VELDA ROSE RESORT HOTEL & SPA

By Diane from Memphis, TN • Velda rose for dog lovers

Overall Rating: 10   Location [8] • Room [6] • Service [8] • Value [10]

	small pets FREE, in house spa, downtown area, value $$$!!!
	none

We stayed at Velda Rosa and I was somewhat anxious after reading some of the other reviews. We arrived and were told our room assignment “had a problem” but were moved to room 921. I was pleasantly surprised to find that our room was clean, odor free (I brought the Febreze just in case!) had a Queen/Full combo, a bar, small refrigerator, a full sized closet with doors, 2 chairs and a coffee table, a 4 cup coffee machine, iron and ironing board plus a large *balcony complete with 2 chairs and a small table. This room is at the end of the 9th, top, floor. The balcony was clean and we had a nice view of downtown and the side of hot springs hill/mountain. Next year we’ll book the same room. We’ve seen several others rooms on this floor and they are slightly smaller and lack a bar. We’ve stayed at the Arlington every other year we’ve come to Hot Springs and we did miss the outdoor heated pool and hot tub. To make up for that we drove 1 mile (could have easily walked) to the Hot Springs Health Spa at 500 Reserve and we all soaked in a variety of pools, a steam and dry sauna and enjoyed a cold waterfall to cool off. The cost was only $13 for each adult and ½ price for children.
The in-house spa is that, a spa, not a traditional bathhouse anymore. The mineral waters, tubs and the jets were the same ones used all over hot springs, but there was no attendant checking on you like at the Arlington. You could go to a dry sauna when you wanted during your 45 (more like 30 mins) but the massage was MUCH better than at the Arlington and it was twice as long. There were not hot packs, cool towels on the forehead, needle showers, sitz baths or steam cabinets. The hotel itself was older and the décor was retro 1950-60, but all the hotels are old in hot springs. We got a better room, with better beds than we ever got from the Arlington and were able to take our little dogs. We’re sold on the Velda Rose. *the south facing rooms have balconies. The north facing rooms do not.
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By Angela from Edmond, OK • Quite a Rose

Overall Rating: 10   

The Velda Rose is a wonderful hotel with an ambiance of a by-gone era. The rooms are nice. The spa is fantastic. The restaurant is wonderful. Everything you need for a wonderfully relaxing week-end (or longer) is right at your fingertips. A true "motor lodge" with something for everyone in the family. Take a walk around the hotel, read some of the old newspaper clippings framed throughout. If you love nostalgia, you will love this wonderful hotel.
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By • Worst Service Ever!!!

Overall Rating: 2   Location [6] • Room [2] • Service [2] • Value [6]

Worst service I have ever experienced. Do no stay at this hotel!! The manager did not have time to provide service to guest. He actually hung up on my wife and I. Then the secritary hung up on my wife. Very unpleasant.
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By Trip Tutorial User from ARKANSAS • NASTY

Overall Rating: 2   Location [2] • Room [2] • Service [2] • Value [2]

I WILL NEVER RECOMEND ANYONE TO STAY AT THIS NASTY RESORT. IF THAT IS WHAT YOU WANT TO CALL IT. WE FINALLY HAD TO MOVE TO OUR FORTH ROOM IN THIS PLACE. THE ROOMS WERE GROSS THERE WAS MILDEW AND MOLD ALL OVER THE SHOWER CURTAIN, THE TV'S WERE SO OLD THAT THEY HARDLY WORKED,STAINS ON THE JUST CHANGED BED SHEETS AND PILLOW CASES THIS WAS AFTER THE THIRD ROOM. TRASH WAS ON THE FLOOR AND ASHES ON THE TABLES. THERE WAS DOGS EVERY WHERE IN THE ROOMS, LOBBY, AND HALLWAYS. WE WENT TO THE SPA THE LADY ASKED ME ON THE PHONE A WEEK BEFORE WE ARRIVED IF I WANTED TWO WOMEN OR WHAT AND I SAID TWO WOMEN BECAUSE MY HUSBAND DOES NOT WANT A MAN RUBBING ON HIM. HE DID NOT GET TO RELAX. THEY MESSED UP AND GAVE HIM AM MAN. THIS WAS THE WORSE PLACE WE HAVE EVER STAYED AT. WE HAVE BEEN OVER THE ROAD DRIVING TRUCKS AND STAYED AT ALOT OF PLACES. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE IN OLD AND JUST PLAIN NASTY.
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By Trip Tutorial User from Waterloo, IA • Never Again!

