This b&b was fantastic and such a great value! It's located in a leafy suburban area very close to nice restaurants and the Stan Hywet house. Breakfast was very good and the place was immaculate. We also enjoyed hanging out in the elegant living room and backyard terrace with a glass of wine. Already planning our next trip back! Thank you Gayle for a wonderful stay! read more

The O'Neil House Bed and Breakfast - Formal common living room - Hotels Near Me - Akron, Ohio

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I stayed in the "daughter's" room (I forgot her name!!) and the Bed and the tub were uh-mazingly comfortable. I was in town for a wedding and came home a bit late, and weary from traveling. Thank goodness for the windows that could be open so the wind and cars could lull me to sleep. The breakfast room is beautiful and quaint - a perfect respite! read more

Not recommended for showers. The house is spectacular and Gayle is very sweet. I was so excited to reserve the rooms for my daughter's baby shower and the rental fee was very reasonable. Gayle told me she works with a caterer and events cost around $35/pp and I would need to contact the event coordinator,Katrina, to make all arrangements. I called Katrina on Jan 6 and left a voicemail with all my information. After a week with no response, I sent an email. Another week went by with no response so I called and left another voicemail. This time she called back and we discussed preliminaries. I told her since the shower would be at 2:00, we thought a tea would be nice. But, she told me since she charges $45/pp (higher than originally quoted by Gayle) we should plan more substantial meal to make it worth it. She emailed me menu options and told me they "would do anything we wanted". (Not really, she nce she refused to do tea) I asked if that meant whatever items we pick from menu(main dish, appetizer), would all be included in that $45/pp and she said yes Strangely, 2 days after our phone conversation, Katrina responded to my earlier email, asking for my phone number so she could call me to discuss event, seemingly unaware we had already spoken. I replied we had talked and that I looked forward to meeting her at our upcoming in person meeting. A few days later, I received another email asking for my number so we could discuss plans for the shower, although my phone was in the same email thread. A few days later, I received a call from Katrina that she was returning my call inquiring about a shower at O'Neill House,although we had already spoken and had an in person meeting scheduled. She had also emailed me, asking what time we decided to me. (Which was in her text messages). (She really needs to take notes). I also emphasized NOT to discuss pricing in front of my daughter when we meet On day of meeting, she did not know this was for a baby shower, even though I had said so on phone and in email. When we discussed menu, she again said we can do anything and it would be the pp price. But, I was surprised to learn the guests would have to select their item ahead of time. So,for $45pp our guests would get either green salad with chicken or Mac and cheese. (And this is supposedly more substantial that a tea?) She said they offered an appetizer package of 4 appetizer choices for an additional $25 pp. And we should expect event to cost around $1500. (For 20 guests) Yes,she discussed price in front of my daughter,even though on the phone she promised not to (Someone please buy this woman a notebook) Additionally,we told her a few guests have Celiac's and asked about gf options. She was rather dismissive, saying we shouldn't plan the event around dietary restrictions as those people will find some to eat. Rather difficult,if we don't offer anything gf. After this, she said she would talk to her partner and work up a quote. What happened to the "we charge $45 pp"?? With this being the only food vendor permitted, we decided not to have event at the O'Neil. Which is very disappointing, because it is lovely. read more

