Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa

I am sorry to say this is probably the last time we will ever stay here. I love the history, but the rest is simply horrible.
The swimming pool water is brown with cigarette butts littered everywhere. The trash from room service, dirty linens and towels stayed out in the hall until 9:00 pm. The place is hot — 80 degrees in the room. There is black mold in the bathroom. The gym is not a gym. It has a couple of treadmills and some kind of 70s machine. Not that you would use the gym, when we stepped in we began dry heaving from the smell. I am guessing it was a dead rodent. Even though there is so much potential, I am not sure if it should be allowed to operate. It should be a privilege to run this place, but these people show no pride in the legacy of the Arlington.

This review is for the beauty salon and spa. Not only is it really dated but my nails were done horribly. I had a mani pedi. The mani was with shellac and it did not even last one week before it started chipping off. I had to ask the lady who did my nails to paint the entire nail since she neglected to paint the sides of my nails. Also the polish was not applied evenly so you can see streaks on them. I should have never wasted money on this place. Next time I will get my nails done at my salon before travelling, that way I’ll know they’ll look great.

Do not even think about staying here. All the bad reviews on the sidebar are correct. Horrible smell, everything moldy, I mean, just ridiculous.
The price was absurd. $ 179 a night.
In the bathroom there was a light switch right next to the «shower». There were two separate sinks– one slammed in behind the door to the commode. It was a fully stainless steel unit sort of like you might see in a ’40’s trailer. Weird.
The air conditioning unit had to be original. It was all rusted and painted and rusted out and painted. Just gross.
It should be condemned and leveled, and if it was in California that would happen.
The whole of Hot Springs was decrepit. Right on the main street there was a hotel named the Aristocrat. The window glass was broken out, the outside was literally falling down and I was shocked to see a few rooms had lights flickering in the windows at night. It had to be squatters.
It’s true about the keys. It’s true about the water pressure.
It’s really a shame that this kind of thing goes on in America. I feel sorry for the kids growing up with such poverty.

This is the worst place ive ever stayed. It smells like an old funeral home. There is mold all over the place. The room we stayed in was awful. The tub leaked all night long. The water in the tub took an hour to drain out. If your into 100+ yr old hotel then this is your place. 149 dollars w tax for the worst place ive ever stayed. +50 dollars on a card in case u decide to drink the nasty bottled water they leave you. Ridiculous.

After driving 7 hours to Hot Springs we were relieved to finally get our room. The potpourri smell in the hallways was overpowering, but didn’t get rid of the old rug smell. We finally made our way to the hotel restaurant. We were a party of about 13. When we got there there were only two other people, everyone got their food except out table. After 45 minutes I asked where was our food, it turned out they never submitted our ticket! (This with a hungry 3 and 5 year old)
The other excuse is that they only had one chef working, really?
The other table (from our party) took 1 hour to get their ticket straight!
So we left and ate elsewhere.
When it was time to take a bath, the shower did not work, it only put out scalding water so we had to use the running water from the bath, and let me tell you, bath tub was disgusting. The bathroom door was broken, the AC was broken (either on or off, no in between)
This place is old, broken, and the service is horrible.

My dad kept saying, «al copone stayed here.» My response, «he made the worst lodging decisions ever.»
Don’t worry about your phone erasing the card key to get in your room; they still us the old key that cost $ 25 to replace. Last time I used a key to enter a hotel I was still young enough to not care about how crappy my hotel was.
The ceiling fans in the rooms kinda make it feel like there’s an a/​c blowing…
I I can’t believe a major hotel company hasn’t bought this place out. It’s ancient.
I was also really disappointed to find out nobody delivered to this hotel after midnight on Tuesday. They charge soooooooo much for a room but can’t provide a decent room service.
If given the choice, I’d find somewhere else to stay.

Some significant improvements over my last review in specific areas. Have been a couple of times since 2013, but didn’t review each. Found that first appointment of the day in the bathhouse is a great idea. Attendants can take their time and I never felt rushed. Innette is the best! But, I’m getting ahead of myself…
The Arlington remains one of the grand hotels of the south. This trip, we enjoyed drinks on the front porch. Their lobby bar is a great place to get a well-​made drink and the porch is perfect for people watching and simply enjoying the day.