Overall Rating: 4   

First, the positives: We did swim in the pool and it was not a bad experience. The architecture in the lobby was interesting and very old-fashioned. A nice touch.

The negatives: When we showed up an hour after check-in time, our room still was not ready. The lounge and restaurant were both closed (Saturday afternoon) and there was nowhere in the lobby to get a Coke or other vending. We had to use the Coke machine behind the front desk area which was actually in an employee-only area! We went down the street to grab lunch while we were waiting and it ended up being about 2 hours. They ended up just assigning us another room. Keep in mind we had confirmed our reservations the day before so this should not have been a problem. I agree with the previous comments about the elevators being a problem. Not only were they slow and inefficient, they didn't seem safe and were dirty. Once we got to our floor, there was a housekeeping cart abandoned in front of an empty room. We called the front desk and were informed that the housekeeper had walked off the job in the middle of her shift, and yet no one from management bothered to go close up the room and move the cart (let alone finish cleaning the room...). They had evidently overbooked for the weekend and they just didn't have the staff to take care of everything. Our room was hardly clean, smelled of smoke and mildew. We specifically requested a non-smoking room and it was marked as such, but it sure didn't smell that way. The balcony seemed unsafe with concrete breaking away at the edges and some rebar was exposed. I would not let my child go out there because of my concerns about his safety. The most interesting thing was the chickens in the parking ramp. Yes, chickens. Evidently there was some kind of convention that weekend having to do with chickens. Thank God they didn't let them in the hotel but the stench near the entrance was bad enough. We thought that by choosing an historic, independent hotel, we would have a better experience than going to one of the little chain hotels. Bad choice. I would recommend sticking to one of the chain hotels on the main highway.
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By • elevators are a nightmare

Overall Rating: 4   Location [8] • Room [4] • Service [4] • Value [2]

The most annoying thing about this hotel is the elevators. at times it took me up to 20 minutes just to go to my car an the parking deck. It took 7 or 8 minutes just for the elevator to make it to your floor after you pressed the button, then it would stop at every floor, and then at other times it would skip floors that needed to be stopped at. security doors were not locked at 11:00 like stated becouse I came in them at 1:00 am. oh yes at one point I got tired of waiting for elevator so I decided to walk up the 6 flight of stairs to see if it was faster and I beat my husband to the room by 4 or 5 minutes.( I don't recommend any one trying to climb the 6 flights of stairs either, it was RUFFF. will never stay again.
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By • Not a Resort at all

Overall Rating: 4   Location [4] • Room [2] • Service [2] • Value [4]

This hotel has the worst service I have ever experienced. And this is supposed to be a Resort and Spa hotel. The room had no refrigerator, the TV was 15 years old. The room was dirty; there were chips on the floor and in the bed. There was hair in the tub. When we called down to let them know, they informed us that their housekeeper had called in sick that day. They only have 1 housekeeper for the entire hotel?? And what do they do when she calls in sick? Nothing?? They were rude, and the manager was never there. Needless to say, we called another hotel; we got our money back and moved to a great hotel down the street.
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By connie from morgan co. al • dont if you want the hot springs experience

Overall Rating: 4   Location [6] • Room [4] • Service [4] • Value [6]

	walking distance to pottery and east end of shops
	no hot mineral water services, pool not heated as stated

arrived on tuesday, room smelled like old bodies, no refrig., toilet hard to flush, pillows flat (had to request 2 more which housekeeping would not answer phone so front desk finally did so), beds were two full not queen ( husband is over 6 ft., slept diagonally which took my side, two children in other bed, pool ice cold-supposed to be heated according to front desk, dinner was handled by one person for the entire room- food very good, breakfast was the same, spa was not hot mineral spring water and the price was higher than buckstaff bath house(excellent service). Went to Buckstaff because national park health and spa was closed for repair (family pool w/waterfall). Shopping from the hotel was good for the east end of town but from the fountain west we chose to park at the vistor center (dont try the diamond hunt unless you have children that need to exhale that energy), left car in hotel park deck after check out to finish shopping before leaving. Most recommended hotels were Arlington and embassey (downtown). Will go back to hot springs but will chose another hotel.
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