After 14 months of planning a wedding at O'Neil house, I can finally write the long awaited review. Let me start by saying, I loved my wedding day and in the end, I was a over the moon bride. In the end it all came together but the process was a tough one. First thing: Gayle does NOT do a contract. This will cause many headaches over the course of your planning and I wish I would have got exact numbers from her. It really is a poor way to do business but hey, it's her choice. After you get over this hiccup, you move on to planning with Gayle. She loves to talk down to you so you feel like you're an idiot the entire planning process. Combine that with her attitude of thinking of B&B is possibly the great B&B in the world. It leaves you annoyed after conversations and crossing your fingers for a good out coming. If you can get past the no contract, no set confirmed prices and a condescending attitude, you'll still manage to have a wonderful wedding. The good about my day: It turned out wonderful and I really wouldn't change much. If something was wrong, only I knew and nobody else. I couldn't have found a more gorgeous property and more amazing food. The staff makes this. She really has a great staff. The bad about my day: -Wasn't served what we decided on for dinner. Again, only I noticed and my mother in law. -Bill was around $2k more and I assume this comes from, 1. my lack of following up on pricing as we went on and/or her lack of knowing what she was charging 2. because the wedding the day before used all my rentals and instead of splitting, she charged each of us (though it was a flat rental rate, not per day) -We were told we were out of many beers/wines around 8:30 and went and bought more. Upon pickup the next day of our items, all the original drinks were still there. Total mess up on their part. -Gayle got into many fights with my coordinator (who mind you, was 8 months preggo), blaming HER for losing boxes of my wedding items. Funny thing is, Gayle was responsible for those items, not my coordinator who just arrived at O'Neil that morning. One item was also destroyed by the staff. A very personal project to me :( No apologies for it. -Gayle was very against putting bottles of water out for our ceremony guests. She said it was a safety issue having bottles of water laying around ad it was "tacky" BUT, it was near 94 degrees, full sun and that's not considered a safety issue? -She says she packs everything up for pickup the next day. Nothing was packed up until I told her, I'd pick it up on my own terms because she didn't do as she said she would. I'm sure I could go on. OVERALL. If you're looking to have your wedding there, think carefully. She'll plan a gorgeous day but it won't be without many, many headaches and tears along the way. read more

In 1915, Bill O'Neil started a tire company, then built a huge house in west Akron. Twenty years ago a developer wanted to tear it down and make money. Retired schhol teacher Gayle Johnson outbid the moneymen and opened a B & B. Her friends told her she was crazy and I imagine she outlived them all. The 1923 manor house is bigger than your house and mine put together. Three of four available bedrooms are suites decked in Roarin Twenties, Art Deco, English Tudor, and a twenty foot leaded glass bay window. Check-in involves being led to your suite by inkeeper Johnson. Don't forget to introduce yourself. Pay your bill in the morning. After breakfast served in the, well, Breakfast Room., If you want to get married here, you may do that too. And, the rates! This place is all good news. read more

It has been three months since my planned event occurred. Originally, I did not plan to make a written statement/review. However, after careful thought, I have decided that the public should be aware. The venue was beautiful. There couldn't be a lovelier place to have a wedding shower for 25 guests. My contacts with the owner, Gayle, were all via phone. There was no contract. Our menu was planned including chicken marsala, as well as a plain pasta dish for three children. We were permitted to have soup; I repeatedly asked what my choices were and I was told that I did not have a choice. We would have whatever soup she made that week. I reminded her that most of the guests were over the age of 50. During the planning of the event and with my phone contacts with Gayle, I found myself frustrated with her customer service and phone manners. I determined that I was going to take the "highroad," be extraordinarily cooperative in order to have a wonderful event. The room was lovely, guests arrived and the servers were wonderful. First, we were served carrot soup. It was very good. However, most of the older guests did not eat it; it would not be a soup this clientele would enjoy. When the main course arrive, it was vegetable lasagna instead of chicken Marsala. The only type of main courses that were EVER discussed were chicken. (I do not even like vegetable lasagna!). It was rubbery and lukewarm. I immediately questioned the servers as well as Gayle. Gayle told me I had CHANGED MY ORDER. That is a complete untruth. For the children, I asked for a plain pasta with butter. They were served green pasta. None of the children ate it (what child likes green pasta?). When my bill came, she did not offer me any sort of discount and insinuated the mistake was my fault. There was also a $100 charge for valet that was never discussed. INEXCUSABLE. I have participated in the plannings of several weddings, including my own daughter's wedding of 400. I am not a novice in this regard. This was the WORST meal I have ever had, and Gayle's customer service was inexcusable. read more

I have several events at the O'Neil House and are planning at least two more. A couple of times I held an afternoon High Tea luncheon for about 25 people. Included were family and friends. We were seated at several tables in the Terrace Room. In the center of the room was a large table that contained our tea sandwiches and desserts. It was gorgeous and the tastes were out of this world. I tried food that day that I would never eat before. Every table had a pot of tea on it. I did not hear one bad complaint about either the food or service. It had to be excellent or I would not have gone back a second time and more. I have never had a problem in working with Gayle Johnson. I have asked her up-front the cost and that is exactly what I paid. She could not have been more gracious. I look forward to going back again very soon. read more

