Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Baltimore

This was my second time staying in this particular building, my first time being back in 2006 when this building was still the Intercontinental.
The good:
It’s located in the Inner Harbor within walking distance of the southern end of the Inner Harbor and the Baltimore convention center.
The Federal Hill area is also within walking distance.
Friendly staff
Clean, comfortable rooms
Free basic wifi, but the connection is a bit spotty
Decent gym and indoor pool
The bad:
Most of my favorite restaurants in Baltimore are in Fells Point, which is on the northern end of the Inner Harbor. Around this hotel, you’re stuck with mostly tourist trap restaurants like Bubba Gump.
While my car was ok this time around, my car did get broken into in the hotel’s parking garage during my previous stay.
Overall:
Certainly a reasonable lodging option if either the price is right, or if your primary destination is the convention center. Otherwise, I might recommend the Marriott or the Four Seasons on the other side of the harbor. Really a 3.5 star review, but will round up to 4 stars.

Clean rooms, helpful and polite staff in this hotel. Room service food was amazing. Only 3 stars because I felt the room should have been bigger for the price/​view (stayed in a king with stated harbor view but a wall half obstructed the view)

I would recommend checking about any planned maintenance during your stay, including any crews outside windows.

Location! I booked this hotel on Hotwire and got a great deal. I really preferred to stay in Harbor East, but couldn’t find a deal in that area. Well this ended up being perfect. Inner Harbor directly across the street, Harbor East & Little Italy are a 10 minute walk in one direction and Federal Hill is a 10 minute walk in the other direction. Loved it! We walked everywhere.
Our room was a lot better than I expected. There was a large foyer when you walked in with a mini fridge, keurig, full length mirror and closet. The bathroom was spacious with a large tub. Then a nice big king bed, chair, and desk area. No complaints on the furniture or layout of the room. The only problem was air flow! I had the AC on high on the lowest temperature and it was still very stuffy. There was only one ceiling vent in each room and you couldn’t even feel the air flow. That was disappointing. I was dying for one of those under the window units that blasts air!
The other weird thing was parking. We couldn’t figure out how to walk from the garage directly to the hotel, even though it appeared that they were connected. Maybe it was just us. Parking was $ 26 overnight, which is pretty standard in the city. I would definitely recommend this hotel based primarily on location, but the room was also very nice.

Great hotel with a boutique feel. The salt water indoor pool and hot tub were very nice. Love the gardens and super awesome they keep bees! Happy hour at the bar on the second floor has great specials. Be sure to try the honey glazed wings since they use the honey from their own bees. Just a warning – $ 36/​night for valet parking plus tax makes it almost $ 45/​night. Might be worth looking for another garage nearby for half the price.

From the time we arrived, until we the time we left, the staff was wonderful. When we arrived we offered an upgrade by Carmen to harbor view. OMG so glad we did it… Worth it! In addition, when she found out it was our 37^th anniversary we had champagne and strawberries delivered to our room. What a nice surprise! At check out we had our parking FREE. It was a beautiful hotel and beautiful view of harbor. We did not need the rental car because we could have gotten a cab from the airport. Not knowing the area, we opted for the rental. For a weekend, there is sooooo much around the harbor to see and do. We had drinks one evening in the bar with light snack. View of course was harbor. Several mornings we ate in breakfast the Explorers Lounge. One morning we ordered off menu and next we had buffet. Both were good.

I was very pleased. The staff were very friendly and helpful from the front desk to everyone else:-) very clean room and comfortable.

Very pleased w/​our stay. Staff is kind & courteous. We are on our 3^rd night & our room is very nice. We have a harbor view king size. I read that housekeeping has been spotty for some guests so i have taken the time to stop at the front desk on our way out each day & request that housekeeping make up our room while weare out. I have each time been met w/​a courteous smile & upon our return, we have found our room tidied to perfection. Oh-​and I must note, the hallways in the hotel smell exceptionally fresh-​I am particularly critical.
The inner Harbor is truly within walking distance. The Aquarium, Hard Rock, Rusty Scupper, Harbor Boats, Phillips Seafood, the Ripleys Museum-​all easily walked to. You can take a water taxi from the Rusty Scupper to Fells Point & then Über back late night for about $ 6.
We will be back-​we booked through groupon and our Saturday night through Expedia-​great value.

The hotel is beautiful and conveniently located near the inner harbor. Walkable to Royal Farms Arena, The Convention Center and Camden Yards.
Great restaurants and bars are also walkable from this hotel.
We were checked in quite efficiently at 4 p.m. on a Monday. Our room, which was large by any standard, overlooked the courtyard. Very clean and comfy.
The parking garage is next door. $ 26 for the overnight.
We will return!

