Anchorage By The Sea, Ogunquit Resort Collection — Hotel in Ogunquit

I recently had the unfortunate misfortune of staying at The Anchorage Hotel in Ogunquit, Maine, and it was an absolute nightmare from start to finish. I cannot express enough how disappointed and dissatisfied I am with the experience I and my family had during our stay.

First and foremost, the recent sale of this hotel has resulted in a complete deterioration of the quality and service that we had come to expect. The new management has clearly prioritized profit over guest satisfaction, and it shows in every aspect of our stay.

From the moment we arrived, it was clear that the management lacked competence and professionalism. I had been trying to speak with the manager, Russell, since Monday, but my attempts were met with complete indifference and silence. This lack of accountability set the tone for the entire stay, leaving us feeling neglected and ignored.

The lack of security and safety at The Anchorage Hotel was truly alarming. One night, we woke up to find police officers swarming the premises. It turned out that one of the guests had violently assaulted their spouse, resulting in the victim being rushed to the hospital and the perpetrator being arrested. This kind of violent incident is not something anyone should have to witness during their stay at a supposed "luxury" hotel.

Housekeeping was an absolute disaster. The new company that acquired the hotel thought it appropriate to slash the hours of the hardworking housekeeping staff. As a result, our room was cleaned a mere once during our five-night stay. The lack of cleanliness was appalling, and to make matters worse, we discovered ants infesting our food, our bed, and the floor. It was a nightmare trying to eat or even sleep comfortably in such an unsanitary environment.

The callousness displayed by the new management towards the dedicated staff was shocking. All staff benefits and vacation time were eliminated without any consideration for the well-being and job satisfaction of the employees. This decision only added to the already tense and hostile atmosphere at the hotel.

However, the incident that truly pushed me to write this scathing review occurred at the gate when I encountered the security staff. Laura, a member of the security team, approached my vehicle and immediately adopted a confrontational and abrasive tone. She accused us of not having the proper tag on our vehicle, despite the fact that we had checked in during heavy rain and might have missed it. Her unprofessional behavior, coupled with repeatedly addressing me as "sir" in a demeaning manner, was completely uncalled for and unacceptable.

When I attempted to address the issue with the front desk manager, Laura conveniently appeared alongside him. As I requested to speak privately with the manager to discuss my mistreatment, another security guard rudely interrupted our conversation, showing a complete lack of professionalism and respect.

I cannot emphasize enough how strongly I urge potential guests to explore other options when considering accommodations. The Anchorage Hotel was sold a mere two months ago, and the detrimental changes that have ensued are evident in every aspect of the establishment. The decline in quality, service, and overall guest satisfaction is truly disappointing.

This was our third visit to The Anchorage Hotel this year, and we have been loyal patrons since childhood. However, I can confidently say that this will be our last trip to this once-beloved establishment. After several unsuccessful attempts to reach out to Russell, the manager, I received an email that merely brushed off my concerns and defended the security staff's behavior, showing a complete lack of interest in rectifying the situation.

The Holden Family will forever remember The Anchorage Hotel as a complete disappointment and will never...

We just came back from long stay there and were shocked at how the service and maintenance there have gone downhill. We've been going there for 30 years and were amazed at how the new owners have apparently given up any pretext to providing their customers with a first class experience - much different than the care the previous owners used to treat their customers with. Let me just say that the people and manager at the front desk did seem to be trying to do their best but they absolutely needed more support!

Some specific observations:

1. As we were waiting on line to check in we were immediately told by some people walking through the lobby "Get ready to be shocked at how this place has gone downhill!" Not the best way to start a vacation...

2. We experienced internet issues throughout our stay there. Either you had to sign back in every time you opened up your phone/Ipad - or you couldn't get on at all.

3. The ice machine in our building was not working almost every other day throughout our stay.

4. We had numerous problems with the air conditioning in our room. One night the entire wing had AC issues and another evening our room had an issue which forced us to relocate to another room across the street. For the record we did receive a credit for that night.

5. The service at the cafe was HORRIBLE! One morning I went down to get a simple egg sandwich and it took them almost 20 minutes to make it. Note there were almost no other customers there at the time. Another member of our party wanted to get a cup of ice in the middle of the day. He waited at the bar with someone else for more than 10 minutes - with nobody ever coming out from the back to serve them.

