Afternoon Tea at The Townsend Hotel

Our party of 3 attended afternoon tea for the first time. The Townsend Hotel is beautiful, welcoming and clean. The holiday decor and fireplaces provide a warm and romantic ambience. I had high hopes for the experience given the Townsends reputation and the 65$ price tag however I don’t intend to return nor would I recommend to others. While the experience sounded lovely the execution is quite lacking. Afternoon Tea seems like an afterthought. It is set up just outside the main lobby in a space that also feels like it was designed to be a lobby. During our experience there was quite a bit of foot traffic coming thru so get to event spaces or other parts of the building via a back elevator. There were 2 staff members tending to the needs of the tables and therefore no one available to greet

It was not a great experience. They only offer one type of vegetarian sandwich. Food was mediocre and the bread was stale. Tea was Luke warm and they only offered earl gray, English breakfast and raspberry. Service was awful. Our young server did not know the menu or options and the the cook came from the kitchen to demand to know if I had an allergy or simply didn’t like meat?!? If you’ve gone to an upscale tea like the Drake Hotel in chicago, don’t expect the same here! Not at all worth the price. Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend it even if it was half the price, it simply wasn’t a great or pleasant experience

The service was good, and while I did like it overall I did not feel it was worth the $65 price tag. The tea was not held in a restaurant but in an offshoot of their lobby by the elevators, that they refer to as a tea lobby, so hotel guests not attending occasionally passed by. I don't mind paying for high quality experiences. I just didn't find this one particularly great.

Fantastic service. From the moment you enter The Townsend you feel like you are the only guest. Helpful, friendly staff. Gorgeous lobby leading into a spectacular ballroom. Attended a fundraiser and the ballroom setup was amazing.

Got the “high tea” to go. It was absolutely lovely and delicious. Several sandwiches, far more than enough. Pretty little desserts, large fluffy scones and all the accoutrements were included. Unfortunately, I dropped it, taking it out of my car. So a few little sweets got broken, but they were still yummy. Unfortunately, I only had the unopened pic.