Inn at Springfield Manor — Hotel in Thurmont

I joined Trip Advisor so I could do this review, thought it was that important. Be patient, theres a lot to say. ||||My husband always books our stays away in Airbnb’s, hotels, inns etc. I decided to surprise him this time & take him away for a weekend of relaxation & change of scenery. As most of us hard workers we’re very much in need of being comforted & soothed by a cozy weekend getaway. I suffer with health illnesses such as Lyme Disease & multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS). When we travel I have to ask for no fragrances in linens or in house like candles, febreeze, plugins etc. Also no used wood burning fireplaces. Springfield Manor did not use these things in our “Linden Suite” room or Inn from what I could tell which was very exciting except the sheets & towels. If they were washed in non-fragrant detergent the innkeeper wouldn’t tell me what was used after this whole experience over the phone, neither would the contact person I booked with. Quite possible non-fragrance used but anyone with MCS knows if washer & dryer usually has scented detergent /dryer sheets/fabric softener the scent can’t get out in doing one special load because it’s that potent & stays in machine. I can deal with that by bringing own pillow & putting something around sheet that goes near my face, which I did.||||I was so concerned staying somewhere to meet my health needs that I forgot to look up on trip advisor any reviews or check & ask about amenities. Big mistake!!!||||Thou the innkeepers were mannerly & helpful most things they couldn’t help.||||Most all my complaints have been mentioned on Trip Advisor by others so it’s an ongoing problem. When we got there the innkeepers weren’t aware of our food restrictions thou I emailed who I booked through a week prior filing out the special registration form explaining my health needs, gluten intolerance & food allergies. I thought with notifying them ahead maybe I’d get offered gluten free items like toast or something bought not homemade (not asking for too much). But no our breakfast was a shredded potato mixture in ramekins with peppers & cheap 2 small frozen sausages heated & a parfait with not even fresh berries but a red dye strawberry type berry mixture on bottom. Very disappointing. No regular bread or homemade baked goods even for my husband whose not gluten intolerant which I made clear in email. Coffee was awful my husband later told me who didn’t want to make me feel bad after all the many disappointments & letdowns. When we got to Inn the innkeeper said breakfast is 8:30am & same thing served both mornings. I said later please if we can do 9am that’s too early when you want to sleep in. They said ok. I was surprised they’d serve same thing 2 mornings in a row. One of the exciting things of going to B&B or Inn is get breakfast cooked for you & it being special. Come to find out later when I researched this Inn that they’ve been making the same breakfast since 2017. Note to owners, time to educate, change, update & make your breakfast more exciting, fresh & options for health restrictions. ||||Don’t make the mistake I did & assume things are provided. I never even thought to ask do you have TV. Who doesn’t have TV unless its a special advertised Retreat Center to unplug with no technology. Don’t get me wrong, unplugging for some time at your choice is great & part of a nice getaway but here you won’t find any TVs, radio or alarm clocks. Not knowing this we didn’t even bring books, magazine or tablets for selves. ||||Amenities that are not listed that they do NOT have-||No WiFi||No TV ||No provided hair dryer (have to ask for)||No common area to watch TV/movies||No magazines/books in room (not in common areas)||No extra blankets/pillows/closet||No pictures provided of room except one ||||I had to ask for blankets & when I asked if there was any TV/DVD players anywhere or in the winery next door he said no sorry & I’d have to ask next door myself but he could bring me games. The towels aren’t the nice bigger oversized Inn towels. For it being middle of winter the robes are for the summer, thin & short sleeve. Odd. ||||Then next is what put me over the edge. The whole reason I wanted to bk this room was because of oversized tub with jets otherwise honestly there’s nothing special about the room. It’s historic, simple & pretty but that’s all taken away when everything else is not up to par. The tub was an 80s style jetted tub. You could see the age spots & orange stains on jets. I started to fill with water as I’m smelling sulfur water I start the jets & disgusting scum starts spewing out of jets. See pic. This is completely unacceptable! If I lived closer to home I probably would have left right then & there. ||||The “queen” bed was not updated nor comfortable with dip in middle & creaking loud enough to hear downstairs. Woke up with what little sleep I got with back ache. There’s no floor heaters