The Martha Washington Inn and Spa

Stayed there overnight after dinner at Sisters Restaurant. Beautiful historic building with that classic style and charm. + Restaurant was excellent for dinner. Great service and good food. + Front desk staff were excellent. + Free self parking. -single item breakfast is ridiculous for a full service restaurant. -Shutting off AC in a room might be a great money saving idea but not when it’s 90 degrees outside and your rinky dink AC unit can’t cool down a room for at least 5 hours. -noises from the AC unit all night made me wonder if it was going to suddenly fail and plunge us back into heat and humidity. -Beds are awful. Soft and lumpy.

I asked for the same booking as in 2025 which was for 6 rooms for one night with tickets to the Abbington, complimentary breakfast and a discount at Sisters American Grill on site. I specifically stated no stairs as we are all seniors. In 2025 this was a good experience and we wanted to duplicate it annually. Unfortunately I got someone on the phone who neglected to transfer me to sales and said they could handle it. I never received an email confirmation and assumed that it was taken care of as promised. We arrived to find a much higher price and when we went to dinner at Sister's, we were told that what we expected was not the booking we received and that there was no discount. This was compounded by extremely slow service and 9 out of 12 people being served cold food. I sent a half dozen emails to Tanya Murray the General Manager and left several voicemails, none of which were acknowledged in any way. I then sent a letter detailing everything and once again no response. I am left to social media to let others know of this unsatisfactory experience.

What a fantastic place to stay! The inn staff were exceptional, the room was spacious, clean, well thought out, well furnished and comfortable. The pool and outdoor cascading jacuzzis were remarkable and the grounds well designed and maintained. This historic hotel is a great location near the Barter Theater, downtown Abingdon and, importantly for us, the Virginia Creeper Trail. Although pricey, it was worth it to us to splurge for the luxury of it all, particularly after a day on the trail. I was going to only give four stars because we found the restaurant to be such a disappointment but decided it was unfair to blame the inn for the restaurant. It really is one of the nicest places I have stayed in my 71 years.

Upon entering our room (211), we immediately noticed a persistent musty, humid odor consistent with mildew. For a property of this caliber, this was unexpected and concerning. In addition, the mattresses were noticeably poor in quality—thin, lumpy, and uncomfortable—which detracted significantly from our ability to rest comfortably. The bathroom only had a pedestal sink, so nowhere to store toiletries. We also encountered several service and amenity issues throughout the property. The coffee machine on the third floor, which had been recommended by the front desk as a new feature, was not operational due to lack of maintenance. In the women’s changing room, towels were not available at the time of use. Dining service was particularly disappointing. At breakfast, the advertised crab cake benedict was not being served, nor were any yogurt parfaits available. The coffee was empty, I had to tip the dispenser to get a glass of juice, and there were no mugs. I asked someone and they said they didn't have any clean ones, so they put out styrofoam cups. At dinner, although we were among the first guests seated when service began, there was an approximately one-hour delay before our food arrived, with no communication or update provided during that time. The chopped sirloin was essentially a meat patty and for $34, far overpriced for the dry hunk of meat that arrived on my plate. I emailed the hotel with my concerns, and never received a reply. I get the sense that they are having management issues and struggling with keeping staff.

This is our 6th Stay; the staff, check-in, and our room were exceptional, 4 Stars. Sisters Restaurant, the Dinner Service was mediocre. No follow-up on details, long wait between courses, and the dining room was not busy. The Food you must have changed chefs. The portions were "Huge." I ordered the Prime Rib; it was over 16 oz, and the vegetables were also oversized, and everything was "VERY SALTY". We will look for alternatives in the future for Dinner. Very disappointed and never received a follow-up from "Management".