Very nice hotel. Room wasn’t ready on check in so they upgraded us to a suite. Lovely view of harbor. Staff were very friendly. The room was clean and plenty of towels.
I didn’t have any parking/​valet issues, just parked on the street. We’ll probably stay there again sometime.
Oh oh oh oh and check out the gym and racquetball — bananas.

What an awful experience. The room was booked far in advance, then we tried to check in far in advance only to find out that we were subject to long lines, poor service and additional wait times far beyond the guaranteed 4pm check in time. All in all a very disappointing experience and certainly makes me never want to visit this hotel again… Ever. The location is great but all of the other negatives completely negate the location.

One star for gorgeous views, one star for location. This hotel has them all licked on that. Problem is, they know it.
I could have given this hotel four stars. I wanted to. The concept is just stunning — beautiful place.
But the service, maintenance and the labyrinth-​like maze leave ALOT to be desired.
Another hotel billed as a four star and didn’t quite cut the mustard. After coming east for a funeral, I decided I would spend my last night here to sort of clear my head and adjust the vibes after a very sad weekend.
Check in is a nightmare. You pull in to what literally looks like a large closet, with room for about six cars if you’re all very careful. At that point, the valet is there to help (if you want to pay $ 36.00 per night plus tips — I don’t know about you, but I hand my valets five to ten for each pick up/​drop off). If you don’t want the valet, there is a parking garage that should be connected to the hotel. It isn’t. You must navigate a maze of corridors and elevators to get back in. This means no luggage cart, no nada. Very difficult if your bag is heavy.
Finally got to the room. Looks nice and clean til you look. Open the cabinet — filthy. The triple toiletry dispenser on the wall had leaked «coco mango» conditioner all on the tub floor (dangerous). But the sheets were great and the beds were clean. I was promised a harbor view that I did not get. I got a nice view of a brick wall. All that for the bargain price of $ 180.00.
It gets worse. I know my hotels and I always choose one with an onsite restaurant and bar. This experience is what ensured I won’t return to Royal Sonesta, ever.
My brother and I needed a nice cocktail to unwind. We walked into the restaurant to find no host. We seated ourselves at a table for two a bit away from the bar which was crowded with loud, obnoxious drunks. Then, the 300 lb waiter came over with menus. My brother said «no thanks, we’ll just be having a beverage» to which the waiter replied (at 9:30 at night with only one other occupied table in the place) «Oh, well then you’ll have to move over there» gesturing at the bar. All that remained for seating was a very uncomfortable looking banquette. «This is set up for dinner» he explained. Ridiculous. You certainly did not have a full restaurant — and I quickly found out why.
When ordering, I wasn’t 100 percent sure what I wanted. I was tired and wanted something refreshing. The waiter suggested a mojito. Rum is not my thing. I told him so and said «Oh, a mint julep would be great!» He looked at me funny and said they didn’t have the ingredients for a mint julep. If you have a good strong whiskey and the stuff for a mojito, you most certainly have the makings of a mint julep. I then had to educate the waiter and explain that a mint julep is simply a strong bourbon whiskey served in a glass which has muddled mint, simple syrup and crushed ice. That’s it. That freaking simple. He took it to the bartender, who failed miserably. He’s clearly not a bartender, but a beer tender.
I ordered an appetizer as I was slightly hungry and it was late. I ordered the brie/​spinach «dip». This was simply awful. Near frozen brie, with a few spinach leaves mixed in with some microwaved brie on top, unedible toast rounds out of a box and the only good thing: artichoke chips. The waiter’s attitude was just ridiculous. He got the standard 20% tip just to shove it in his face. I think because I looked so tired he may have «wallet profiled» me. Anyone who frequents high end establishments knows what wallet profiling is. Problem is, your server got it wrong this time.
Another downer: playing terrible 80’s R&B in the lobby after 9p.m. Clearly this was not the hotel owners/​managements choice but the girl behind the front desk. No one with the kind of money it costs to stay in this dive has listened to SWV since they were 12. Unbelievable.
On second thought, thinking about that crappy waiter, it’s one star for this low rent «trying to be high end on price alone» dive.

