We visit Dover Downs Hotel frequently as our romantic getaway from kids and work. We have always found it elegant,clean, and comfortable. With one exception at the front desk , most of the staff are polite and extremely accommodating. The suites and platinum levels are plush. Although we have noticed that the newest wing rooms have tightened up on the amenities such as no bath scales, towel racks,bottled water or mouthwash, unless you specifically request. The widescreen tv's are a new welcome addition. I enjoy the excercise room and pool and am looking forward to trying out their new Toppers Spa. Complimentary rooms, hospitality reception, valet parking and meals are given to Platinum Club members and we travel often and haven't found a buffet to match the quality and variety of Dover Downs. Our favorite spot to eat at Dover Downs is the Garden Cafe and we love the hot crab dip, hot wings, and crab omelets. The Dover Deli has late night fast food, but isn't as good as it use to be.

I write reviews on here from time to time and I have to say most of the time I'm fortunate that many reports I write are to report excellence....Not in this case...... Last week I experienced oneof the worst examples in customer service I have ever experienced in a hotel in my life and I travel often. A little background info will help. We stayed here last year the night after the Nascar race for a ridiculous inflated rate but it's all supply and demand and they get away with highway robbery but it was my choice to pay and I did and the overall experience was nice. We arrived at about noon checked in went to the race and relaxed the rest of the night. We decided to do it again this year since it worked out good last year....Was that not the biggest mistake ever! We arrive around the same time. We live in CT and on the way down my mother got sick with some kind of stomach bug. She had no interest in watching the race and wanted to lay down while the two of us went to the race. So we arrived sat in the valet forever even though employees stood on the curb doing nothing. Went to check in. The girl behind the desk was cold had no personality. She first tells us she has us down for last week and we don't have a reservation ( we have the email confirmation with us that clearly says the date and she was wrong) She types for what seems to be 10 minutes and says oh I found it. She them hands us our keys and tells us to come back at four. I tell her we need a room ASAP and can wait a few minutes due to my mothers illness but four hours would be tough. All of a sudden the most immature unprofessional manager I have ever talked to in my life appears. He says sorry but he is not giving us our room. My fiance asks why and he says basically because he doesn't have to. I kindly explain to him that my mother is sick and she needs to lay down and he tells me that the lobby will clearout soon when the race starts and she can lay on the couch for four hours. Are you serious? What this is clearly about is the hotel backs up to the track and they don't want to give a "free" view to the Nascar race. I could care less about the view, yes we booked trackside view but he never offers us another room even though he admits they are cleaned. He says some rubbish about how the people who checked out have the right to come back up until 4pm to get back into the room. I have never in my life heard anything so ridiculous. I mean one night close to $400... give me a break. My fiance called the week before and requested early check in and was told no problem. The manager sat there for five minutes saying I want a name if you called give me the name of the person you spoke with. My fiance didn't take her name never thought in a million years this would turn out like this since we had no problem last year. Most of the people who stay the night before work for Nascar so they are up and out early. The manager is shrugging his shoulders at us and could care less about my mother even though she is standing next to us sick as a dog and looked the part trust me. He kept saying he was working with us the best he can and she can lay down on the sofa in the lobby. Then the unthinkable happens....The manager runs around the counter gets in my fiances face and starts talking to him in a manner that I truly believe he should be fired for. My fiance says to me later I thought he was going to hit me the way he came at me. I was shocked. He started saying he wasn't going to take this from us and we could leave if we didn't like it. He was the one making a scence it was insane I thought I was in a movie!!!! I told him we had enough I wanted his name and his managers name at first he refused to give me his managers name he told me he didn't have one. I told him everyone has a boss and I want his name and a way to contact him. He wrote down a first name....This guy was a piece of work. Again I told him I want proper information, he finally scibbles down a name. I think he realized then I was serious and this was going to get reported because he totally changes his tune and stops talking like a tough guy and talks in this passive voice that was simply hillarious! He says sorry your mom is sick and I'm really trrying to do the best I can by letting her lay on the sofa. I was like seriously? Would you let your sick mother sit on a sofa for four hours? The thing that bugged me the most is we stayed at a hotel down the street the night before. I probably could have worked out something with them and she could have slept there if I knew this was going to be a problem. The manager keeps talking nonsense, basically the same thing over and over...I finally cut him off ask for a zero balance receipt and tell him we are leaving. I refuse to give this place any money after how we were treated. He says to me I don't need the receipt of course they won't charge us. I laughed....Are you serious? Do you really think I'm leaving without documentation so I can get home and have a $400 bill on my credit card????? He actually said to me come on we would never do that.... He finally gives us the receipt and walks away doesn't say a word....As I write this I'm still shocked this guy has a job.....

The staff was very friendly when tips were flowing. In our 3 night stay mostly everything was nice. Except for a few rude staff members who made our stay very unpleasant. To spend over $190 a night and leave unhappy is not what we were looking forward too.

Hello Everyone. You will truly love this hotel. From the moment you walk in to when you leave. The beds will make your body feel as though it's melting into the mattress. I fell asleep quickly and slept peacefully. The staff were very professional and attentive. The room was free because of casino perks and we still were treated as though we paid for it! :) My feelings about the casino are a little different. This was my second trip there and I didn't see many people winning. Lord knows I didn't. I especially don't like that they have computerized tables. That really seems like such a hoax. Playing against a computerized attendant instead of an actual person dealing cards at the 21 blackjack table really didn't seem right. I say go visit the hotel, have dinner at the fabulous buffet in the hotel,shop at the nearby mall and stay away from the casino. Enjoy.

Due to the needs of one of my business clients, I have traveled down to Dover, DE the past few years. Over the last two, I have stayed at Dover Downs. Now while I can not speak about what the hotel (or town) is like when NASCAR is in town, or even when horse racing is in high season, my impression of the hotel is that is the best of all the hotels in Dover, DE. Please do not get the wrong impression from me saying this...Dover has absolutely nothing worth visiting, except maybe a relative at the local air force base. The hotel is well maintained, and the rooms are clean and housekeeping does what you would expect. The front desk service is quick and efficient. The casino has only slot machines and a few electronic card games (virtual dealers). Perhaps most notable about the few times I've walked through the casino over my past two days is that I have never heard any machines sounding a winner. As a matter of fact, not one person I have spoke to in passing has even mentioned winning. The hotel also does not serve drinks on the casino...umm, I mean slot machine floor. The valet service is half awake, and slow! Normally in the morning your wait can surpass 20 minutes. There is plenty of free parking nearby, and while the valet is cheap if you are staying at the hotel ($2.50), your best bet is to park and walk. Michelle’s, the hotels main restaurant, is decent but vastly overpriced and would quickly fail if placed in any major city in the US. Service is quirky, wine selection is boring (overpriced), and dessert (all desserts) were not recommended by the wait staff. That being said, it is the best bet for food in Dover (and trust me I've looked!). With all that being said, if you are stuck staying in Dover, DE and need a clean, safe place to stay, the "Downs", as the locals call it, is probably your best bet. But for the season traveler, don't expect much more than you would get at any Marriott Courtyard or Hilton Garden Inn.