Bonnie G.
Yelp
We were looking forward to our stay at the George, based on the pictures and reviews. The house is gorgeous both inside and out, and the rooms are comfortable and well appointed. The heated bathroom floors were the highlight for us!
Hence, we thought we won the jackpot upon learning, via voicemail a few days prior to our arrival, that due to a group booking, they would have to upgrade to a suite on the 3rd floor. "Fabulous!", I exclaimed to my husband, as I relayed the message. I was, however, mildly concerned when, upon returning the call to reconfirm, that they cited "minimizing noise" as the reason for doing so.
Turns out that the group that overlapped with our trip was here for a work retreat. They were up very early so we heard alarm clocks, slamming doors and showers starting before dawn. And throughout the night, there were all sorts of other disturbances, from plumbing to heating, that were not the soothing white kind that encourage sleep. Case in point: I woke up three times alone last night. In fact, I did not sleep through the night any of the nights during our stay (as someone who has enviable sleeping habits for someone my age.)
Do I think the George has potential to offer a great option for folks and do I think others had a five-star experience? Absolutely. But would I stay here again if another group were? Definitely not. The group came for business--lucky for them!--but we did not (in fact, this was supposed to be a quiet, relaxing vacation). So, you can imagine the dynamics of staying in a place where all the other rooms are occupied by people who know each other and whose reasons for staying are diametrically opposed to yours. Further, we didn't have the same access to the shared spaces (the sitting room in front of the fireplace, for example) and, as a result, did not experience the same "at home-ness" they did. I understand that staff would focus their energies on the group's needs, but we felt slightly overlooked.
For the record, I'm not blaming anyone, including The George staff nor the other guests, but perhaps this is a teachable moment for everyone.