This room was kindly comp’d, but all opinions are my own.

Last week, Dominique of @dommdotcom and I went to Richmond, VA, for the opening of a new Homesense store. The event was so much fun, and I got to meet Sarai of @apron.saint and Tracey of @mochagirlplace. I also passed by a lot of cool new construction homes in Richmond, but we're not here to talk about that… we're here to talk about the hotel where we stayed.

Located in downtown Richmond, The Quirk Hotel is the site of the former J.B Mosby department store, which dates back to 1916. In 2022, it's a 73-room hotel with an on-site art gallery and rooftop bar.

The Quirky Decor

Pink is the calling card of The Quirk Hotel - the couches, walls, and coffee cups are all pink! And I love it! Touches of white, black, and light wood accents balance the varying shades. Overall the design is simply beautiful—an Instagram girlie's dream.

I was particularly fond of the seating areas on the elevator landings coated in a fiery pink reminiscent of Benjamin Moore's 2023 Color of the Year "Raspberry Blush ." It came out of nowhere since everywhere else the colors are much more subtle everywhere, but again... I loved it!

In the lobby, you can sit in rose-colored chairs or lounge on curved benches - both are comfy, but I'm partial to the checkered pattern. But, of course, you cannot escape the height when you walk into the hotel. The curved arches tower over you 13ft tall, and the black cast iron staircase completes the space.

Oh! It's Grey…

Now, let's talk about room 606! As a former hotel girlie, I opened The LINE DC, so I know a thing or two about what makes a good hotel. So when I say the rooms at The Quirk Hotel are nice - I mean just that! They were nice. There wasn't anything offensive in the room. Everything was clean, and if I were a person who only cared about having a nice place to rest my head. I would call it a 10/10! But I'm not that person.

I'm all about aesthetics, which is why I wanted to stay at The Quirk Hotel in the first place.

Unfortunately, room 606 left me wanting. Gone were the blush hues in the hallways and elevators; instead, I walked into a room with a grey, light blue, and white color palette. The room we got looks precisely like the one on their website, but for some reason, I still expected more.

That said, the water pressure was intense, and the staff was friendly and responded quickly to bring me a new iron board. Oh, and the bathrooms were filled with NEST products, a dazzling touch.

Outside of the color palette, my only real "issue" with the room was the bed. It was a mattress slapped on top of a flat piece of wood. It was comfortable, but I couldn't help but think about the possibility of coming back here for a baecation. The thought of playing sweaty twister on that mattress was a bold idea. With one thrust, me, him, and the bed would be on the floor. All I'm saying is, have a sexy time at your own risk. 😏

The Food

We arrived in Richmond mid-day, so Dominique and I popped into Tarrants Cafe, a pup-style restaurant with gorgeous lighting, for lunch. We gobbled down two orders of garlic bread and enjoyed chicken caesar wraps with sweet potato fries. It was no muss, no fuss lunch for $20 each! We didn't get drinks, which helped keep the price low, but when was the last time you got a sit-down lunch for $20? Yeah! I can't remember either.

After the Homesense event, we popped into Birdie's, an oyster bar connected to a Common House, a private social club. I fear oysters, so I left those to Dom, but she said the selection was excellent. I had the caesar salad for dinner while Dominique ordered the Sweet Potato Cavatelli - both were great! What stood out at Birdies were the cocktails. My first entry was the Round Robin with gin, beets, and ginger, and Dom got the Kingfisher with sesame rum and lime, which she enjoyed so much she ordered twice. My second drink, the Jackdaw, was too boozy to finish but paired nicely with the oatmeal cream pie ice cream sandwich.

My knowledge of the dining scene is limited to restaurants on the same street as the hotel, but everything I ate, I enjoyed! And it was so cheap. For example, my half of dinner at Birdies was only $60, including a 20% tip! In DC, the meal could have easily been $75 - $100. Prices were so low I even thought about moving to the area to experience a reasonably priced cocktail. SIKE! 

The Quirk Hotel has three dining outputs - a coffee bar, a lobby bar, and Q, the rooftop bar. Unfortunately, we only had time to check out the coffee bar, but it was good. Dominique and I got the same thing, a bacon, egg, and cheese on a croissant. That -ish was delicious.

Final Thoughts

The only thing that left a negative taste in my mind was our run-in with a hotel rep. Before leaving, I snapped a few pictures inside the hotel. As a hotel guest, I didn't think it would be a big deal since I wasn't using professional equipment and was respectful of people's privacy. Still, as we were packing up, a woman came over to let us know we had to stop and would need to sign a release to get permission to use the space.

I read the release, and according to their rules, I did nothing wrong. So I left that paper right on the table and walked out. Girl Bye! 💁🏾‍♀️

I say all of this to say... Yes, I would stay at The Quirk Hotel again. Like many people I talked to, The Quirk Hotel is the only cute, modern hotel with a sense of personality in the area, so they've cornered the market and got me as a client on my next trip to Richmond. The Quirk Hotel is a solid 8/10. If you've stayed there, let me know what you think in the comments.

xoxo,

Imani