Inn of the Dove at Bensalem-Jacuzzi & Fireplace Suites — Hotel in Bensalem Township

I was looking for a romantic night away with my husband and saw on Trip Advisor that the Inn of the Dove was one of the top romantic getaways so we were very excited to spend the night! After staying there, I truly don’t know how it is rated so high because it needs some serious upgrading/ renovations. It wasn’t completely awful but there’s no way it should be rated more than 2/5. We chose the Asian themed suite (103) and when we opened the door we were pleased with the look of it as well as the loon of the grounds but the smell was not the greatest. It smelled musty like an old basement. I used air freshener that we had in the car and turned on the air conditioner. My husband & I left our bags to leave for dinner and when we got back the smell wasn’t as bad as when we initially arrived.

When we came back to the room (around 8-8:30) we began looking around and checking things out. Immediately we noticed burn holes in the blanket and table as well as the fact the platform around the bed had carpet with holes in it (all pictured). We started the jacuzzi and tried to forget about the small stuff and relax, it was stained but otherwise in good condition. It was honestly the only thing we truly enjoyed during our stay. After the jacuzzi we went to lay in bed and it was like a rock... I couldn’t wait to come home and sleep in my own bed. Before we went to bed we looked for an outlet close to the bed and found an outlet with a so many wires (see photo)!!! It is a FIRE HAZARD to have so many things plugged into the same outlet. My husband unplugged it so we could sleep without having to worry if we were going to go up in flames. By this time it was already 11-12. We weren’t going to ask for a new room in the middle of the night.

We woke up in the morning around 8:30 am because we heard a loud vibrating sound. I’m pretty sure it was another rooms jacuzzi so I don’t think the rooms are soundproof at all. We couldn’t go back to sleep so we showered, got dressed and used the bathroom before leaving and of course the toilet wouldn’t flush. We put our bag in the car and went to the lobby for the continental breakfast and to give in our room key. They offered cereal, muffins, juices, coffee, etc. I grabbed a few mini muffins for my husband and I, and when I turned around someone was standing at the two way glass. Seemingly watching us which makes me wonder why they offer breakfast if they have a problem with you taking it. I felt like I was doing something wrong by taking anything.

When turning in the room key the woman didn’t ask me if I enjoyed my stay or if there were any issues. She actually didn’t say anything to me at all when I checked out, she only took the card and that was it. I even asked is there anything else you need from me and she said no. I then told her the toilet wouldn’t flush and she said oh it’s probably clogged or something I’ll have maintenance look at it. Then went back to typing on the computer and didn’t say have a good day or even goodbye as we left. Needless to say they need to make some serious changes before I ever come back here. They are charging far too much for the rooms they have. Maybe I just got a bad room but honestly I wouldn’t pay another 200+ dollars to see if other rooms...

