The Spencer Hotel & Spa — Hotel in Town of Chautauqua

We visited in the off season, early November, for a Thursday and Friday night. We were greeted warmly by the owner, Helen, and by two ladies who worked the front desk - Hannah* and another young lady whose name I did not catch. The specific room we reserved (with a whirlpool tub) was "under construction" - they hinted at some kind of plumbing problem - but offered to upgrade us to a "nicer" room. The room they offered was somewhat cramped with a king bed and a tiny kitchenette, but no whirlpool tub, which unfortunately was the main reason we chose the Spencer in the first place. The young lady (the one who is not Hannah) showed me every available whirlpool room... and as others have noted here, with one exception, the whirlpool tubs are old and tiny. We ended up in the "safari themed" room - 203 - which was quite large and has a modern whirlpool tub big enough for one person to get lost in and two close friends (very close friends) to share. The bed was comfortable. The room (actually the entire building) was much too warm, but the weather was unseasonably warm - upper 70's to 80 degrees - and in November, I imagine the AC was already winterized. Breakfast was very good both days - omelets & toast the first day, Belgian waffles with strawberries and what appeared to be fresh homemade whipped cream the second. Hannah* actually joined us at our table for breakfast the first morning, and joined another couple at their table the second morning.

The cable TV did not work our first evening, but the owner's husband - who I'm told is ninety three years old - came and took a look at it, called Spectrum tech support, navigated their voice-response menu to a person, and got the problem solved in maybe ten minutes. Impressive for anyone, and doubly so for a gentleman of his chronological experience. We had no further problem with it.

The one thing that really didn't sit well with me was the "cheese plate" add-on that my wife ordered for our check-in day. A small tray with lace paper doilies, about 20 grapes, 20 crackers, and maybe 8 slices of hot-pepper cheese (which might have been a "pasteurized processed cheese food") ... for a stunning $65. HARD PASS. Absolutely not worth the money.

All that being said, we did enjoy our stay. The location is very central on the grounds, easy to find from the main gate, less than a block from the amphitheater, with the Athaneum just beyond that. We spent a peaceful Friday morning wandering the grounds, and an even more peaceful Saturday morning sitting on the porch of the Athaneum reading. My wife also sat on the porch at the Spencer reading for a while Friday evening. (Off-season visitors, try the door at the Athaneum - even if they're closed for business, if anyone is around at the hotel, they seem very welcoming of visitors coming in to have a look around).

*Hannah is the owner's Shih Tzu, she was a welcome guest at our table, and she was...

The Spencer Hotel & Spa is in a wonderful location at the Chautauqua Institution. That's about all the good I have to say about it. Overall this hotel was vastly overpriced for the accommodations and services. It was one of the highest priced hotels at Chautauqua Institution and it failed to deliver. One could tell that at one time it had been very lovely and charming but it is rundown and left a lot to be desired. The room I stayed in did not match the photo on the website. It looked elegant and classy. It was actually very basic. The photo on the website has subsequently been changed to reflect current reality. ||It wasn't particularly clean. Extra bedding - pillows, duvet and blanket were stored under the bed directly on the floor - no covering or protection from dust, mites, or other debris. I have never experienced "clean" bedding stored under the bed. That is certainly not sanitary. I was cold one evening but would not use that extra blanket for the reasons just stated.||My biggest issue had to do with food and safety. I'll address the safety first. There were several areas in the breakfast area that had small throw rugs. There were a number of senior citizens, several of whom had difficulty walking, some with walkers. I saw a woman with a walker heading to the coffee station where one such throw rug was placed. I quickly asked staff to remove it because it was an accident waiting to happen. They did so.||Breakfast was provided but was very disappointing. Breakfast is listed as three courses. The first "course" every day of the week consisted of three melon balls in a small stemmed glass. The second course was oatmeal - often times not even warm much less hot. The third course was some type of individual breakfast casserole, sometimes cold, sometimes soggy. There were also muffins, croissants and the like but I had to ask for butter and jam. It was not provided unless requested. What took the cake for me was on the fourth day, that third course consisted of LEFTOVERS from the previous three days plus two other kinds that had to have been from before my week's stay there. How is that even legal to put foods that have been on a buffet back to be served at a later date. I was quite appalled at that. After that, I skipped the breakfast provided and went out to get something fresh and hot.||It is advertised as a hotel and spa but I am unaware of where those services would be. I never saw any sign of it and it certainly wasn't presented by staff.||In a bit of humor, another guest asked if I had cobwebs in my room. She did and was not happy. I told her I hadn't noticed but that I would expect I would probably have one as I was in the E.B. White room. (All the rooms are named after authors with decor associated with their stories.). I went back to my room and indeed did see a cobweb - from E.B. White's "Charlotte's Web." (See...

I had booked a two-week stay at the Spencer, because it was the only accommodation available for the weeks I wanted. My stay was so terrible that I left after one week -- and their new manager, who was fired shortly afterward, agreed to refund me the second week because she saw how horrible the conditions were. (The owner then refused to actually give me the refund for the longest time, and I had to dispute the charge with my credit card company. She finally relented, and I got my money back.)

But I digress. I don't know where to start with this inn. It was grand in its day, yes, and could be again. But it is very outdated, and needs significant capital improvements, which the owner clearly refuses to undertake. For example: there are two faucets in the bathroom sink, one for cold water and one for hot, so you can't adjust the temperature. When I arrived, there was a problem with my hot water faucet, which was never fixed (although a housekeeper did barge in with a plumber one day without knocking because she "thought" I was out.) I did have cold water, though, and had to be content with that for a week.

There was no shower in my "suite," only a claw foot tub. There was no shower curtain, and only a hand-held shower head. So you had to hold the shower head with one hand while soaping with the other, and trying not to get water on the walls or the floor. Another guest on a lower floor told me there was a lot of water damage on her bathroom ceiling. I can see why.

The tiny "kitchen" -- stuck in a narrow hallway outside the bathroom -- had no dish soap or sponge, and only two mugs and two plates. There was a microwave and a mini fridge, but preparing any kind of food was impossible.

The elevator was a relic from the 1940s, maybe -- there was an accordion door you had to close yourself, and if you didn't, the elevator wouldn't work. So if someone accidentally left that door open and you were on the fourth floor, you were stuck -- the elevator wasn't coming.

I could go on and on. I paid over $350/night for this room, and it wasn't worth a quarter of that. Many other guests who were there that week had similarly horrible experiences, but there were some old-timers who have been coming year after year who still loved it. But if you have any choice in the matter, do yourself a favor and stay anywhere...