The Martha Washington Inn and Spa

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".

If I could have given negative stars to our visit for my Mothers 85th birthday on July 8 and 9th then sadly I would have given a negative 4 star review (Robbie, who has been working at the Martha for 20 years and took us on our Creeper Trail ride gets 5 stars just for himself which earns back 1 star for the Martha - he is the one thing left from prior years - wonderful customer service, kindness, warmth, attention to detail). Sadly, everything else has changed. We have been coming to The Martha Washington as a family for birthdays, anniversaries, special trips when the kids had impressive achievements, for family time and because we've loved it, and of course the Barter Theatre. This trip we met the recently hired general manager, Tanya Murray who was friendly but woefully ill equipped at the job. Whoever oversees the Martha would do well to replace her and any staff she has hired with people who have hospitality/customer service experience and who are competent, able to foster a memorable experience, able to build and run a skilled kitchen that befits the legacy of the Inn and the price of the rooms. Please bring back the history and beauty of this once treasured Inn. Starting art at the beginning. RESERVATION/ROOM ISSUES: When my 84 year old father (who has always adored coming to the MW) made our family reservation, he informed the front desk that we are regulars looking to celebrating his wife's 85th birthday. He asked to book a nice suite for the occasion but specific in his request was that the room be COOL, the recent heat/humidity wave, had been particularly draining for my 80 year old parents. The person who booked the room for my 85 year old' Mom's birthday should have asked if climbing several un-airconditioned, sweltering flights of steep stairs through oppressively hot hallways would be too taxing for people of their age.. They didn't ask and it was too taxing. In spite of my parents having replaced hips, knees, and shoulders, painful arthritis and heart disease they are youthful in spirit. They are not picky or difficult guests. Wherever they travel or dine they love introducing themselves to staff, making new friends and creating a shared and enjoyable experience through their kind and accommodating nature. Climbing the steep hot steeps left my parents sweaty and out of breath once they reached their room but they shifted their focus to how lovely the room was saying that they didn't want to be a bother. Sadly, it was so hot that all the shades had to be drawn, blocking the lovely view of the grounds, and a total of 3 fans had to be requested in an effort to cool down the room. The fans (and extra robes and towels) were quickly brought everything to the room but no one checked to make sure the room would work for two elderly guests.. It seemed that the concierge might have checked in to see how the 85 year old birthday party was fairing with the OBVIOUSLY over heated room (three fans) with the extremely strenuous hot steep climb (no elevator)?!?! When I arrived, my parents had unpacked, tried to cool off and were resting and focusing only on having a positive birthday experience. The lack of attention to the heat, stair issue and guest celebrating a seminal 85th birthday in a 400+ suite, did not seem an auspicious start. We had a reservations at The Tavern for dinner but climbing the stairs several times in the heat had left my Mom tired. She suggested checking for availability at the Sisters. The front desk said we didn't need a reservation. INCORRECT INFORMATION We were told to arrive at the restaurant before 9 to eat and listen to a jazz/classical band. The menu on the website did not list any desserts so someone recommended Anthony's, a classically trained pastry chef who had previously worked at the Inn before starting his own business. I ran out, bought some desserts and birthday candles and later gave them to a very confused server in the dining room who took them and agreed to have someone serve them after dinner. DINING DISASTER We arrived at 8:10 and were told that the kitchen stopped serving the full menu not at 9 but at 8:00 so all we could order were a few items from a truncated late night menu: apps, chicken fingers etc?!?!?! My Dad explained that it was my Mother's 85th and someone said "that's a big birthday, can we offer you a free glass of wine" my Mother thanked them saying that she would love a glass a glass of Chardonnay, focusing on having a good birthday not the limited menu or loud blue grass band - no jazz/classical. The manager - Tanya Murry I think was her name - came by and chatted with my family but did nothing to try to remedy the miscommunication over dinner. She talked for a while but never took drink orders or offered to fill our depleted bread dish, everyone was very hungry. We waited and waited to place our order with my kids going up to the bar to asked for more bread 3 times. Finally we placed drink and food orders and my Mother ordered another Chardonnay, I ordered a glass of Brut, my daughter ordered a Coke and everyone else water. That was the last drink order taken, no filled water, no second glass of brut, no Coke refill...nothing for the rest of the night. We ordered several shared dishes for the table, fried mussels, three salads, chicken tenders, two Southern Tasting Boards described as "Chefs Signature Dips and Spreads accompanied by selections of Specialty Breads @ $20, and one Cheese Board described as baked brie wheel with blackberry jam, candied pecans, and an assortment of fruits both dried and fresh and baguette @ $20.Although the music was not the type that my parents were expecting nor music