My husband and I stayed here 1 miserable night and now refer to this place as "bed and cigarettes" rather than a bed and breakfast. Upon arriving, we noticed a slight smokey smell in the foyer. Our bedroom was actually much worse, we ended up sleeping with the windows open the entire night. By the time morning came, we couldn't wait to get out of there. We didn't stay for breakfast as the smell of cigarettes was so strong. Considering that the owner list the property as smoke free, this was a huge disappointment and I would not recommend staying here unless you love the smell of cigarette smoke. If I could rate this place with no stars I would. In fact I would choose to sleep in my car rather than go back to this place. Truly unfortunate as this could be a beautiful b&b (with some much needed updating). read more

We booked the Master Suite at the O'Neil House for the night before and the night of our wedding. We made the reservation over a year in advance. When we first called to inquire about availability, we were told that the Master Suite was available, other rooms were available too, and that we could even rent out the whole house if we wanted. We decided to book just the Master Suite, gave Gayle (the owner) our information, and reserved it on the spot. We were so happy about this decision, because the Master Suite was large and beautiful and would be perfect for taking photographs as I (the bride) got ready with my mom and bridesmaids on the morning of our wedding. After we booked the suite, we reserved a nearby hotel for our room block, so our wedding guests could stay close by. We also made reservations for our rehearsal dinner at a nearby restaurant. About six months later, I was feeling a bit antsy because we had made our reservation on the phone and never received any sort of confirmation. We called back just to confirm that our reservation was in order, and it was confirmed. A few months after that, we received a phone call from Gayle where she told us that the Master Suite was actually NOT available for us because another wedding party had booked the whole O'Neil House for our wedding weekend. She said that she had thought we were part of the other wedding party, and she had only just realized that we weren't because the other party showed up to check the place out and said they didn't know who we were. We said we were confused because we had made our reservation way in advance. She said the other party had made theirs a long time ago too. We asked when the other party had made their reservation, and she couldn't give us an exact date. We told her that it seemed like maybe we had been the ones to book first, because when we initially called to inquire about availability, we were told that the room (in fact, the whole house) was available before we had even given our names. She didn't argue that point. Eventually she admitted that we "must have both been calling around the same time." And yet, there was never any question of whose reservation was getting bumped. We had only booked the Master Suite, while the other party had booked the whole house. Ours was the one to get cancelled - surprise. Now, Gayle is only human (as she kept telling us on the phone), and I know that mistakes happen. But something does not quite add up here the way she tells it. She insisted that she would never have cancelled our reservation in favor of a larger party, and yet she had no other explanation for why we (not the other party) are getting booted. If we had made the reservation just for vacation or because we were passing through town, that would be one thing, but this is our wedding, and it's just as important to us as the other party's wedding is to them. We're now left scrambling to find an alternative, and our options are limited because it's relatively short notice to be booking a bridal suite (and we're tied down to the area because that's where our hotel room block and rehearsal dinner is). When we told Gayle on the phone that we were disappointed and felt obliged to leave negative feedback online, she got very upset, said we were trying to "ruin her," and that if we were in her industry, we would understand that "mistakes like this happen." Sorry, but no, I can't understand why a hospitality professional would take multiple bookings under the assumption that different wedding parties (with different names and credit card numbers) who are vying for the same date are affiliated with one another, and never bother to actually confirm that with the parties themselves. Best case scenario, this points to a flawed and careless booking system. Worst case scenario, there is some fishy business going on here where even reservations for weddings get bumped when there's a higher bidder. I'm sure the rooms themselves are lovely but we would not have taken this chance with our reservation had we known. read more

