Let me confess right now…I love a nice boutique hotel feeling. I don’t mean to be uppity or high falutin’ but give me some nice amenities, a chic bathroom, and just a touch of kitsch. There’s nothing wrong with big box, tan-for-days, generic hotels. They totally suffice in a pinch. But…why stay there when we don’t have to?
Recently, George and I decided to embark on a little adventure through upstate New York. We didn’t know exactly where we were going. Since we were letting the wind guide us, we couldn’t book rooms in advance. Each night as we neared a destination, we would start casting about for hotels with vacancies.
Now George is decidedly LESS picky about hotels. He’s fine crashing at a little no name motel with a single flickering bulb. He draws the line at “stabby” but I’d say his definition and mine have a fair amount of distance between them. It certainly makes for some entertaining travel!
We were nearing Ithaca, NY – home to Cornell University and Ithaca College – and we needed a place to stay for the night. I open an app, asked it for local hotels and – voila! up popped Canopy. I’m only taking the time to review Canopy because I’d never even heard of this particular line. It’s part of Hilton hotels and frankly it’s charming!
The hotel hits the mark between simple accommodations yet nicely appointed and modern but boutique and exclusive.
Arriving
The hotel in Ithaca is nestled in a little triangle lot in the center of town. It’s a bonus for walkability but a slight challenge to actually find the entrance. You probably need to circle the block at least once to get into the front of the building to off-load any luggage.
I’m not trying to be overly harsh out of the gate but my first thought was, “It looks like a hospital entrance”. There wasn’t any obvious signage on the front of the building. There also isn’t any parking available onsite. The circle in front of the hotel barely has enough room for two vehicles. They do not have valet parking so you can either find street parking (with some fees) or park a couple of blocks away in a local garage.
While this was a little off putting at first – and had I known initially I wouldn’t have booked at the hotel, we soon realized that several local hotels used that parking garage. Apparently parking is at a premium in downtown Ithaca. The tradeoff is that you can walk to SO MUCH STUFF! It’s lovely! If I had one suggestion to Canopy, it would be to offer valet parking service. It wouldn’t have mattered during this trip because George is not going to valet his new Tesla. Also worth noting, the garage does have some charging spaces. They were full up when we parked but we saw several fellow e-car owners topping off their fuel overnight!
Waiting Area 
Cozy Fireplace 
Restaurant 
Bar
The large common area of the hotel is really nice. There is a warm open area around a wood burning fire that allows people to enjoy it without being too close to each other (it is still social distancing panemic era after all). They have an open bar/restaurant area that serves meals. It smells and looks good, though we did not end up eating in the hotel at all. It feels very industrial, metro, and chic. While the decor is lovely, the real difference is the friendly and helpful staff. I may be a little biased since I was raised in upstate New York, but I swear they have the nicest people!
The Room
The rooms are well appointed in a way that a newly constructed or renovated hotel should be. I could honestly imagine living in this hotel room pretty comfortably and I don’t feel that way about many hotels!
Room Entry 
In-Room Coffee Service 
Bathroom 
Shelving 
Bedroom 
Barn Door 
Charging Ports
Walking in, a large open clothing rack/closet invites you to hang up jackets and set down suitcases. The in-room coffee service (a must for George) is neatly tucked into a cubby in the entry foyer and a drawer fridge fits perfectly and elegantly below it. The bedroom is separated from the foyer/bathroom by a sliding barn door. I adore these and hope I live in a place one day that has only sliding (not swinging) doors. I have simple dreams.
The bathroom has a lovely large, modern shower with a little built in bench to set down your shower accountrements. The shower/toilet area separates from the sink area by (you guessed it!) a sliding door. While the sink area has very little counter space, they wisely built in some shelves on the side that are shockingly convenient for storing things. It’s this touch that made it feel more homey than hotel-y.
The king sized bed was large and comfortable. They had plenty of light and built in USB ports for charging. In the days where everything seems to have a charging cable but none of the come with the actual plug, I find this to be one of the MOST useful amenities in hotel rooms.
It’s the little things!
Of course there is a nice large work space across from the bed that would accommodate any road warrior.
We particularly enjoyed the fainting couch (and its view). It inspired us to be overly dramatic.
Amenities
Though the lack of parking was a bummer. There were some really nice perks at Canopy. Besides the multiple, well-placed plugs with USB-C and USB ports, the bathroom shelving, the drawer fridge AND the nespresso maker, there was also a full-sized safe that fit TWO full-size laptops. This might sound like a silly thing but for people who live and work from their laptops, this small feature separates the okay from the great.
Bottle filling station 
Hotel bikes 
Pedestrian Boulevard 
Fitness center (via hotel website)
Another small but wonderful thing was the water bottle station they had in the elevator lobby of each floor. It’s not much to look at, but as a water drinker, I REALLY appreciate the convenience! They also had bicycles for loan to get around town. Ithaca has a little sprawl and bikes are a lovely idea (when it’s not snowy out). Just at the end of the block, there is a lovely pedestrian avenue lined with shops and restaurants. I’m sure this is even more fun during non-pandemic days. Sadly because of the pandemic, I opted not to use their fitness facility but as you can see from their website photo, it is stocked with the basic items necessary. They also have a couple of treadmills for cardio workouts. If you need meeting rooms, there are some very nice ones available on the main floor.
Since this was my first exposure to the Canopy brand, I can’t speak to how it translates from city to city. But I will definitely look at it as preferred accommodations in other cities and check it out. And if I find myself back in Ithaca, this tops my list of places to rest my head!
All photos by @mobtowngeorge unless otherwise noted.