Valet parking is prompt and helpful. Bell service is not mandatory but is certainly available.
We did not dine on-​premises this time, so I can’t say if the dining room has improved or not. Based on some recent reviews, it may appear not.
Dancing in the lobby Friday and Saturday is such a treat. Dress up or down. Everything from jeans to formal, ballroom attire can be seen. Dance or just enjoy watching. There are some serious dancers here along with others who prefer more of a «free-​style». Both interesting to watch.
Nice historic rooms, comfy beds, plenty of pillows, clean, crisp linens, full flow shower (even in my «historic» room) with plenty of pressure, and the highlight of the stay, an on-​premises bath house — the best in Hot Springs. If you stay on 3^rd or 4^th floor, there is a door directly to the Bathhouse.
This is a great relaxing getaway or weekend with the girls.
Arlington Bathhouse
Once just my favorite, now my only bathhouse in Hot Springs as the others seem to have gone downhill a bit. Reservations are accepted but they will accommodate walk-​ins if possible. I recommend the full bath and also recommend extending the massage if scheduling permits. While many bathhouses just rub in some lotion and call it a massage, Arlington Bathhouse have really good massage therapists here who give a truly beneficial massage.
Bathing attendants are professional, caring, and considerate. I always request Innette. There are several tub sizes to accommodate short to tall and ensure a comfortable, complete immersion in the healing mineral waters. Water is at a good temperature. I like a hot bath — not lukewarm as some others provide. From bath to hot pack table; from hot pack table to dry sauna; and then on to the needle shower followed by a healing massage. What more can we ask for? Well, one thing. I only wish Arlington Bathhouse would resurrect the steam cabinets of old. They have always been my favorite.

The place to be as far as location and history, without a doubt. Walking distance to pretty much everything and the lobby and porch can be a day itself. The hotel however is dated and evidently the priority is not on updating, really cleaning, or accommodating guests when there’s a problem. The plumbers tape on my shower head, I guess it happens. The t-​shirt in bed when I got in, generally not so much. Luckily it was mine from the day before but dang! I asked the management if they changed the sheets nightly? «Yes sir we do». When I related my story, he was shocked!!! Then he handed me my bill, thanked me and sent me on my way.

You won’t find a 4 star or better hotel in HS. Stop looking. The Arlington is 3 star, no better. The 4^th star is just because it’s old, historic, retro and just plain cool. This place is the product of the roaring 20’s. The rooms are nothing special. I can literally concentrate a stream of urine harder than the pressure in the shower. The amount of lead based paint in the rooms should not even be considered.
Parking sucks donkey balls. Try the tiny parking garage 300 yards down, or even try for a slot on the side street. Once you finally admit defeat, pay the $ 15 per night valet fee (plus tips) and be done with it. You don’t need your ride anymore. Take advantage of the $ 5 per person fair to the races from the taxi shuttle. It’s like 5 minutes to the races.
Each Saturday there is a 10am gathering in the lobby where a local handicapper tells you his racing picks. Take his picks with a grain of salt. Nothing is certain with horses. The lobby bar serves up a very decent bloody mary or mimosa for $ 5.50.
The hotel is pet friendly, a $ 30 pet fee (regardless of the nights stayed) is charged. Pets are 6^th floor only, but have easy access to the back pool area for walking pee/​poops, etc. My pooch loved his stay.
This place does the old school key thing. Don’t loose the big ass key or they will hit you with a $ 25 «I’m a dumb-​ass» fee.

Had a stellar experience with Suzanne, the Sales Manager at the Arlington. We were there checking out the ballroom and she took the time to tell us about the history of the hotel and took us up to see the Al Capone Suite. Amazing!
Suzanne was incredibly helpful and made us excited to stay here. Thanks!

