INNESS — Hotel in Town of Rochester

I hope this review is helpful and I also hope the owners of the property read my note as my intention is to ADD VALUE not to complain. ||I would like to point out the highlights first and give a shout out to staff that do not reflect the "2.5" below average rating. If you have a chance to book Forest as a massage therapist at the spa facility.....do it! I've had many massages all over the world and he ranks in the top 5. Christina at the front desk was lovely, communicative and helpful. Kayla drove us to our room and she was also lovely. I do not remember our waitress's name at the restaurant (Thursday night, March 26th)....but she was amazing. The food was delicious. ||We booked a suite at the Farmhouse (second floor), the house has 12 rooms and I believe there were 2 other rooms occupied. We pretty much had the house to ourselves! I cannot imagine staying there under any other circumstances, competing for areas of communal space. It might work for a younger population however, I have no idea how that demographic would afford $800 plus bucks a night in the "off" season. The room was lovely, bed amazing, linens amazing. Love the honor bar concept! ||Now I would like to present offerings for what I felt was WAY below standard given the expense. I've traveled to leading hotels around the world and have stayed at similar hotels in the area with a similar aesthetic (Wild flower Farms) 20 minutes away, as well as other resorts in the Hudson Valley (Mirabeau) and Woodstock- Woodstock Away, ||This place is missing the important details that create the experience that need to accompany a high end luxury experience. Details that aren't too difficult to accomplish. ||1. The coffee is awful. I have no idea why this is hard to accomplish. It's a problem in so many hotels and so easy to fix. Provide a french press and GREAT coffee options! Espresso for those of us that love strong coffee. Real whipping cream. Or a pour over. There is nothing worse than a crappy cup of coffee in the morning. EASY FIX||2. So many beautiful fireplaces located at the farm house, plenty of wood stacked and fire starter pods.......BUT no matches to be found, no fire place tools. ||3. Arriving and having no clue where the reception is located, no sign, Reception is attached to a store and it looks like a store not a hotel reception. ||4. The spa is ridiculously small. I cannot even imagine being there if the place was busy. It cannot accommodate more than 4 women getting ready in the tiny locker room area and the robes were cheap and tiny. It's a shame because it's a beautiful spa (steam, bath, pool (which was not open). The waiting area is uncomfortable and very tiny, in a hallway. $270 bucks for a massage is a bit steep with these conditions. ||5. Breakfast should absolutely be included, or at the very least a continental breakfast at the terrible coffee station set up at the farm house. Paper cups? we are in this amazing house drinking terrible coffee from paper cups. I don't get it? ||6. The decor is clearly minimalist and I love this, however does it need to be uncomfortable? the bar is the most un-inviting bar I've ever been to, the martini glasses are the size of a dixie cup, the bar-tender no personality. The stools at the bar are so uncomfortable and unsafe. I felt like if I leaned back I would fall off. The views and windows are gorgeous but the the tables and chairs made the dining room feel like a cafeteria. Again, uncomfortable "amish" style wooden chairs. No flowers, no color, no candles it did not feel warm or inviting. ||7. I love babies and children. LOVE them.... But not at a luxury resort get away at dinner. Made a romantic experience, un-romantic with no options as the dining area is small and again no cozy options. ||I believe this place makes its money from weddings, golf, fitness center membership and kids camps and programs for people who live in the area. ||It was very quiet as I shared, I cannot imagine staying here in season. ||Wildflower Farms is 20 minutes away, same price point, same aesthetic and 10 times better. ||I wish Inness great success and hope they can make the small detailed changes to make it exceptional. The location is beautiful and views are breathtaking. ||One more thing, when you have a fire-pit offering, have your staff light the fire and have at ready for your customers! It would have been amazing to walk outside after dinner and sit at fire-pit that was already lit and...

