Hawthorn House

Disappointing rent-a-room

Prós: The problem here is the management. Mitch Carl is a good guy but his approach to running the inn is unprofessional (and I'm being kind). At check-in, he was very formal and remote, barely spoke 3 sentences. The room (and entire inn) was a bit run-down: door knob loose, towels that smelled bad, tub that was not fully draining, poor lighting in the bathroom. When we put in an initial bad online rating after check-in, Mitch did not bother to ask what's wrong or what he could do. Instead, he insisted that we go elsewhere! Yes, we would very much enjoy spending our Saturday morning trying to find alternate accommodations (in fact, the three other inns that I had on my short list were booked). Well, perhaps that's his way of avoiding bad reviews, I don't know. Eventually, doorknob and tub drain were fixed and towels changed, and the remaining stay was uneventful. But this was a rent-a-room situation -- none of our normal inn/B&B warm and welcoming experience. For the price, it was very disappointing.

Contras: On the plus side, the location is excellent (steps from *everything* in the town) and the place was fairly quiet (we were on the 3rd floor). The breakfast vouchers gave us a choice of places to go to. Now, those were not places you'd normally go for real breakfast, but rather cafes/bakeries. Still, they were great for takeout for snacks or a picnic later in the day (the Bean's sandwiches were excellent).