Acadia Hotel - Downtown — Hotel in Bar Harbor

We stayed at the Acadia the night of March 8th. All was good until Sunday morning. We have stayed here most winters for the past several years--Bar Harbor is beautiful in the winter, and it is good to support business in the off season. Everything was fine until Sunday morning when my wife was showering, the hot water ran out. I called the front desk and all they said was “sorry for the inconvenience." I had to ask if she could have access to a room with a hot shower. Shortly thereafter, we got a knock on the door and were offered to shower in the next room over. It’s an older building and I suspected all the room’s hot water was supplied by the same boiler, so it was no surprise when the shower was cold there too. My wife was still in a towel in the bathroom waiting for hot water--this was not a "quick blast of cold water" as management suggested. The water was not warm for an extended time. At this point, hotel staff called maintenance to check the boiler. While that was going on, we gave up on seeing hot water in a reasonable time (~ 20 minutes had passed since 1st reported). My wife was not offered to take a shower in the other building or anywhere else, which would have been nice. I spoke to the hotel staff again and asked for a refund or equivalent. My request was denied and when I asked to have the manager’s name and contact info, that was also denied, but I was assured he would call me. We finished our routines as best we could, packed and got ready to leave. Just before we were ready to go, the front desk called again and said the manager Nick was on his way over and should be there in 10-15 minutes. We decided to wait in the lobby and after about 15 minutes asked if Nick was here or still on his way. We were told he was there, looking at the furnace, so we asked to have him come up and speak to us. Instead of Nick, Jeff came in and introduced himself. We told him what happened and he also assured us he would tell Nick and have him call us. We left shortly thereafter and never heard from Nick until I emailed on Monday morning. Nick’s response was disappointing. He basically apologized, then insinuated we were lying ("quick blast of cold water" and "no other guests complained" comments) and wrapped up by saying things happen, but since you’ve been a repeat customer, we’ll knock 10% off your bill. To summarize, nice place to stay if nothing goes wrong. If it does, I’d give them a zero for customer service & appreciation. When you stay at a hotel, you expect to take a shower in the morning. If they had just said, "Sorry about this! When we see you next year--it's on us!" That would have been a good way to keep a returning customer. We will not stay here, or at another Henry Hotel property in Bar Harbor again--it won't affect them, but when you are in the hospitality business it is reasonable to expect just that. Hospitality....

I made a slightly impulsive, last-minute decision, as a solo woman traveler, to drive from Boston to Bar Harbor through the night and spend some time at Acadia. I found the Acadia Hotel and was able to book online instantly for am amazing rate (it is the off season, after all). I chose the option to pay at the hotel.

I then called to explain I likely wouldn’t arrive until 3 AM, which I was worried about, because I wasn’t sure how late the desk would be staffed at a small inn like this. I was prepared to cancel if it would inconvenience anyone. I spoke to a lovely and warm young woman who assured me it would be no problem at all, and that someone was available 24/7 to assist guests.

I arrived a bit later than I anticipated, and upon walking into the warm and cozy lobby, I found a hand written envelope addressed to me, with instructions on how to access my room, and encouraging me to get some rest and check in with the desk in the morning. Everything from the signage upon arrival to the instructions I received were clear and simple, and getting to my room was a breeze.

My room was lovely and serene, with all the comforts I needed (white fluffy towels, nice toiletries, an info card with local attractions, etc). It had a Juliette balcony and big floor to ceiling windows, with privacy/room darkening panels in case I wanted some extra shut eye.

When I woke up, I got ready and headed down to the lobby where I found another young woman tidying up (the place was immaculately clean!). She greeted me immediately and met me at the desk, where I told her my room number and explained that I still had to pay! Without looking at her computer, she instantly knew my name, asked me what brought me to the area, and how I was settling in.

She then gave me a great breakfast recommendation (Choco-Latte!) that was open for pickup. The coffee and food were delicious and just what I needed before venturing into the park. The hotel’s location is supreme, right in the middle of the town square of Bar Harbor. During peak season, I imagine it bustling with life and happy people going in and out of shops, galleries, restaurants, etc. EVERYTHING was walkable, but the free, easy parking at the hotel was a plus.

I really appreciated the personal, intimate feeling at the Acadia Hotel as it’s not what I’m used to. I’m usually put up in big chains, which I don’t mind at all and which can have their perks, but there’s something to be said for a smaller place with dedicated staff that can really make you feel at home.

I look forward to coming back to Bar Harbor, and when I do, I’m running straight back to this place. Thank you to the team for making me...

I’d give this place a 7 out of 10: Lovely, clean place and excellent location. The staff on duty when I checked in was super friendly and helpful. My room was just what I needed for my weekend getaway. The only negatives are that the parking is somewhat anxiety-inducing as it is behind the building in extremely tight spaces. If two or even three large vehicles park behind the building, it’s difficult to get through. Not to mention anyone who doesn’t know how to park! And if I’m paying for a hotel room, I don’t want to also pay for street parking. I don’t think there’s any way for the hotel to improve the parking situation, but that’s a factor to be aware of when you’re choosing a Bar Harbor hotel. They’ll say that it can get full if the hotel is busy, but they don’t mention that even if it’s not full, sometimes you just can’t find a spot where you’d actually fit.

The second thing was the room door: they give you a key code(which is great, actually feels more secure that way!), however it’s the type of technology that the front desk staff doesn’t seem willing to fix if you have trouble. My door code gave me zero issues the whole first day and next morning I was there. When I came back from a full day out doing activities, suddenly my code wasn’t working. When I went to the front desk, the staff member assumed that I was doing something wrong. She assumed that I had put the code in wrong or that I hadn’t pushed a necessary button(one which I hadn’t been previously instructed to push!), but I informed her that I indeed had punched in the CORRECT code several times to no avail. Her only response was “well it’s the right code, you must not be pushing the right buttons.” So I left the front desk feeling more frustrated than before. By some miracle my door let me in, but again it took several tries. The fact that the staff member wasn’t willing to believe that there was a glitch and just assumed I was wrong PLUS not offering any assistance herself just really left a bad taste in my mouth. Especially since the staff member from the previous day offered me wonderful service.

I think this is a lovely little property, but due to the door code and parking issues alone, I personally would likely...