The Duniway Hotel

I thought the room itself was very nice and clean. No issues; however, service staff, both bar and restaurant were less than friendly and service was unavailable too often. The final kicker was… I stopped to ask when the bar/lounge would open. I was told 3:00. I invited partners for drinks at 3:30. 11 people show up but the lounge is not open. I check with the front desk and the attendant says, “Oh, we’re going to open at 4:30 now.” Fixable problem (as we went somewhere else), but shouldn’t happen. And… my $100 credit in the hotel went unused. Total drag. Again, cool hotel, priced right… bad and unreliable service!

If this was a 3 star hotel the rating would have been higher as that’s all it is. I simply cannot fathom why this is rated as a 4.5 star hotel. Service is what makes highly rated hotel stand out. This was sorely lacking. A line up to the door at check in with 1 person working and that one person not very friendly made for a horrible check in. No answer any time we called front desk or housekeeping - room was lacking extra blankets and drinking glasses. We had much better luck with the AI texting as at least they sent someone to deliver the missing items and to check why our heat was not working. We sent a text at checkout to have a luggage cart brought to our room only to be told sorry, we are busy come get it yourself! 4.5 star… really. The room was clean but rough shape. The headboard was a soft fake leather and it had huge unsightly gouges and scratches all over it. There was a coat peg board on the wall and some of the pegs were broken off. And our heat didn’t work! They have it set it so you cannot go higher than 73. It was snowing and cold! Maintenance had to come and bypass the setting so we could turn it up. The location was about the only good thing I can say about this hotel. We felt cold, ignored, and definitely not pampered as we usually are at 4.5 star hotels. Do better Hilton or lower your rating

Thoroughly enjoyed my stay. The room was clean, the bed was very comfortable, and it was quiet. The Duniway was a short walk to the Newwark Theater, where we were attending a dance performance. All the staff were friendly and answered all our questions. I also thought the price was reasonable, and I would stay at the Duniway for future visits.

Wow. This was one of the worst & most exhausting hotel stays I have had. Not because the space is bad, but because almost none of it is being allowed to function. To start with the positives, because they deserve mention. The bedding/sleep quality was excellent. Breakfast at Mayrose was genuinely outstanding. I had a breakfast slider and the Bloody Mary which were both steallar. Also had nitro cold brew coffee, which was easily the best cup of coffee I had in the city. Jeff, the bartender at breakfast, was knowledgeable, warm, and professional. Brown, a valet attendant working for a 3rd party parking service, was the single most helpful person I encountered. He explained confusing policies and genuinely tried to improve my experience before any tip was involved. These individuals clearly understand hospitality. Unfortunately, everything around them is broken. I booked this stay through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts, which advertises specific benefits: Early check in at Noon, potential room upgrade, daily breakfast credit for two, 4 PM late checkout, complimentary WiFi, and a $100 experience credit. This is also a Hilton property, so Hilton Gold benefits are supposedly in play as well. In practice, these programs collide instead of complementing each other. I arrived at 2pm and while I was able to check in early, parking immediately became the first layer of confusion. Valet costs $59/ night with no access after hours. Self parking is at the sister property but cannot be billed to the room, meaning FHR credits cannot be applied. This was never explained by anyone other than Brown. After check in; I decided to have lunch. However at that time, nothing was open. No bar. No restaurant. No amenities. I was handed a confusing flow sheet listing closures and hours with no clear explanation (See photo attached). Early check in existed yes, but to the room only since all amenities were closed. Luckily there was a Canes chicken nearby who was willing to feed this starving traveler. In the room, I booked an ADA King, with complimentary upgrades listed as part of both FHR and Hilton Gold. I initially believed I had been placed in a single Queen because the bed felt smaller than expected within the space. After follow up communication with management, I understand the room was a standard King. That said, no upgrade was offered despite availability language in both FHR and Hilton Gold benefits. The bar at Mayrose, operates as lounge service only in the evenings. This means roughly twenty seats for a room full of guests. Table service unavailable, so guests stood in line to order drinks while large sections of the restaurant sat empty behind closed signs. After seeing a few guests enter the closed section and be seated, I asked if I could sit there as well (I had been waiting about ten minutes at this point). The bartender explained that while those guests were allowed to sit there to be nice, the area was technically closed. That moment summarizes the entire stay. Rules exist, but they are applied selectively. Guests who follow them are penalized. Guests who quietly bypass them are accommodated. None of this is the fault of the bartenders, who were clearly understaffed and overwhelmed. Decided to cross the street and visit the sister property hoping for relief. The same situation awaited. Huge open areas. Most seating closed. Two solo bartenders managing crowds. No improvement. I contacted the GM via the hotel app to express frustration, and the response quietly walked back the early check in promise, framed closures as scheduling choices, and redirected me once again to the sister property or to canned cocktails from a market. It addressed none of the underlying issues. During my entire stay, amid visible guest frustration and obvious staff strain, I never once saw a member of management present on the floor. The in room experience continued the theme. The refrigerator was plugged in and running, yet hot to the touch. There is no minibar, no room service, no printed menus, and no clear guidance. Everything is pushed to QR codes. So instead of being welcomed, you are onboarded. Instead of care, you get compliance. Instead of warmth, you get a bored gatekeeper irritated that you interrupted her screen time. Despite being guaranteed a 4 PM late checkout, I chose to leave EARLY. At that point, I had simply had enough. The most frustrating part is the unused space. Beautiful rooms, gorgeous public areas, massive square footage; all sitting behind closed signs while guests wait and staff burn out. This hotel has enormous potential, but it is paralyzed by poor operational decisions and invisible leadership. At $300 per night, this is unacceptable. The Duniway should be renamed "The Wrongway" if you ask me. Simply because everything here sends you in the opposite direction of clarity, ease, and hospitality. ZERO STARS AVOID AT ALL COST!

Stayed at the Duniway with my buddy for my birthday trip in December 2025. The hotel room itself was great, but the service left a lot to be desired. When we checked in there was an absolute mosh pit in the lobby. We couldn't even get to the front desk to check-in. They were understaffed, so I eventually was able to check-in after getting a drink at the bar. While I was checking in, the bartender dropped off the check for our drinks with my buddy even though we said we were checking in and doing a room charge. They did take care of this eventually, but I had to escalate to a manager. I have notes in my Hilton Gold profile saying I want away from the elevator, and the first night they stuck me in a room dead in front of the elevator. I slept awful from all the noise from the guests congregating in front of the elevator. I should have immediately switched rooms but again the front desk was a nightmare so I ended up having to pack up and move rooms the next day. Again, they took care of my concern but this should have been addressed up front. They gave a very confusing printout of the hours of their various restaurants which I literally had to put into ChatGPT to understand, and ChatGPT flippantly said something to the effect of those aren't hours, that's a teasure hunt! We enjoyed brunch on the weekend with the extended hours but the coffee shop wasn't open the hours they said it was, and when they casually told me to go across the street (in the rain) to get a coffee, I did and found their worker on a 15 minute break. And then they charged me for the coffee that was supposed to be included at breakfast. I loved the hotel itself but don't think I'd stay there again due to all the service lapses. Next time I go to Portland I'll give the Canopy by Hilton a try and see if they care about their elites.