A weekend for the girls
1. Did not like that we HAD to have a bellhop carry all our things to the room. We were capable of doing it ourselves and wanted to but because we had too many things and needed a cart, a bellhop was required. (No cart without bellman) I have no complaints about the hotel. If you like old and nostalgic, you will love the arlington.
2. Made appt for our 1^st ever bathe and «the works» including a 20 min massage. I can now say I’ve done it, had the experience but I will not pay for it again. 70.00 to go into a little room alone get in a bathtub that had what looked like a big mixer sticking out of it. The lady got me in, gave me hot water to drink and then closed the curtain and left. I sat in there about 15 to 20 minutes when she came back, and took a loofah sponge and exfoliated legs arms and back. The whole process took less than 30 SECONDS. At that time I got out, was wrapped up literally from head to toe with many hot towels and laid on a table in the center of the room with a cold towel laid on my face with only my nose out so I could breath. I think they called this hot/​cold packs. I’m not sure how long we laid there but it was long enough to begin getting very cold. Was then taken to a shower in back that only partially worked and told to rinse. Very low water pressure. She came back I dried off and was sent on my way to the man’s side for my massage. Buford was the man they had assigned to me. I’m not sure why I wasn’t given a female since there were several women on that side that did massages. Unfortunately, he seemed to either be almost or completely blind. That’s not what bothered me at all. The massage was awful. He barely rubbed at all. Didn’t go above my knees, did not work on my neck and I even told him I had tension in neck and shoulders. It was like he was scared to massage. He did rub a bit harder on my back and then once he would get done with a spot, he would slap it. («Pop») he did that 4 different times and on the last one, he popped me and said «ok, we’re done» I could not tell that I had a massage. There was nothing relaxing about it. It was very noisy and he wanted to continue to talk. There are signs hanging all over the walls «quiet please» but I don’t think that pertained to the workers.
3. I made a comment to the lady at the front desk before we paid about the price of 70. And that the springs hotel and spa down the street had the same package but for 55. And she made comment that the arlingtons services are much better. I would hate to think that the services that my friend and I had was the best. We had a great time with everything else we did while in hot springs this weekend EXCEPT the spa at the arlington. The room was very hot and air conditioning was not an option. The beds were extremely comfortable. There was obviously something wrong with TV because it continued to go off by itself both nights.

My husband and I scheduled a pedicure while 4 of our friends went upstairs for the baths. We arrived 45 minutes early since our friends appointments were earlier than ours. We checked in and asked if we could start early (since no one was getting their nails done). The receptionist said «it would be better to wait». I wasn’t sure what that meant until we sat and listened to her and other coworkers gossip loudly for the next 20 minutes. They even gossiped about us– I guess they forgot we were sitting there waiting?
When they finally did take us to start our pedicures, they were awful. The small talk was very unprofessional– negative comments about certain races were made and the whole experience was uncomfortable. My pedicure was quite possibly the worst I’ve ever had. The water wasn’t warm, she didn’t take any calluses off and the paint job was poor. When she finished, she left and I had to ask to have her come back to clean up the sloppy job she did.
My husbands was slightly better than mine– in fact his took about 10 minutes longer despite not even getting his painted because the woman actually took her time with cleaning his nails and his massage.
I would never return to this salon and do not recommend any service based on their unprofessionalism.

We have been to the Arlington many times over the past 28 years. We always have a wonderful time and enjoy our stay. The front desk personnel are always helpful and efficient. The rooms are clean and the beds are comfy. This is a very historic, nostalgic hotel so don’t expect «brand new and shiny». If you love history you’ll love it here. We like to visit the outdoor hot tub and heated pools on cold days. In the evening we enjoy sitting in the lobby, visiting with new found friends and eating fresh made popcorn.

I did read the reviews before coming here, but did not find the poor conditions reported by others.
Yes. It is an «old» building, but it seems that is well maintained. We stayed in room 526 and the bed was clean and firm.
The lobby and bar are great. (Kind of reminded of the Campbell Apartment in Grand Central.
We went to the bath and spa in the morning before our neice’s wedding. While the facilities are definitely old, the staff (especially Derek) are very good.
We had no problems parking our car over the weekend.
If we ever come back to Hot Springs, we’d stay here again.