that they like, we all got up, danced laughed and tipped the band. We waited and waited for our food as the dining room patrons finished and left. Finally I went to check with the manager, who was sitting near the band in the dining room with another staff member or maybe a friend, both enjoying full meals - full entrees that we had been told were no longer being served. They ate heartily while we sat across the dining room hungry and lacking even drink refills ??!1?? It took almost ONE HOUR for us to get the few things we had ordered, during which time the handful of people in the restaurant left. It was just us, the band and finally came the AWFUL AND DANGEROUS FOOD: When the food finally arrived it was bad, awful, unbelievable..... I'll start with the worst....the mussels. My Mother bit into a round fried dough covered mussel and flinched, grabbing her mouth. The mussels were fried IN THEIR FULL SHARP SHELL, yes FULL SHELLS hidden under fried dough. We picked into the other fried balls - and they all contained a full mussel shell. In case you are wondering: "You cannot eat mussel shells. The hard outer shell is inedible and poses a severe choking and digestive hazard. If even small, sharp splinters of mussel shell mixes into food it can lead to serious risks, including cuts to the mouth, throat, and esophagus, or even bowel perforation." Anyone who cooks the mussel without removing the shell does not know how to cook. So - the inedible and dangerous mussels shell balls were removed from the table and the bill. The two "Southern board" dishes featured a pile of ritz crackers, some seed crackers, some pimento cheese and two tiny room service jars of jelly plus two small white blobs that I think were supposed to be biscuits, cold, dry and disgusting???? The cheese board featured brie that had long ago been heated but was currently waxy, cold and covered in jelly, cubes of yellow and white american cheese as seen in plastic gas station coolers filled in as the assorted cheese tray, along with two slices of hard baguette, raw pecans, a few dried apricots and a hand full of mushy, thinly sliced strawberries???? The chicken tenders were heavily battered and cold (even the 15 year old didn't want to eat them), the salads were wilted and swimming in dressing. All in all the food was awful. Given the mussel situation, lateness and coldness of our "food" and the fact that we ate almost nothing should have indicated a problematic meal at best. No-one checked on us, cleared dishes, asked if we wanted anything else, refilled drinks, waters, asked if we wanted tea or coffee.....Nothing. As the band was packing up, the desserts I had purchased for Mom arrived with lit candles and the band sang happy birthday - that was nice especially because the restaurant was now empty. The desserts were served without clean cutlery or plates. We waited a few minutes then I got up - again - and went to the bar to retrieve plates, knives and spoons. We passed the desserts across our dirty table which was pilled high with uncleared, uneaten food and plates. The desserts from Anthony's were delicious, we devoured them and then sat in the empty dining room waiting for our bill - over $200 with tip. They charged us a $15 corkage fee for bringing out the desserts on a plate without plates or cutlery - remember we had to bring in dessert bc none was offered ON THE MENU. They also charged Mom for her "birthday glass of wine" Hundreds for a special dinner is no big deal if you get a decent meal, have a nice time and experience something that resembles hospitality. My Dad looked over the bill and noticed the "corkage" fee and the charge for the "free glass of birthday wine". When we asked about this the server called Tanya over. She defensively said "We removed the mussels." The BATTER FRIED SHELLS??? I should hope they were removed. Mom mentioned the birthday wine, everyone at the table heard the same thing "please pick out a free glass of wine for your birthday" and she had choosen an inexpensive Chardonnay, yet she was being charged for it on the bill. Tanya said that Mom, "Must have been confused by the free port offered in the lobby before dinner or the free mimosa offered tomorrow at breakfast". No. Tanya said it was impossible to offer a free glass of wine bc it was against the law to give away alcohol. Free port, free mimosa.....isn't free alcohol the same thing as free alcohol????? My Dad was embarrassed and a little mad but he smiled and waved it away. As someone who is in a management position, Tanya had no interest in overseeing quality or even edible food, good service or a positive experience for my Mother's 85th. If she was dealing with a short staffed kitchen, or missing chef along with inexperienced wait staff then she should have been really on her game as manager in order to provide support and to try to uphold a certain quality of service. Honestly it would have been enormously better if she had just recommended another place to eat as opposed to the fiasco that became our worst meal ever. Instead she sat across the dining room enjoying a large meal while offering us, the guests, limited bar food, all bad bar food which included FRIED Mussel SHELLS. We had no bar or water service, insanely slow food that arrived cold and inedible, truly horrible service, and after all of this, she quibbled with my Dad about the bill. My Mom and Dad tried to wave away the ridiculous "corkage fee" for bringing out the desserts and the charge for the "free birthday wine" and the kids worked to keep spirits up but I could tell that my parents were both tired (it was now well after 10) and disappointed. I, at this point, was furious. This is one of a few remaining birthdays for my Mom, our