or noise machines for road noise of Rt 15. It’s cold, empty, still & not in the least cozy by any means. ||||Despite the Inn being at a pretty, old, historic place I was extremely disappointed & cancelled my 2nd night stay which meant the next days next door activity for sign painting I had to cancel also. They refunded us for these but the owner never called personally & apologized for anything or offered to refund partial of our horrible 1 night stay. They had the one who I booked through correspond back & forth regarding reimbursement. Yes he apologized “sorry it didn’t live up to my expectations.” That’s not a sincere apology. That’s like saying your too needy and it’s not our fault. This was supposed to be a relaxing weekend away & treat for my hard working husband. I’m utterly disappointed, especially for the price. We weren’t in downtown Fredrick or a city like BALTIMORE/DC. We’ve stayed in B&B’s & Inns (usually consulting Select Registry standards) up & down east coast, California & Europe & never experienced anything like this. Most of them less expensive with more amenities & comfort. This is not peak season & it’s winter. Springfield Manor is in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do outside they advertise during this time. Just an upsetting let down of an experience. ||||The sad thing is this Inn has got some really good potential. With some updates & attention to detail where historic meets modern day comfort it could be a great getaway. But the odd contact from innkeepers who aren’t the owners to the guy who emails you the booking to the coordinating with the actual owners is all a bit off. And really where’s customer service values today? It’s not asking to much to apologize & see where you can make it right for well...

I agree with a previous review - owners have never been to a real bed and breakfast. This is a wedding venue that rents rooms out. ||||I have been diligent for 4 months now to protect myself and others around me. I, like most others in the world, have worked hard and sacrificed a lot to slow the spread of COVID 19. This visit was a reminder that there are selfish people out there who are concerned for themselves and the almighty dollar with no concern for others - even those who are paying $225 per night. ||||I know can not go into work office for 2 weeks because of the inn's disregard for social distancing. Thankfully I can do most of my job remotely, but if I wasn't that fortunate I would be forced to take two weeks of vacation or lost pay. If I get COVID 19 and it is traced back to this day, I will be very upset.||||The inn owners and the bride and groom should be ashamed of themselves for their lack of regard for the safety of others. Their selfishness is sickening. There are many many couples who have postponed their wedding or downsized it and there are many venues that are suffering loss on revenue but do the right thing by following safety guidelines. We all have to make sacrifices through this pandemic, there is no reason they should feel special enough to disregard the safety of others to put money in their pocket or to have a nice party.||||I have contacted the Maryland Department of Health and am awaiting a return call form the Frederick County Department of Health.||||I will start by saying that the staff did try to make things right, but were unable to come through. ||||Drove nearly 6 hours and arrived at the time I had informed them that I would be arriving.||||I pull up, surprised at the number of cars in front, although the house appeared quite. I donned my facemask and opened the front door. I squeezed my way through the foyer which was packed with 20 - 25 people crammed together (a bridal party) - - none wearing facemasks. (Regardless of the guidelines on the website stating that masks must be worn indoors and no groups larger than 6 anywhere on the property.) I literally had to squeeze through this group coming into physical contact with several.||||I was informed that they would be clearing out shortly and the grounds would be quiet by 7pm. (I arrived at 3:30)||||I put my items in my uncomfortable room and decided to sit outside on the front porch and enjoy a bottle of wine that I purchased at their winery next door. It was in the high 90's but I couldn't sit inside because there is not a comfortable or welcoming seat in the entire house. No couch, no soft chair, nothing. As I sat down I watched buses bring in about 100 wedding guests. (look at picture) Okay... they will be out back area, I thought, so I can continue to relax in the front. WRONG. Wedding guests/party were walking around taking the place over.