I recently had a party at the O'Neil House. About 40 people. The house is so beautiful and so comfortable. It's almost magical. The owner, Gayle, is amazing. If you want to have an event here she is super helpful with giving knowledgeable guidance. If you want someone else to just plan it all, she's the one. If YOU want to plan it, she is most accommodating. I went with the idea of her making the decisions on many things, based on her experience and expertise. I was not let down. She really knows how to make things nice. Her staff is amazing. So friendly, so helpful and so great at keeping your wine glass filled! Let's talk food. Our event started at 7:00 pm. So we went with "light" hor's'doeuvres. I really cannot imagine what "heavy" hors'doeuvres might be like. The spread of food for our "light" selection was nothing less than amazing. The amount of food that was set out was impressive, but then the wide spread variety of things was out of this world. Set out in such a beautiful arrangement. And all so DELICIOUS!!! Just about everyone at my event commented on the phenomenal spread of food to eat. We rented out the whole house, so I am pretty sure that we saw all of the rooms available. All so beautiful. And comfortable. I stayed in the master suite. I felt like a queen. Now let's talk sheets. I slept in between the most amazing sheets I have ever slept in. EVER. Then get up in the morning to a gourmet breakfast. Believe me, there are not enough words to describe how perfect this place is. Everyone at my party commented on how nice the house was, how nice the service was, etc. I felt like my whole party was a great success because we chose the O'Neil House for our party. read more

O'Neil House is the best! Owner Gail is a true gem! Our sleigh bed suite was beyond relaxing and the four course gourmet breakfast itself is 4 stars. It is a real treat to stay in the home that Gail saved demolition and restored it to its deserved grandeur. Definitely a MUST to experience in Akron. read more

It's been over a year since our wedding reception at the O'Neil House; perhaps now I am calm enough to write a review. I will spare you the details since another reviewer sounds like she had a very similar experience to ours. Unfortunately, we did not see that review before deciding to go with this venue. The Bed & Breakfast itself is charming, and the house is quite beautiful. However, if you're trying to plan or host an event there, be warned that Gayle proves to be quite a horrible woman to work with. She is very patronizing and belittling. She pushes un-needed extra expenses. She works without a contract. She starts off nice and easy until you get closer to your date, so by the time you see her true colors, you are stuck with her. At one point she was so hateful to my fiance that she came out of a meeting with her crying (I couldn't be in the same room as Gayle for fear of losing my composure). For the sake of our wedding day we sucked it up and kept quiet. A bride and groom should NEVER be put into that position. Our reception was beautiful, the guests were impressed - but she did yell at the photographers (who were wonderful), serve drinks as slow and late as possible, and overlooked an entire tier of our cake, telling us we ran out. The charge was probably around 30% higher than she quoted at the beginning, but we had no contract so we were screwed. She also charges a 20% gratuity to the bill, so you have no choice but to tip her for the horrible experience of a lifetime. After this review I will attempt to wipe her from my memory of planning and the experience of our wedding day. read more

Stayed at the O'Neil House this past weekend during a family event in Akron. The house is beautifully maintained, as are the gardens and yard. Expect a certain amount of creaking floors, as this is a century old home, but my family and I had a wonderful time exploring and looking around the house and grounds. Breakfast is filling and served in one of the dining or breakfast rooms. Although you rent a room or suite, you basically have your run of the house and grounds, which makes it a very relaxing place to spend a few days. read more