I didn’t know what to think based on the reviews which are all over the place but I knew I liked the sound of the in-​room mineral tubs and that was enough to sell me on it. I was quite pleased! Yes, the rooms are old, so there is some wear and tear around the baseboards but nothing gross. The real keys they give you for the rooms took a little getting used to but I thought it was appropriately old school. The location is, of course, great, you can pop over to the shops and restaurants along Central and check out all the old bath houses. The bar was always swingin’ at night with a band playing and free popcorn.
Our room had a giant old TV but my parent’s room had a flat screen so they must be updating them over time. The tub was not big enough for two people (at least not comfortably) but it’s not a regular sized tub either (very narrow but very long, the shower curtain didn’t reach all the way!) Even when stuff was kind of weird it was charming because the place has so much history.
I wasn’t overwhelmingly excited by the $ 30 seafood buffet on Friday night– most of the food was meh, some of it blech (the oysters) but as long as you ignore most everything and focus on eating as many crab legs and boiled shrimp as you can stomach, you can get your money’s worth of sweet sweet shellfish. That was the only meal we ate there.

First, we had a great time at the bar on a Saturday night. The place was packed and we met some really nice people. The bartenders know how to pour a mean drink and we’ll just leave it at that :)
Steve the valet was great. We did not valet our car (the self park lot is a little janky) but he took all of our bags and brought them up to the room, which was great because it would have been a struggle for this couple of blocks.
So everyone else has already mentioned all the cosmetic issues about the hotel. Honestly, I was so busy having a good time, that I didn’t take time to notice every bit of peeling paint and such. Yeah, you miss the modern luxury of an updated bathroom and a mini fridge, but our room and bedding were clean, we had plenty of towels and the wifi worked just fine. I will say the 7^th floor ice room had some creep factor at night, so I was in and out!
We were not able to get into the spa, so we went down the street. And the hair salon was less than impressive when I stopped in to see if someone could quickly wash my hair after my massage and mineral bath, but they couldn’t «fit me in» even though there wasn’t another soul in sight. I won’t hold that against the hotel, since that is not a typical service I would use.
I would totally go back for another stay and look forward to having another drink or two on the veranda. A

The Arlington is the largest hotel in Arkansas. It’s a Historic hotel, presiding over downtown as it has since 1924. It has seen the coming and going of mobsters, including Al Capone, and is still a great starting point for «taking the baths» and exploring Hot Springs National Park.
If you are looking for the Hilton, this is not it. If you are looking for a B&B, this is not it. This hotel will truly make you feel as if you have gone back in time. It is old, parts of it are grand, and all of it is interesting to see and explore.
I recently attended a conference at the Arlington along with my 9 year old daughter. I had also stayed there on a getaway weekend with my now husband about 12 years ago. From my own perspective, it’s fun to be in a big, historic hotel that is unlike any other place I’ve ever stayed. Some parts of the hotel could use some repair to bring them back up to snuff, and there are rooms that smell musty and, well, old. The lobby and front desk area is interesting to take in, and there are beautiful curved marble staircases up to the second floor balcony area. If you have the opportunity to check out the Al Capone Suite on the 4^th floor, definitely do. It looks right out onto the street above the main entrance of the hotel. It also has an exit door in the closet, in case someone needed to make a quick escape.
It was also fun to see the hotel through my daughter’s eyes. She was fascinated with the old-​timey fire extinguishers and the mail drop at the elevator bank. The front desk was super helpful in finding us a room that had a view out to the street, and she loved watching the carriages and people coming and going. Her favorite was the pool, which is built into the hillside behind the hotel (access is from the 7^th floor to give you an idea of the rise). There are two levels to the pool (two pools, basically). The «downstairs» pool is shallow and has a waterfall, and the «upstairs» pool is 6 ft. We also had easy access to walk along bath house row, where she learned about taking the baths, explored the restored bath house at the National Park Visitor Center, and was sworn in as a Junior National Park Ranger. Very fun and educational.
A note on «taking the baths». This is not a modern day spa treatment. It’s a completely different experience, with historic significance. If you go into it without the expectation of what you normally would expect at your local spa, it’s very enjoyable!