6. The room cleaning was sporadic at best. Twice we had to track down the supervisor at the end of the day to tell her nobody did our room (both times right before 5 when they're supposed to be done). One time the room was "done" but they never emptied/replaced the liner in the ice bucket. Others we know had similar issues.

7. This one was unbelievable: A member of our party almost got hit when a strong gust of wind blew over and broke an umbrella. They went to the pool stand and spoke to a girl who got someone from maintenance to get it and were told that they would try to track down another one for them. Of course another one never was delivered so they went back to the pool stand to ask about it. To quote the girl working there "They took a look and could only find one other umbrella - so they gave it to me. Ha ha!" Note she already had an umbrella of her own at the stand.

8. At the pool stand they freely give out towels and wristbands to anyone who asks for them - never checking room numbers. What's the sense of giving out wrist bands under those conditions when anyone can get them and NOBODY ever checks them??!!

9. Nobody mans the front booth anymore to check that people coming in are valid guests. Also the locking mechanism on the gate leading out to the Marginal Way was missing throughout our stay.

My view, and the view of MANY MANY people staying there is that the new owners are treating this property as a cash cow. At these prices, however, they should be put on notice that they are risking the patronage of MANY guests if they keep on running it this way. Again - I do applaud the people at the front desk who seem to be doing their best to handle things - but come on! For the prices charged there guests deserve much better service at such a BEAUTIFUL place! We will give the Anchorage one more chance next year - but if things don't improve that will probably be it for us, our family and numerous other guests...

TITANIC BY THE SEA. BEAUTIFUL SHIP GOING DOWN SINCE RAMSEY FAMILY SOLD TO CORPORATION

We’ve been coming to the Anchorage for more than 30 years with our family and agree with the many reviews of those returning this summer and finding it a sad shell of itself since the Ramsey family sold to a corporation that is ruining other hotels all over the region. The location remains wonderful but the operation is now terrible. We’ll try to offer a few specific experiences that don’t repeat other complaints about new “industry standard” resort fees and every three day room cleanings that the Ramsey family quaintly didn’t join.

First, watch your wallet. I just checked out and I’m still waiting for the -extra- $1,353 they put on hold at check in and later charged my account the night before checkout. Bottom line, I’m out $1,353 until it shows up back in my account. This happened because they insisted on charging my account a second time at check in because it wasn’t showing up on their side though I showed them it was showing up on my bank’s side. These accidents happen but worse is how they handled it. Marguerite repeated the company line that the extra hold would drop off and they weren’t seeing it in their system. After two days they finally indicated they were working on it though Shandar at the front desk rudely rolled his eyes and expressed frustration at my persistance asking for answers. He insisted Nicole was working on it and no one would leave without fixing it. A few hours later they were all gone with no communication. That night I was charged twice. We only discovered it when we checked our bank account as we checked out. We checked out still with no answers and only finally got complicated emails from Nicole and Marguerite saying a refund was in process. “Sorry that you’re out your money till it shows up in the bank.”

Second, we originally checked into one of the older rooms that had been nicely rehabbed but now had no drawers for clothes and no place to hang them either. We were told it was a “non standard room” and Gilbert insisted that the room never had a bureau or place to hang clothes. Sorry Gilbert. You just got here and we’ve been coming 30 years. That room had a bureau and a rack to hang clothes. They finally provided a small particle board armoir but no drawers. Lived out of suitcase. Oh, and by the way this “non standard room” room across the street from the main property looking out on the road still cost only a little over $100 a night less than ocean front views.

Finally, the new ownership added and expanded a rule designed to keep people from “claiming” chairs by the pool all day without occupying them. Without notification or nearby signage they expanded the rule to the front lawn and said your towels and personal items would be picked up after just a half hour if not occupied. If you left to get lunch at their restaurant (which could take two hours - see other reviews)..staff said you just have to take your towels and hope your chairs were there when you came back. Marguerite told us “if you don’t like the new rules maybe you’d be better off looking for an Air B&B next time.” She later denied she said this but was witnessed by two different guests. We cancelled our next reservation and moved it to another Inn in town.

New ownership found excuses to fire nearly all old helpful staff and now seem interested in firing their old customers too. Enjoy the view but expect nothing more. Watch out for those icebergs if you ride...