Phineas Swann Inn & Spa — Hotel in Montgomery

I wish this had been a 5 star experience, but it just wasn't. Things that made a difference for me that you may also want to know about (good and bad): the water temperature in the shower fluctuated wildly between scalding and freezing. It was cyclical (as in a few seconds each of scalding, just right, lukewarm, cold, repeat) so I could kind of time it to avoid the worst of it. But not without being in a bit of pain first. Possibly the least enjoyable shower I have ever taken, even worse than the purely cold showers I've had to take while camping. the shower head was super low. I'm 5'6" and even I found it too short. It's also a smaller than standard shower with a taller than standard tub part - too small for 2 adults to be in at the same time. People with mobility issues may have trouble getting out of the shower due to the tub height. the website indicated they serve dinner - when we inquired they said they do not. And the website was not updated to reflect this. This is something you'll find out when you start making your dinner reservations, but if serving dinner on site is something you prefer it's good to know before booking. confirmations for the massage said masks were required, but when we arrived they said it was optional. They will put masks on if you ask them to, though. The room where the couples massage took place was tiny, and it sounded like there was a roomba going in the next room the whole time, which drowned out the music every time it came close to the door (quite often) there were metal eyes in the beam above the bed. Heavy duty. Bring equipment with you. Wish I had known. Big plus.

There were outside factors that made our trip not the best, but in the end we cut our trip short based on the room/inn and not on those outside factors.

The way they handled that news was unfortunate, and they said some untrue things about my partner in response to his review. We were really looking forward to this trip, and both arrived in good spirits. Maybe they are just not good at reading people? And he was not rude/abusive to spa staff in any way shape or form. I was with him the entire time we were there. He answered their questions politely, even when they asked for more detail about our prior evening. Everything was very polite, the only shortness was a direction to move on from something (literally "you can move on from that now" in a normal tone.) I don't know whether the spa staff lied to the owner, the owner misinterpreted what they said, or the owner just made it up. Either way, patently untrue.

I wouldn't visit here again, but primarily because of the response to our leaving early. In the summer I can see it being more enjoyable. And there were other positives - I was a big fan of the dutch babies they made for breakfast, and staff was lovely up until the point we decided to leave early. I can absolutely understand them not wanting to take a monetary hit so I wasn't entirely surprised when they didn't take anything off our bill even though we left 2 days early. Really sucks for us, though, to have such a bad experience, and then also lose all the money that was meant to be spent on a lovely getaway.

In the end, I wouldn't recommend them.

Update after owner response: I took 1 more star off after seeing their response to my review. It really takes a lot to make me go lower than 3. They sound angry with me for being honest about my experience. WHICH INCLUDED GOOD THINGS ABOUT THE PLACE THAT THEY WERE SO ANGRY THEY THOUGHT WERE COMPLAINTS ("big plus" generally indicates a good thing.) Literally "thanks for this specific feedback. We'll take it under consideration" would have been loads more professional.

Edited for...

The people who run this place are rude, intransigent, dishonest, and refuse to admit their own mistakes. They do not honor their reservations. My wife and I booked a 2-night package stay and were really looking forward to it. But later, they called and said 1) that the package THEY OFFERED wasn't available on those dates, 2) it was a threee night minimum stay, and 3) the price would be $1,000 more than the reservation was for. I asked how those things could be when I booked the reservation through THEIR OWN SITE. They just shrugged and said "we dunno how it happened, whatever, mystery computer error, sucks for you." They ruined our big plans for a romantic weekend, and didn't offer a thing in return. Its a bad sign for a bus8ness when THEY make a mistake and refuse to fix it even when it costs them zero money or time.

They weren't even apologetic at all, acting as if it were my fault and nothing could be done. i said since it was THEIR MISTAKE, they should make it right by making a simple policy exception to their 3-night rule, but oh, nooooo! Instead of acting like good hosts and bending their (undisclosed) policy this one time, they acted as if it were a federal law or a holy edit carved in stone or something, and refused to bend an inch even though it would have been trivially simple, and cost-free, to do. They took no responsibility for their screwup and just casually blew away our plans without doing anything to fix it or even really apologizing. Their web site says they "do everything in our power to ensure a good stay." HA! That is a massive LIE! They had the power to make good on their mistake with zero effort on their part and did nothing. I call that terrible hosting, when you create a problem for a guest and refuse to fix your own mistake. So much for "everything in our power".

Everyone avoid this place if you care about reliable reservations or trying to accommodate guests. Their web site is NOT ACCURATE and HIDES important information. They don't care and won't budge an inch for you. They have no honor or care to do even the simplest things.

They say "we suggest you stay sonewhere else". I suggest that they FIX THEIR SYSTEM and not make guests responsible for errors that system makes. Note that in their response they don't mention any attempt to fix their problem because there was no attempt at all. They seem to think that because they called me that makes...

My spouse and I were looking for a quiet, cozy winter retreat to enjoy with our dog to celebrate our anniversary. This was a perfect weekend - where to start?||Dog-friendly: Finding someplace dog-friendly and not just dog tolerant was a high priority. Darren and Lynn are fellow dog lovers and were happy to greet our puppy as they showed us around. They also provided a complimentary dog bed, bowl, towels and treats. The pet fee is a flat fee rather than per night like most places. There are easy-to-find trash receptacles for dog waste, plus extra bags if you need them. It was easy to feel comfortable with our dog here, both in our suite and on the grounds outside.||Our room: The dog-friendly Terrier Suite was warm, clean and comfortable. We enjoyed the jetted bathtub, fresh robes and stocked mini fridge and complimentary snacks after coming back in out of the cold. We had the added bonus of being very close to the outdoor hot tub and the main house.||Activities: We purchased the "I Hate Skiing" package, which included complimentary massages at the on-site Spa Vermont. Also included in the package were free snowshoe rentals - we enjoyed a lovely hike within short driving distance of the inn. This was all followed up by an afternoon in the hot tub and some of the local craft beers that are available to purchase on-site. The main house also offers a board game and DVD library, and a living room with a fireplace to sit and relax after a day of hiking or skiing.||Food: Phineas Swann offers complimentary hot breakfast each morning (the blackberry stuffed French toast was a highlight!) as well as a breakfast bar. Snacks, sodas, coffee and tea are available in the main house. Beer and wine are available for purchase. There are a small handful of restaurant options nearby.||Overall a wonderful weekend - we plan to...