||||After the ceremony I was informed by the bride that I need to move because I'm in the way of their pictures. I literally have no where to go other than my room. The room consisted of 2 hard chairs and the bed. Nowhere to sit comfortably. I decided to knock out some work but discover there is no internet and the phone connection is so poor inside this house so I couldn't use my hotspot. The employees did give me the private wifi password but it only works in one area of the house - so I sat in the dirty dining area (still dirty with breakfast mess) and worked for a few hours since I couldn't do anything else. ||||7:00 comes and goes but the noise and crowd remains. They were mostly in the back of the house, but they still came through the house with their belongings scattered about. They were sitting on the front porch and moving through the house, so I continued to work in the dining room until 9 when I finally head up to shower and go to bed.||||The noise in the room was extremely loud from the DJ below and the music and drunken conversation carried up into the room as well. I can tell you the whole phone conversation a young lady had - crying into the phone to someone about feeling left out and things about someone named Brittany.||||My room overlooked the back grounds where the wedding and reception were - no blind in my window, so I had to put pillows in there for privacy from the people below. I wiped out the cobwebs before I put the pillows there. ||||I got in bed but the wedding reception noise was overwhelming. I tried to read to distract myself but the lighting was too poor (one small lamp - maybe 30 watts). I tried to watch a movie on my laptop but the wifi reception only works in a part of the downstairs. So I packed up my things, at 9:30, and drove somewhere else for the night.||||There is no warm and fuzzy feeling here like at other bed & breakfast's. It's cold, hard and somewhat dirty. ||There is no kitchen available. No place to store any food or beverage. There are no evening offerings of coffee, wine, cheese and crackers, or anything. ||||Also, don't bring any nice clothes as there is no closet or anyplace to hang anything. ||||They do not provide toiletries - except a single ball of soap. No bathmat for a slippery marble floor.||||But hey- there was 4 bottles of water in my...

We love to visit Frederick and although we live only an hour away, we sometimes like to stay in a hotel to enjoy Frederick more! We have stayed in this Inn before and enjoyed our visit. Unfortunately, we will not stay here again. This time, the innkeepers were not up to par with sharing information so that we could relax and enjoy our stay. We booked the Edgar Room, which was under repair. Instead of letting us know, we were lead to the Provence Room. When I asked if it was the Edgar Room, the innkeeper told me that I did indeed look confused, and that they had changed our room. This was fine. We elected to stay in the Provence Room, as we did not want to change rooms after the repairs were completed. The Provence Room showed signs of neglect, however. We found an old used washcloth hanging on the shower rod. And, we returned from a day's activities the next day around 5 pm to find that our room had not been serviced. When we met the innkeeper showing another couple into the Inn, we pointed out our room had not been serviced. He explained that this was done in the evening. (A first for any hotel visit we have EVER had.) We were still okay, understanding that upon our return from dinner things would be cleaned. We returned from dinner and a show around 9:30pm to find that our room was still not cleaned. No made bed, no clean towels. I called both innkeepers on the phone number indicated in the room and left a message. There was no return call. About 30 minutes later, we heard walking outside of our room and we found a lovely basket with clean towels. At this point, we assumed that our room had been forgotten. There was no note explaining the issue - nothing. The next morning I spoke to the female innkeeper and suggested that perhaps there was a "snafu". She denied that anything was wrong - "Didn't we receive the clean towels?" Yes, we did, but that was AFTER our phone call. She explained that she had not received any message from us. Okay...... During breakfast, I called over the male innkeeper and tried again to share our dismay with the service of our room. He also denied that anything had gone wrong. He explained that his key to our room was bent and he could not enter to service the room. "He even tried to straighten it with a wrench!" Seriously? Only ONE KEY besides the ONE KEY we had in our possession? This seem extremely odd to me. He became angry and although I was speaking softly, he raised his voice and reprimanded me for my dismay, "I'm SORRY that everything we did was not GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU!" Other guests could hear his remarks, and it became embarrassing to engage with this young man. I offered that perhaps had he left a note, or explained.....nope, there was no fault on his part. He continued to blame me for not seeing how much he had done. Childish. We will not be back to the Inn, and it is disappointing as we enjoyed the wine and gin tasting and the atmosphere the larger area...