family loves being together and we made the best of things but truly it was an unmitigated disaster. We collected all of Mom's gifts and cards from the table that was stacked with dirty dishes and helped her out of the restaurant. No one offered to take the gifts to the room, which wouldn't have been a problem except that we had to help two tired, hungry 85 year old people up all those hot stairs worrying that my Mom might fall bc she felt dizzy. Breakfast the next morning consisted of no choices, only one offered dish - a tasteless omelet with "steak" which were dry brown cubes sprinkled on top, mushy hash browns, flavorless grits, burned bacon, no toast and cubes of sad honeydew that looked like it came from the same gas station cubicle that from wince the cheese cubes had been found. Regarding that free mimosa, no one knew anything about that. TV news blared as we ate in a mostly empty dining room. We have loved coming to the Martha for so many years. This was a heart breaking visit and my father is canceling his upcoming reservations. If someone doesn't take over the management of this grande dame of a hotel then I fear it will end up purchased by a cheezy chain and stripped of any remaining unique charm and beauty. Please replace the manager and you would be well served to just shut down the restaurant until you can find a chef and staff with experience. Offer guests a voucher to a local restaurant that has good food and service and bring The Sisters out of its death spiral. Oh also - when you are offered 35 dollars toward a dinner, don't make the guest get up from dinner and go to the front desk to retrieve a physical copy, like a coupon? In case you think I am just a fussy guest I want you to remember that we were served, and my 85 year old Mother bit into, a deep fried, sharp, full mussel shell and we remained polite throughout our "inedible meal" and the remainder of our disappointing visit. I did voice concerns to Robbie the next day when he picked us up from our beautiful creeper trail ride. Robbie has worked at the Inn for 20 years and loves it, he was hesitant to say anything negative but did say that he would pass along our concerns and sincerely hoped we would return because he loved seeing guests that came year after year. I hope we can be those guests again but right now this is a big beautiful building that is really poorly mismanged and is not worth the time or money to visit. As someone who has worked in the service and entertainment industry I am aware of how vital good customer service is. I have worked in marketing and events for decades and really hope that the Martha can find someone to turn things around. There are so many unrealized revenue streams and the opportunity to participate in interesting experiences can provide guests with lovely and unforgettable experience. They need an entirely new kitchen crew, wait staff, hospitality crew and manager. I hope they find a team to help SAVE THE MARTHA WASHINGTON INN and bring it back to it's former glory.

I called at 10:08 and was told our room was ready. We arrived approx 1:30 and smirking desk clerk said it was not ready and told me what the guaranteed check in time was. I told him I was told the room was ready when I called. He said the person who told me that didn’t know they were taking pictures of the room. I felt this was untrue. I sat outside the room for almost two hours. The only pictures that take that long would be painted!! No one ever entered or exited the room. My husband eventually showed up with the keys. I was and still am furious. I left and drove the two hours home. My husband stayed by himself. He’s much more tolerant than me. We had tickets to two plays. My tickets are just a waste of money. They also failed to honor the two $50 dinner credits Gary had told me about when I booked. They did give $75. My advice is to get everything in writing. Getting the name, date, and time of who you spoke to is useless as they lack honor. 3 nights for $1,600 and I didn’t even stay. What a shame that they would treat loyal customers so shamelessly. Also stupid to run off return customers. We love staying there, or did. Just be careful. Some of the staff is wonderful. No manager has contacted me.

We came back to the Martha to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. Our original reservation was for a spa package which 3 weeks before our arrival was cancelled because of the Coronavirus restrictions on spa services not being lifted. Not their fault and we understood. So we decided to go anyway. When we made our original reservation we made sure to tell them it was our anniversary and a really did oak occasion for us. I thought this would prompt a particularly nice room and maybe a special greeting. We arrived at 1 and were curtly told check in us at 3. No offer to take our bags or let us park until checkin. I had to request permission to park and the person who greeted us was less than friendly! The room we got, after wandering all over the place to find it, was dark and dreary with dull peeling wallpaper and old worn out carpet. The bathroom counter area was tiny and any amenities you normally find in hotels,hair dryer, iron, etc; you had to call and ask for. No tub, but the shower was nice. The bed was comfy. But the decor really needs sprucing up. You would think if you had to be shut down for a period of time during the pandemic you could at least replace old worn out artificial flowers with something nice! Then on the night we had made reservations for dinner I decided to confirm the time, just to make sure we did not arrive late, and they did not have our reservations in the schedule! Lucky I asked! We will likely find somewhere else to stay next trip!