Kristen L.
Yelp
I wrote a review yesterday which I am leaving below since it describes my interactions with one of the managers as well as details the single rooms. However, it was only fair to update my review since the general manager Mike (as opposed to the manager I spoke with last night named Paula) did an above board job making things right. He initiated a call to me in the morning since the front desk host left a message for him about my situation. He offered me a room upgrade, which is positively delightful.
The new room has three windows, one facing the harbor and two facing a side street leading to Main. Excellent for people watching and for getting a cross-breeze if one desires. The restaurant is directly beneath the window, so there is music and talking that one can hear, but it is not troublesome.
So, I would recommend Jared Coffin House based on the excellent service and staff, with the caveat that the single rooms should probably be avoided if possible.
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The staff at the front desk are wonderful, as are the staff I encountered in various other places around the hotel, which is the only reason this is not a one star.
I am a room which is so small there is not space to open a suitcase without putting it on the bed. There is no chair. There is certainly no desk. The closet is maybe 2ft wide. There is a small window that faces a brick wall. To reach the window AC unit, one must actually climb over the bed because there is barely space between the end of the bed and the wall to shimmy around to it. The same is true for the dresser. It is possible to stand up and open the dresser drawers at the same time, but one's legs will be against the bed and it's more comfortable to do sitting on the bed.
There was no indication on their website that the room was this small, nor were there pictures. I rechecked before leaving negative feedback. It is described as "intimate."
I am a bit claustrophobic. I could have handled a small room, so long as it didn't face a brick wall. I could have handled seeing a brick wall if the room hadn't been both small and full of furniture.
I was told I could pay an extra $350 a night to upgrade to a larger room. I asked if I could receive a refund and simply cut my vacation short. Only if they sold the other five rooms they have sitting empty would they consider a refund. So, my take away from this is that they are perfectly happy for me to actually have a panic attack sitting in a tiny room, that was not advertised as tiny before I arrived, while they have five large rooms sitting empty. If I don't like it, I can either absorb three nights of an expensive room and go home or I can pay an additional $1050 to get a room that will not send me over the edge.
The front staff are wonderful. They offer complimentary water. I can't say they are hospitable, because there is nothing hospitable about their enforcement of policy regarding refunds and/or upgrades. The downstairs area, where I am spending as much time as possible since the room itself truly is anxiety producing, is lovely. As for the building itself, there is a 'servant stairway' that has paint chips and crumbled bits of wall on it that is a few feet away from the main staircase.
This experience turned what had been a lovely vacation until the Jared Coffin House entered he equation on it's head. I will be in the area frequently over the next few years and was fully intending to schedule future dates to stay on upcoming trips, expecting to have a good experience. What an unpleasant surprise. Needless to say, I do not intend to book here again.