O'Neil House isn't a bad place to stay in many ways. I have family who stay here whenever they're in Akron and they quite enjoy it. The building and grounds are certainly beautiful, and my understanding is that it's much cheaper than many other area accommodations. However, there are a couple of things - one minor, one major - that make it not a good match for me. The minor issue: Breakfasts are huge and heavy. Some people like this so it's not necessarily a bad thing, and the owner is a good cook so the food is generally delicious. But on my part, if I eat anything too big/heavy too early in the morning, I feel sick for the rest of the day. I'm also a mildly picky eater so at most breakfasts I had to skip eating a course and/or deconstruct things to get flavors that were unappetizing to me out of my meal, then ended up feeling kind of ill anyway because the food was still too much. (Semi-related point to the above, in which I reveal myself as a tea snob: At one point we asked for tea and were served Lipton. This is like asking for wine and being served grape Kool-Aid. Lipton is factory floor sweepings put into teabags, and you can tell from the taste. I was really surprised that an establishment that clearly cares about the quality of its food would serve the absolute lowest quality of tea available for purchase. At least buy some Bigelow or something!) The dealbreaker: The owner smokes and/or allows someone on staff to smoke in the building. Seriously, almost everywhere I've been in this building, including every bedroom I have been in, I've caught at least a whiff of cigarette. I'm sensitive to cigarette smoke so I may be able to smell it in small quantities better than most people, but still. It's simply inappropriate to expose one's (paying!) guests to second- and third-hand smoke. The worst of it was that the time we actually stayed here, our rooms were above the kitchen. Early in the morning, the owner and her help arrive to start cooking breakfast, and at least one of them lights up. I know this because I was reliably woken out of a sound sleep by the smoke. One morning we could open the windows and it fixed things enough to let me at least doze; the next it was raining, so the options were to let rain in all over the beautiful woodwork or keep the windows closed. That morning I couldn't sleep at all due to the stench - our room was absolutely full of cigarette smoke and I literally felt at times as though I was choking on it. When we went downstairs for breakfast, I - already feeling sick from two mornings of getting very poor sleep while inhaling nauseating toxins - got to sit right by the kitchen door. Every time the door opened, a little puff of smoke came out and wafted over me, and as I sat there eating my too-large, too-heavy breakfast and trying to hold my breath as much as possible, it dawned on me that if someone was smoking in the kitchen while breakfast was being made, then everything passing my lips was coated in a fine mist of carcinogens... Less than appetizing, to say the least. That was the moment when I knew I'd absolutely never come back. So if you like/don't mind big heavy fancy breakfasts, and you are a smoker or are not bothered by the smell of cigarettes and exposure to cigarette smoke, you may enjoy O'Neil House. If not, like me, you're better off finding somewhere to stay that won't leave you feeling sick. read more

We rented the O'Neil House for two nights covering the New Year's weekend of 2010. The décor was beautiful, the staff very attentive, and the food excellent. Unfortunately, our praise cannot be extended to the ownership of the O'Neil House. We booked the weekend a full year in advance and experienced a shifting landscape of occupancy and cost issues. There was a continual redefinition of how many adults and children we could house. Ultimately, we were forced to house part of our guests offsite even though there was one O'Neil House bedroom left empty for the weekend. The other surprise occurred at checkout. Our final bill was almost 25% higher than we had estimated and had been verbally quoted. During the finalization process leading up to our weekend event, and feeling uneasy about firming the actual costs expected, we had asked for a written quote. When rebuffed, We did not pursue the topic. That was a major mistake. A word to the wise: WE WOULD NOT RENT THIS FACILITY WITHOUT RECEIVING A WRITTEN, FIXED PRICE QUOTE IN ADVANCE! Our beautiful weekend was destroyed by the ugly conversation at the end. Ultimately, we paid the bill, departed, and will never return. P.S. There was a strong cigarette smoke odor present in some rooms on the second floor. It was strong enough that one family of our guests moved to the empty room to avoid the odor. read more

We stayed at O'Neil House as part of my 50th Buchtel High School reunion in August 2011. It was also the site of our informal reunion event on Friday night. It is the best b&b we have ever stayed in! The accommodations were fantastic. We had four rooms in our suite; a very large bedroom with a king four poster bed, elegantly furnished with period pieces, wallpaper, and carpet; a living room with two love seats and two wing chairs, an elegant dressing room, and huge bathroom with period pedestal sink, huge tub, marble lined shower, and even a bidet. Further, breakfast was home made, elegant with period dishes and silverware, and absolutely delicious. We stayed two nights and felt pampered. Further, the grounds are beautiful, with an area for weddings as well. I felt like our quarters was a bridal suite! read more