Booked the hotel through Expedia. We had stayed there before when it was under different ownership and it was great. This experience was not stellar at all, this time around.
The room key did not work and we were forced to have security let us into the room FIVE times, before they decided to change out the lock. We left a review on Expedia, and Steve, who obviously tries to tend to their social media and online reputation, actually lied and said that after the room key not working, they upgraded us to another suite, Funny, I don’t remember that! I do remember the hotel being booked solid because we were there for the Yankee game, and we were told that the hotel was completely booked.
The hotel room was never cleaned, for the 2 nights and three days that we were there. The reason was, they had so many guests and not enough staff. That was straight from the front desk!
The best part of the staff were the valets, who were actually awesome, which is the only reason I would give this place 1 star.
Bad enough to have a horrible experience, but then for the staff to LIE about what accommodations (on Expedia) they supposedly gave and did not is just down right HORRIFIC.
They charged double the normal room rate because the Yankees were in town and told us it was not because of the game, it was a supply and demand «thing». Well, the demand was because of the game, so we got gauged and had a bad experience.
You would think the hotel would actually reach out to the customer rather than lying about what accommodations and upgrades they got. This review never would have been written if they didn’t treat their customer bad and then lie about it.

This place was very good.

Best of the bunch in the Inner Harbor. Quiet, Quiet, Quiet. Sound deadening was obviously employed in the rooms. Clean, with all the amenities you could ever want. But the staff really shines. Attentive, professional, courteous.

BEAUTIFUL hotel! Everything about it was clean, elegant and convenient. The room was spacious, the carpet was soft and clean and the bathroom was awesome! (there was a TV in there! and the water pressure – oh my oh my!)
I booked a harbor-​front view, which was WELL WORTH the price. The view at night is so romantic; my fiancé and I just sat there, looking at the passersby and the lights of the city for hours.
The parking situation is convenient but very expensive. $ 26 for self-​parking and $ 36 for valet. I believe this is per day, but I am not sure.
The only bad thing about this hotel is the price for room service and the taxes. I have never in my life paid $ 60 for breakfast. I ordered a waffle, french toast and two sides of sausage. Yes, that was $ 52 — then I of course tipped the staff who brought it up. WHOA. If I could change anything about the trip, it would be to get out of my lazy state and go get breakfast somewhere else – the food was not worth it (I don’t think any waffle is worth it haha). The food was the same quality you would get at a local Denny’s, so don’t let the advertising on the menu fool you (it fooled me. I expected a giant plate of chef-​style food and was delivered a regular waffle with overcooked sausage).
The hotel is walking distance from the main tourist attractions such as the aquarium (which is a must see!), the restaurants and bars. The city is really clean and I absolutely loved just walking around.
Be aware of the hotel tax and surcharges. I reserved my room for a rate of $ 159. After taxes and charges, the room cost came up to $ 283. Yes. I am telling you the truth. The taxes and fees were almost the same cost as the room. No, this is not even the «incidentals» fee — this is just the tax. So… With that said… Make sure you ask before you book!
If you can, get a room that includes breakfast and possibly is on a higher floor. A lot of people say they can hear the noise from the street, but we didn’t and we were on the fourth floor.
So– in a nutshell:
1– BEAUTIFUL hotel
2– Convenient
3– Room Service is too expensive and not worth the cost
4– Taxes are really high
5– Parking is expensive

From the moment I walked in the staff were extremely friendly & helpful. They had my room ready earlier than expected, which was a very pleasant surprise.
The room was big, clean & comfortable.
I didn’t watch much TV but when I did put it on the reception was a bit fuzzy.
Great location, walking distance to everything. reasonable parking rates although I think the hotel prices in that area are a bit expensive & Sonesta was no exception. I would probably stay there again.

The Royal Sonesta was my first choice in a hotel to stay in the Baltimore area. The hotel lobby is was more impressive then the actual room. My room wasn’t that great. The bed was amazing, but that was about it. The bathroom had an outdated tv on the wall. That was pretty cool. I did not have the harbor view, but I can only imagine what it looked like.
I ordered breakfast in the morning, I have to say it wasn’t that great. For $ 60 dollars I could’ve had a 5 course dinner for one at a nice restaurant. I don’t think I’ll stay here again, I would like to explore what Baltimore has to offer.

Pros
— Location overlooking the Inner Harbor
— TV in the bathroom
Cons
— A rapist friendly parking lot (I had to go through 3 doors /​corridors to get to the lobby and the garage’s carpeted urine smelling elevator was a nice touch)
— Staticy Direct TV channels
— Peeling wall paper and outdated carpeting and furniture
— A toiletry dispenser in the shower for Coco Mango shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel
— An empty refrigerator… all I wanted was water after my Belgian beer heavy dinner
Overnight parking: $ 26

I would not recommend the Royal Sonesta for a group. We pre-​paid for our rooms and they were not available at check-​in.
We were in Balitmore to celebrate Carnival and had to miss a half day of festivities due to check-​in issues. Many guests were not able to check in until after 6 p.m. Simply terrible.