"This hotel obviously is struggling to make it in a tough market. All the staff we met were friendly and pleasant, but overall if you're looking for a modern property with all the expected frills, this isn't it. I thought Omni properties were pretty upscale, based on the beautiful Omni Grove Park Inn in my home town of Asheville, but obviously in the case of Richmond this isn't the case. On the plus side, our room had been redone fairly recently with new carpet and such. The TV had a weird selection of channels, but otherwise it was very nice. Big issues: Downtown Richmond is a ghost town, at least at times the legislature isn't in session. There are huge parking lots and garages with literally just five or six cars in them. The streets are deserted. The few high rise buildings seem mostly empty. Whole streets of stores are boarded up, and those businesses that are open seem to be mostly pawn shops and nail salons. Most of the downtown restaurants recommended by the hotel and the convention center were either closed permanently or open only for lunch. Richmond does have a nice convention center, but what do people who go to conferences and conventions in Richmond actually do after hours? We were there five nights, and it wasn't until the fourth day that anyone came in to clean up our room. We had to keep asking for someone to empty garbage and so forth. Finally, by visiting the front desk we got it done, and the staff was gracious to call and tell us it was done. The Omni really doesn't have a restaurant worthy of the name. There's the Tavern, which is more of a place to grab a beer. There's also the Porch, for a quick breakfast, which is just tables out in the middle of the James complex, across from a bank. You're better off grabbing a coffee and a pastry at the Starbucks in the lobby. Whether true or not, we were told this is the only full-service Starbucks in downtown Richmond. The hotel doesn't really have room service. Oh, you can now call and order a few items, but they're delivered in a takeout plastic box in a paper bag. Little things: In a city that seems to have more big, empty parking garages than any place I've been recently, the Omni charges $35 a night for self parking and $38 a night for valet. Ridiculous! The bathtub and bathroom has no grab bars. Nada. Bottom line: Virginia is a great state with a lot to see, but let me tell you: It's not in downtown Richmond."
