Because Chris is so lovely, I'm loathe to write anything less than glowing, but, reviews are about…read moreactual experiences so here's the good, the mixed, and the bad.
Good:
-Chris is extremely personable, someone you can chat with ease.
-The location makes it easy to explore the Pioneer Valley area
-The price makes an extended stay much more affordable
-The little coffee/tea bar in office is nice
-Fridge and microwave in room
-Good internet for calls (TMobile) and searches
-Nice adjustable shower head
-Quiet enough
-No room service (unless requested). that works for us to minimize our impact.
Mixed:
-Communication. Since it's just Chris and his wife, there isn't always someone at the desk. Options are to call or text. Texts went unanswered (had to follow up with calls hours later...calls were picked up right away).
-4-person room with enough linen (okay quality), but nowhere to hang all towels after showering. The bathroom needs one additional towel bar and a couple of smaller bars/rings to hang washcloths/hand towels. A hook or two on the back of the bathroom door would go a long way.
-Should have installed a sink with a longer counter (for which there is room) to accommodate toiletries. Space enough for 2 people, but it's not nearly suitable for 4 people.
-No stopper in tub...but there was a mat...so we put it over the opening to keep the ick from floating into the tub (see "bad")
-Little bottles of shampoo, etc...better served installing refillable, wall-mounted dispensers to reduce environmental impact and offer more space to clients. a plus would be animal- and cruelty-free products.
-Hot water took a while to enter the sink/shower. Brush and floss your teeth with the hot water running and when you're done the hot water arrives
-Housekeeping lacking in attention to detail.
--a single, mostly used roll of toilet paper was all that was in the room. had to ask for an additional roll (and quickly received two).
--Mostly clean (yaaay), but dusty bedside table lamp, bugs in ceiling light (directly over bed so no choice but to see them) and bathroom light.
-Would be super nice if they added an ice machine. Not that purchasing ice is a huge deal, but needed very little and ended up with a cooler full of water
Bad:
-Uncomfortable beds. Ok for a night, but the second night we woke up with hip and back aches.
-Tub didn't drain. Chris did offer to switch rooms. we declined as we'd just finished settling. I used the toilet plunger (very unusual to see that in a room...just sitting on the floor with no dish underneath) to unclog the tub with a huge clump of hair coming to the surface
--The day before we were to check out, we returned to a filthy tub and dirty mat crumpled in front of it. I saw the "handy man" outside and he said "yeah, I make a mess." what the actual hell?! he would be the handy man no more. anyway, Chris came by, cleaned the tub, but left the dirty mat as we found it
-The room was SO stuffy! it took more than a day for the a/c to help alleviate the condition. normally we turn off the a/c or heat when we leave a room, but had no choice but to leave it on. the windows have no screens, so while we did try to air out the room by leaving the window and door open, we traded stuffiness for bugs. it would help immeasurably to have screens fitted to the rear windows, or to install a ceiling fan
-No recycling (although planning for the future). we clearly indicated we'd take our recycling with us. we had it separated and AWAY from the rubbish bin. for some reason housekeeping, who bc of our initial conversation with Chris' wife, we were not expecting, came into the room (the same day as the handy man) and took the recycling. Really irritating
-Our room was right beside the large rubbish bin, yet the entire time rubbish was, in small part, strewn about (bc I picked up and disposed of some of it, but left the water bottle to see if anyone else would collect it) the water bottle remained on the ground just a foot or so from the bin for the 5 days we were there (plus lots of trash in an area just beyond the grass....maybe that's not their property but it's definitely not a good look)