I rarely write reviews this detailed, but after more than a month of trying to resolve this…read moredirectly with management, I feel other guests deserve to know about our experience.
On April 5, 2026, three friends and I booked our annual Mother's Day getaway at Chateau Merrimack. We weren't first-time guests. We had stayed here in 2025 and had a wonderful experience, and I had also stayed at the property several times before the ownership change. We genuinely loved staying here, recommended the hotel to family and friends, and expected this to become an annual tradition.
Unfortunately, that tradition ended on May 30, 2026.
Before our stay, we discovered through OpenTable that the restaurant was listed as permanently closed, even though the Chateau Merrimack website still displayed the restaurant menu as if it were open. While disappointing, we adjusted our plans and decided to keep our reservation.
When we arrived to check in on May 30, we were then informed that the pool was closed and the elevators were also out of service. The elevator closure itself was not a deciding factor for us. The pool, however, absolutely was. We had thoroughly enjoyed using it during our previous stay, and it was one of the primary reasons we chose to return to Chateau Merrimack. Along with the restaurant and other amenities, it was part of the experience we believed we were booking.
When we questioned why this information hadn't been clearly communicated, we were shown that the pool closure was mentioned only at the very end of the online booking process, immediately before entering payment information. That is not meaningful transparency, and that notice was not present when we made our reservation on April 5. If one of your property's primary amenities is unavailable, guests deserve to know that before deciding to book--not after they've already arrived.
While trying to understand what had happened, my friend also discovered that our exact room type for that same night was being advertised for substantially less than what we had originally paid. That only added to our frustration.
I want to be very clear that the front desk employee was kind, professional, and empathetic throughout the interaction. My disappointment is not with him. It is entirely with management and how this situation was handled.
Because the stay we booked was no longer the experience we expected, we canceled our reservation and found another hotel. We were told there would be a $50 cancellation fee, but we were ultimately charged $53.13.
Rather than immediately posting a negative review, I made every effort to resolve this privately.
- May 31: I sent a detailed, respectful email to management explaining my concerns and requesting that the cancellation fee be refunded.
- June 4: After receiving no response, I sent a follow-up email.
- June 5: The manager replied, stating my original email had gone to her spam folder. While I appreciated finally receiving a response, it was dismissive and focused solely on company policy rather than addressing the lack of transparency or acknowledging our concerns.
- June 6: I replied, hoping we could continue the conversation and reach a fair resolution.
- June 13: After another week of silence, I sent one final follow-up, even asking if perhaps my response had also ended up in her spam folder.
Today is July 6, 2026. I have still never received another response.
I am still out $53.13, but more disappointing than the money is the complete lack of communication. Management had multiple opportunities over the course of five weeks to acknowledge our concerns and make this right. Instead, they simply stopped responding.
This review isn't really about $53.13. It's about transparency, accountability, and customer service. Hotels undergo renovations, amenities close, and unexpected situations happen. Most guests understand that. What matters is being upfront before people book and treating loyal, returning customers fairly when concerns are raised.
What should have been a relaxing annual getaway with friends became a stressful experience that ended with us scrambling to find another hotel. Even more disappointing is that after giving management multiple opportunities to resolve the matter privately, it ultimately ended with silence.
Sadly, because of this experience, I can no longer recommend Chateau Merrimack. If you choose to stay here, I strongly encourage you to verify that the amenities that are important to you are actually available before booking.
