotel 's deceptive marketing. This hotel offered absolutely NOTHING to make my stay a pleasant experience, including the things that I paid for because they advertised them. It 's just a bed, nothing more, and you can get that cheaper and in more convenient locations. This hotel needs to stop falsely advertising amenities that they don 't allow the guests to use during the hours when they 're likely to want them. It 's August, it 's been a hot, sticky day of traveling, and I skipped cheaper and more convenient accommodations because this hotel 's Priceline writeup repeatedly emphasized their supposed pool , and I really, really needed a swim. Well, ok. Yes. Technically, physically, there is a pool on the grounds with water in it and chairs around it. But the catch: You 're not allowed to use it. I checked in at 8pm still summer daylight hours, still August hot and sticky out, and the pool was closed already. Now, you 'd think maybe I could at least get in a swim in the morning, right? Nope. The pool is closed locked, from before sunset, until NOON that 's AFTER check out time. WTF? So, effectively, yes, the oft mentioned pool does physically exist, but it 's not in any way available for my use as a paying gues. Functionally, there is no pool. If they hadn 't gone out of their way to repeatedly emphasize the pool in their listing, I might not have felt like they actively scammed me. But I do. As I said, there were both cheaper and more convenient options, if all I wanted to do was sit in an air conditioned room all night. But that 's what I wound up doing. To a traveler getting off the road at 8PM during a hot, sticky August, still during daylight hours, it 's not at all unreasonable to expect that a hotel prominently advertising a pool to have the pool available for use at SOME point during the guests stay. This place doesn 't. At all. Apparently this hotel cares enough to get you in the door, Maybe this seems like a petty point to get so irate about. But it 's HOT, I 'm sweaty and sticky, and I paid for a hotel with a POOL on purpose! It 's August! Apparently, once they have your money, Red Lion don 't actually care enough to provide the amenities they advertised. I 'm irritated! I could have stayed in a cheapo motel in town if all I wanted was to sit in a room watching TV. Which is what I would be doing now, except... of course, the DirectTV keeps going out for 10 and 15 minutes at a time, so I can 't even watch TV in the room. Great. EDIT: Since the TV went out, I decided to go down to the bar. I should have guessed: the hotel bar is closed, totally locked up. At 10:15 pm. Of course, of course. AVOID THIS HOTEL. I 'm in town for a few more days but tomorrow morning I 'm checking out for sure and going to a good hotel instead. I can 't wait to go stay somewhere enjoyable. I guess I just learned my lesson about finding hotel deals on Priceline. EDIT: I 've added back a star. I had a talk with the manager and did a little research on my own. Turns out Maryland has crazy restrictive laws about pools that really work against hotels, the county is actively involved in the daily management of even private hotel pools, so pretty much every hotel I looked at in the area is exactly the same: unbelievably limited pool hours on weekdays, and they roll up the decks at the first sign of inclement weather. So, it 's not this hotel 's fault, although it doesn 't make staying in the area in the future any more appealing, that 's for sure. I will say that the hotel advertised itself, very prominently on its Priceline listing and even on the front page its own site, with big, gorgeous photos showing the pool lit up and clearly open at night. This, I have a problem with. It 's one thing if the laws are crazy and keep them from operating a pool after sunset, but they 're proactively advertising this hotel in a way that would lead a traveler arriving during daylight hours in August to expect that the pool will be open, and at least 5 a week, that 's just not true. The pool laws aren 't the hotel 's fault, but the choice to plaster the web with huge photos of amenity situations that are most of the time unavailable to the guests is dishonest. Don 't post attractive pictures of a nighttime pool area if the pool closes before sunset most summer nights. There were some other problems, like one day the air conditioning was out and the entire lobby restaurant were absolutely sweltering, they said the AC had been turned off to do some roofing repair on a hot August afternoon. On the upside, I have to say: the staff here has been incredibly friendly, every single time I 've spoken to anyone. The food in the restaurant is ok, not very expensive for a hotel, and basically ok. The coffee 's pretty good and often free. And the towels in the bathrooms are escpecially nice, very thick luxurious.

It's called the Red Lion Hotel now. It smelled like bad weed and there was a blood stain on my pillowcase. Apples at reception were crunchy and very good. Would not recommend.