(Tears)... YOU TOOK AWAY MY ONCE IN A LIFE TIME EXPERIENCE!! My boyfriend originally booked the Sweetheart Room. He then upgraded to the room with the pool.....(it was supposed to be a special night). He ordered the extra package to have roses, Champagne glasses, candles & teddy bear....(DONT DO IT, everything is generic & dollar store products) He also paid an additional (hefty) charge for a 1pm check out. He also bought additional candles (over 50), pjs for us both, bottle of perfume for me, crab cakes from my favorite restaurant & went to A LOT OF TROUBLE setting the room up before I saw it.... He not only spent money on this room, but a lot in extra details to make it a perfect evening. We arrived & pool area was FREEZING & SO WAS POOL.... called to front desk & they said they would come into OUR room through the pool area & turn heat on. She even said "how beautiful he made the room"... We were told give it a half hour. POOL NEVER HEATED UP & NEITHER DID THE POOL ROOM. Bathroom was absolutely freezing...(had a double head shower, but what's the point, if you can't even take your clothes off) But, he found a heater in the closet &, plugged it in... However, the heater blew out all the circuits in the room! Maintainance had to come AGAIN at 10ish.... THEY EVEN AGREED THE POOL & ROOM WERE FREEZING!!! MAINTENANCE was in & out of the room (this time 4 times) but NEVER got the bathroom heater working, but did manage to get one Outlet working again. So we could plug in our phones & a speaker. (Still no heat in pool & jacuzzi area, freezing pool & no heat in bathroom). I could see my boyfriend ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIED & EXTREMELY UPSET... Oh, did I mention the fireplace & that you can ONLY use a Duraflame log on & they only give you 1....(you have to purchase additional ones, because they only last about an hour & THERE WAS NO WORKING HEATER IN THE ROOM) Finally after we realized we were not going to be enjoying the benefits from this AWESOME ROOM, we attempted to eat & the microwave outlet was still blown from earlier. Had to call them AGAIN & they came in and out 5 more times to get the microwave working. To say this experience was TERRIBLE is an understatement. BUT HERE IS THE SAD PART: Over $1500 was spent on this night for the room & special details.... I am disabled & I can't go many places, we are not wealthy & he saved for a long time to give me this experience. He spoke with someone at the location the next morning & they reimbursed him $200 (are you kidding me? That's all?) So AFTER ALL THIS, I FOUND OUT APPARENTLY HE WAS GOING TO PROPOSE!!! THANK YOU FOR RUINING MY PERFECT NIGHT & GRACOUSLY GIVING US $200 BACK. YOU SUCK! ALL HE WAS TRYING TO DO WAS PROPOSE & MAKE ME HAPPY, HOW DARE YOU NOT REIMBURSE HIM THE ENTIRE AMOUNT!!! WILL BAD MOUTH YOU TO ANYONE THAT WILL LISTEN & WRITE BAD REVIEWS EVERYWHERE!!! SHAME ON YOU INN...

So for my girlfriends birthday (12-8)we decided we wanted to go to the inn of the dove for the night. We arrived at around 11pm I paid for the room $149 remaining balance that was owed(50$ deposit made a week prior to hold room) so we were set. We then decided and asked about a late checkout because of standard check out time at 11am which we knew we wouldnt be ready to leave by then yet. So the clerk then said we could stay til 12pm for free. We then asked if there was a way to check out by 3pm instead, he specifically stated yes i can do that for 3pm but I gotta charge $35.99+tax for that. We said thats fine as we both agreed we were paying to stay until 3pm. So we grabbed a log and a few other bath soaps etc. He billed us for 65$ and we were on our way to the room! So now 1pm comes around and we get a knock on the door saying checkout time is at 1pm so I told the man we paid for a late checkout. He says yeah late checkout is at 1pm I then told him we was charged 35.99 for 3pm so he said no theres no way we could checkout by 3. So we got kicked out of our room and I go upfront to see what the confusion was. The man that checked us in wasnt there at first but the other clerks called him to come to the front desk for us. He gets there and says no I told you late checkout is 1pm which is a LIE! He 100% told us 3pm was fine now it turned into a scam to overcharge us for a service we didnt get to use! Also because we had to pack up fast and get out we wasnt able to walk out right when they said sorry we wasnt expecting to be kicked out after paying for it in advance, then while standing there talking about the situation they try charging us another charge for time it took us to pack up and leave! Me and my girlfriend been here quite a few times without any dilemmas until this "other" guy is working a night were staying there. The last time we stayed there we also recieved an additional log for compliments for spending so much money on oils,soaps,logs, etc. ($10 value) and because we said it to the man he then said hes gonna find out who was working the last time we were there and fire them for giving away free stuff! Are you serious ? So with the previous employee who treated us with 110% respect and gave us a complimentary wood log for my birthday he's now gonna be fired for great customer service??!? He is the reason we returned this time,made us wanna come back. And now well, they told us were not aloud there no more because they were wrong? What did we do wrong but spend over $250 there? Horrible horrible experience that none of the 3 clerks at the desk even tried or even wanted to make it right with the repeat customer! I am disappointed in their customer service even I can do a better job than they did...