Spectacular getaway in a meticulously restored 1922 mansion. Gayle Johnson is a whirlwind of energy who hosts, cooks, arranges events, and still makes time to describe her 20+ year history with this gorgeous old home. She welcomes you like an old friend yet is completely unintrusive once you are settled. Conversation with her is a joy--and energizing. The accommodations are beautiful if you like antiques and museum-like displays of early 20th century artifacts in some small rooms (former closets or maid stations?) adjoining the grand scale of the bedrooms, library, and living areas. The breakfast was sumptuous in a solarium overlooking the lily pond. Ms. Johnson put enormous sweat equity into bringing a neglected, water-damaged shell back to its 1922 grandeur including hand-refinishing hundreds of square yards of carved paneling in the common areas and tastefully furnishing the entire place with period pieces. The grounds and the stone portico across the back of the home are accessible to guests so that you are transported to a woodsy oasis just steps from the main street. This is a must-enjoy space. I went to Akron just for this pleasure, and what a pleasure it was! read more

I was initially introduced to the house a few years back when I worked as a PHOTOBOOTH attendant for a private event. Since then, I can't keep this house out of my mind. I have a bit of wedding fever and can't wait to one day have my wedding here. The food was very delicious, as the owner will prepare just about anything you request. The grounds were very well maintained, and so so pretty. The only downfall is the guest capacity, which I believe is 80, and my so and myself both have large families. But, limiting the guest count really helps save some money as well and keeps things intimate. I wish the house was open to the public, because I know id often find myself here admiring. read more

DO NOT BOOK O'NEIL HOUSE FOR A WEDDING! There were countless issues with this place --- namely the owner --- I truly hope to spare couples the dissatisfaction we encountered with this business. Firstly, the owner was extremely unpleasant, difficult, and downright frustrating to work with. She did not believe in written contracts (first red flag) so everything that was discussed was done so with a verbal agreement. She offered no formal menu for us to choose food or dessert options for our guests and when we inquired about food examples, she had nothing to show us; food or price-wise. We very clearly explained that we did not want an additional tent for an extra $1,000 that she kept insisting was necessary. On the day of our rehearsal, the tent was set up and we were charged for it when we had told her several times that we did not want it. The house itself smelled of cigarette smoke and was not ventilated properly for our wedding in July, which happened to be over 100 degrees that particular day. The suite where I was got ready, along with my bridesmaids, had no air conditioning at all and I could barely get my wedding dress on due to the heat and lack of air. The morning after our wedding, we waited more than 20 minutes for Gayle, the owner, to check us out of our room. When we finally found her, she handed us a bill that was much more than we had originally agreed upon. When we asked her to explain some of the charges, she got extremely defensive and snatched the check out of our hands. There were no apologies or thank-yous from her and her erratic behavior. Our wedding was more than three years ago but I still remember how miserable she made the planning of our wedding. Gayle was not forthright with information or organization of simple tasks and when questioned, she became passive-aggressive. The bottom line: she doesn't listen or take well to mild criticism; not the best match for hospitality management. I would not recommend the O'Neil House to anyone simply because of the owner and her behavior. There are plenty more businesses and people who will value a couple's wants/needs for a wedding --- this however, is not the place! read more

A beautiful venue for my niece's bridal shower. Fortunately the weather was also beautiful that day so both inside and outdoor areas were accessibley. The food and service were excellent. In an elegant sunroom, we received delicious pre-meal fruit sorbets cleverly served in half-lemon "bowls" for the lemon-fruit one that I had. Then came a fruit salad with a mini muffin. The melons were not all ripe (that's difficult to achieve for a large quantity I suppose) so maybe berries which were in season would be better. The main course included vegetable quiche and a vegetable-grilled chicken salad. There was a great deal of food - too much for many of the ladies who lunches! Oh, then there was a creme brûlée type dessert served with little trays of French macaroons in different flavors! I'm sure the bride's mother selected the impressive menu, but it's good to know that these excellent options are available. After lunch we reconvened to the living room for the gift opening. It would have been nice if the staff offered water - all the dining tables were (quietly) cleaned of everything while we enjoyed time with the bride, but an offer of some ice water would have been nice. Several guests had to find staff to request a glass. One unfortunate occurrence, two guests were berated by one of the staff as they arrived because they mistakenly entered the circular driveway from the wrong side (there were no signs). She was apparently stressed about all of her duties and that set her off because she rudely told them about everything she had to do. Not a very good way to create a good first impression! Overall it's a wonderful place for a party! read more