The Arlington is an old hotel in the center of Hot Springs. Built 90 years ago, it is well past its hey-​day, but it still enjoys a certain charm. After our most recent stay there, it is clear that with only a few minor upgrades, it could be a top-​notch hotel again.
On arrival, it is clear that the outside of the building is well worn. A bit of cleaning wouldn’t go amiss. A couple of guys with sand-​blasting rigs won’t cost that much.
The lobby is fabulous with unusual décor, lots of flowers, and a very relaxing atmosphere. There is a bar and a Starbucks at the lobby level. Later in the day, we had a few drinks at the bar, and were pleasantly surprised because the drink prices were very reasonable.
Check-​in was easy enough. After we got our keys — real metal that cost $ 25 if you lose one — we rode the elevator up to the third floor, found our room, and entered. It was cool (temperature-​wise) and inviting. Nice furnishings and the mattress was comfortable. We had a view overlooking Central Ave.
They offer free WIFI, but after using it for a few minutes, it was clearly way too slow, so I turned it off and used my ATT data plan. (Not sure what that’s going to cost me, but I had some things to do that couldn’t wait.)
After seeing the comfort of the room, I was expecting a nice bathroom. It wasn’t to be. It looks like the bathroom in my grandparents old house built in the 30’s. Well worn, tarnished, and cracked. It made me glad that I had taken a shower before leaving home that day. To be fair, everything was clean, but the best cleaner can’t reverse the natural aging of fixtures and décor.
We spent the afternoon and evening away from the hotel and returned about 1am. Like I said already, the mattress was very comfortable, as were the pillows. The problem was that the sheets and blanket on the king size bed weren’t long enough. They didn’t come up far enough to cover our shoulders, and when I slid down the bed to get everything covered, my feet were jammed at the end of the bed. The comfortable mattress was negated by inferior covers. I could have raised the thermostat and been comfortable without covers, but that would have bothered my wife. (Who is always hotter than I am…)
Since we had a late night on Saturday, we were looking forward to sleeping late on Sunday, and Arlington’s 11am checkout seemed perfect to accommodate that. But that wasn’t to be either. The hotel had booked a large group for a family reunion, and it included a Sunday church service on our floor. The hymns were actually quite good and the preacher wasn’t loud enough for us to hear, but the crowd noise and babies crying before and after were not what we bargained for early on a Sunday. We were up and out way before checkout time.
So, here are my suggestions for the Arlington management:
1) Clean the outside of the building.
2) Update the bathrooms.
3) Fix the WIFI or quit advertising that you offer it.
4) If you schedule noisy events on a floor, don’t book me or any other non-​member of the group on that floor.
5) Provide longer sheets for the king size beds.
Will we be back? Of course, because no matter what the problems are, the hotel is centrally located, reasonably priced, and close to most everything in downtown Hot Springs.

I had the opportunity to stay here and to visit the spa during my stay. I was in town for a business meeting and my one overwhelming frustration throughout the whole stay was that the wireless in my room barely worked. The room itself was ok, sort of run down as others have mentioned. There is definitely an old world charm to the whole hotel, but I think staying on top of things like carpet and paint would make the entire experience more enjoyable. I also ate from the breakfast buffet which was… not good. The eggs were runny, oatmeal pastey, and everything sort of seemed like it was old even though I was eating at about 7:30am. We did have lunch catered by the hotel and that food was a bit better– more standard catering food fare which is still not by any means good.
I went to the spa for a hot springs bath and a massage (called «the works» on their spa menu) on my last morning in town, and while it was great way to wrap up the stay, I almost wish I had stayed earlier because I feel like it gave me a better experience and more understanding towards the entire feel of the hotel. I loved my spa experience although it was, as many have said here and other other bath house reviews, not the modern spa experience. This was more ladies getting together to take care of themselves and each other. Glenda and Gigi were my guides throughout the experience which included the bath, a hot towel treatment, a cool down shower, and massage. I loved everything from beginning to end and the service was impeccable.
In fact, the service throughout my stay was great. The bar was also a fun place to hang out and seemed to be quite the watering hole even for some more local people and definitely those who were staying at the hotel. Prices were very reasonable, the only downside was that the bar closed at «ten,» which meant really 9:45, and even then their clock at the bar was set about 15 minutes fast… so 9:30.
I’ve stayed at several historic hotels throughout the US and the Arlington could definitely use some TLC before I would return there.

My review is just for the fabulous bar in the lobby– we didn’t have the pleasure of staying, dining or receiving spa services at the Arlington while we were in Hot Springs.
If you’re traveling through Hot Springs and looking for a place to grab a drink, I highly recommend you check out the fantastic art deco lobby in the Arlington Hotel. The murals are fantastic! Like most bars in Hot Springs, the Arlington favors a martini menu if you’re looking for a mixed drink. I found them to be the best we drank while we were in town– not sweet and plenty stiff!