English Inn of Charlottesville — Hotel in Charlottesville

Booked a Superior 1 Bed King Room for just over a week. Enjoyed it very much. Great staff.||THE ROOM|(+) Huge room for the money!|(+) Comfortable, firm bed|(+) A normal refrigerator - No risk of accidentally freezing lettuce, or anything else, in the refrigerator.|(+) Normal microwave|(+) Two comfortable chairs in the bedroom area|(+) Black-out curtain works well, covers the entire window area|(+) Quiet|(+) Excellent room design - The headboard of the bed is tucked well behind the back wall of the bathroom, isolating us from any noise in the hall, or the sound of someone heading out early in the morning to run downstairs for coffee.|(+) Multiple outlets and power ports on each nightstand at the bed|(-) Very slow WiFi - Occasionally got good throughput, but often couldn't load straightforward web pages.||BATHROOM|(+) Good size / Plenty of room for two|(-) Poor water pressure / volume from the showerhead with no way to adjust it (took longer than normal to rinse)|(-) No separate hand-held showerhead|(-) Poor lighting around the bathroom mirror - Typical these days, behind a translucent mirror edge, looks dramatic but doesn't work well when trying to shave or apply makeup|(-) Toilet quiet when it flushes||HOTEL BREAKFAST|Good, but the same thing every day, with very little variation. We did like having pancakes made in the back, that we can just quickly grab from the heated pan, instead of waiting for people playing with the waffle machines that have become ubiquitous elsewhere. The breakfast room staff were great overall, keeping food stocked, cleaning tables, etc.||AFTERNOON TEA and COOKIES|Definitely fun. Cookies were great. Large variety of teas, including some interesting alternatives. But you need to be back in time to enjoy it. Get back too late and you've missed it.||LOBBY AREA|Nice place to hang out, even without the afternoon tea and cookies. Plenty of comfortable seating and tables. Some board games are available for use.||SMOKING|No outdoor smoking area, nor any place for ashes or butts anywhere. When I asked at the front desk, I was told that I could smoke anywhere out in the parking lot, or back behind the room with the pool, just stay away from the doorways and such. There's also a neat community garden right next door and a park with a frisbee golf area, but they're only helpful during the day, though they do make for a nice walk.||LOCATION|Just off two main roads and short drives to all attractions in the area. Monticello and the Highlands are on the other side of the city; but only 15 minutes away. 7 minutes to the Downtown Mall (park in the Market Street garage). 38 minutes to the Montpelier...

The English Inn is a nice hotel located conveniently to most places in Charlottesville. The hotel is enjoyable; the staff is very friendly; the rooms are pleasant; and the common areas are warm and inviting. So why three stars? Many little things added up to an experience that doesn't match what they are charging for the rooms.

After hitting a concert the first night we arrived, we came back to the hotel late at night. We were thirsty, so I went to the vending machines. The machines on our floor we're pretty picked over. So I went down a floor and got what I wanted (Diet Coke if you're curious). That's not a big deal, but the machine wasn't restocked at any point over the weekend. It's a minor point, but at $200/nt (discounted from the normal $300), you think they'd be paying attention to details.

Day 2, the staff is cleaning rooms at 9:00 AM. There was no knock on our door, just the sounds of sometime trying to open it. Not a big deal as of yet. We get dressed and leave by 10:30. The maids are still cleaning in our hallway. We arrive back late that night and the room was never serviced. Again this is not a deal breaker, but most places have the staff make a second cleaning round to catch occupied rooms.

Day 3 we get up and begin packing to leave. My wife notices that the things she hung on the closet are wet. Sure enough, you can see water stains in the ceiling. Some of the stains are actively leaking (hence the wet clothes). Other stains are dried and look old. This isn't a new problem. We alert the front desk on the way out and his casual demeanor suggests this isn't the first time he's heard this complaint.

As I mentioned earlier, any of these issues isn't a huge problem. Even a water leak will occasionally happen in the best hotels. The problem is the summation of these minor issues combined with a pricing strategy that suggests the English Inn of Charlottesville should be a better experience than a Red Roof Inn next to the interstate. If you're going to be charging an above average prices, then you need to be delivering above average...

Do not let the appearance of The English Inn in Charlottesville fool you. On the contrary, the English Inn offers a symbolic reflection on colonial America as it sits towards the heart of Charlottesville.

Sitting at the cusp of the Route 29 and Route 250 interchange, the lodge is in the perfect location. It is nestled away from the main thoroughfare which enables some peace and quiet. There is also a dedicated light that sits on the road to the hotel which offers that peace of mind for those that are traffic-conscious. There are more than a handful of eateries (Bodo's Bagels is immediately adjacent to the hotel) that are well within walking distance and two grocery stores (Asian and Latin American) located directly across Route 29 from the hotel. Less than a quarter mile drive in either direction, there are shopping centers (Barracks Road and Shoppes at the Stonefield) and even more eateries when leaving the hotel. Behind the hotel, there is a community garden as well as a robust and beautiful walking/running trail that is easily accessible. While not considered as downtown, getting there and to the University from the hotel is quite easy with the drive being less than a 10 minutes.

The hotel is great for families with children and is pet-friendly. The rooms were clean and well maintained with plenty of onsite amenities. The hotel offers hot coffee and water in the lobby, while serving a great breakfast spread in the mornings. The lobby itself has a beautiful common area that is coupled with a fireplace and cozy sitting spaces. There is a rather large indoor pool that is also very clean and well maintained; no more than 5 feet at the deepest end, you don't have to worry about the water being frigid and there is also a shelf that is decently stocked with drying towels. From a holistic perspective, the English Inn beats out a lot of the other hotels in the immediate area based on affordability, location, amenities, and comfort.

We were surprised and truly delighted with this find and would definitely stay here again when we visit C'ville...