Currently Inness is at a 3 star level but has a lot of potential to grow -- they're still very new and could use some work to become a 4 or 5 star place. I took my sister here for her birthday weekend and we stayed in the Grand King Cabin. The check-in process was a bit awkward, it's not clear where it's located and we finally found it in the glass greenhouse store. Most of the staff were very green and inexperienced -- when we came to the greenhouse to ask questions they were giggling on the couch, totally ignored us, and gave us a bit of attitude. Our cabin was located pretty far from the front entrance, it was not walkable and we were told that we'd need to take their car service back and forth to our car. It would be nice for Inness management to consider sending an email ahead of time on 'things you should know' before check in to improve guest experience.||When we got to the cabin, I have to say it was beautifully decorated, thoughtfully curated, and you can tell they put a lot into the design -- high ceilings, modern wood finishes, fireplace, king sized bed, not to mention high end amenities like Frette sheets, Aesop for the bathroom, and mini kitchenette. We were very impressed by the room, decor, and coziness -- it was certainly the best part of our stay.||To and from the cabin -- Their car itself could use a good cleaning -- it was super dirty inside and didn't have any lights when it was dark out. You also have to make sure that you call or text them 15-20 min advance if you need a ride but they're not very responsive on text so calling was better.||The biggest disappointment we had on the trip was when we called the car way ahead for dinner. It was pouring rain outside so we ended up waiting in our cabin for 20 minutes. We called the front desk and they said the car already came and left and that we were supposed to wait... in the pouring rain!! No thank you to that! Needless to say, we were late to our dinner reservation which was literally on their property. We had dinner later than expected, when we asked to have our fireplace lit at 9:05pm we were told that maintenance was gone for the day and that we'd have to wait for tomorrow. We were extremely disappointed that we weren't told upon check-in (we got this room specifically for the fireplace!!) and ended up lighting the fireplace successfully by ourselves.||Farmhouse -- This is a great addition to the property. We enjoyed taking a walk here to grab a hot drink, lounge by the fireplace, and relax. The decor is much like a well-curated farmhouse and very nicely decorated. They had an 'honor bar' where you can make drinks for yourself, mark down what you had, and would be charged to the room. Cute idea!||Restaurant -- We had both a weekend brunch here and dinner. The service was a bit inattentive but we were pleasantly surprised by the food quality and the very beautiful atmosphere. Our favorites were the berry dutch pancake, chicory & apple salad, mushroom & corn spaetzle, and cocktail offerings. Overall, it was a good experience!||At the very end, we had the chance to talk to James, one of the managers, to share our experience with him. The hotel charges premium prices, especially in an area that is pretty remote, and you expect a certain level of quality in service. He tried to do what he could to make the situation better (offered us a slight discount for our stay and invited us back for the summer season with a slight discount). This isn't really what we wanted the outcome to be but we appreciated the gesture. We left with mixed feelings -- based on this experience we wouldn't come back but with improved service, new amenities (spa addition), and season we'd consider giving it a...

We recently stayed at Inness hotel over the holidays and overall the grounds were really beautiful, spacious and felt like a retreat into nature. PROS: The rooms: Minimal, elegant and comfortable. CONS: Would have wanted a second chair. My partner and I couldn't sit together or one of us in the chair the other on the bed. At night it would have been ideal to both hang out on a comfortable loveseat or something. The property: I enjoyed the farm style quality of the property. It was very inviting, large enough to see guests but you were able to be alone in nature. Plenty of dogs running around, the space is large enough for several dogs to play together or completely isolated. Being that it was the winter time, I regretted not being able to sit by the various outdoor pools. There is a round pond style pool near the farmhouse that was particularly peaceful, it would amazing in the summer with flowers, green trees, and sun. There were several areas that had fireplaces which was amazing (indoor and outdoor) - other resorts that I have been to might have one lounge area with a large fireplace which makes you feel like you have to plan your day based on when it will be free. I was able to read my book alone in one room for quite some time. Then venture outside and sit at night by a fire. Heard coyotes and all. Everyone at the property was kind, accommodating - there is a casualness to the hotel that made things feel more relaxed and like a true escape from NYC. CONS: The farmhouse should have an espresso machine. I didn't see a kettle either, but I could be wrong. The bath house workout room and yoga space: elegant, minimal and relaxing. This is definitely worth organizing your days around the bath house. Unfortunately, I was too late in scheduling a massage or facial. So make sure to move on that fast. I appreciated the bio-based resin accessories in the locker rooms. CONS: I felt the hours could have been extended and the lockers towards the workout room were a bit small for winter gear - trying to stuff my coat was not happening. The water in the indoor pool could have been warmer. But it was definitely an enjoyable experience. The food: long brunch hours, flavorful menu, amazing drinks. You are able to have your dog in the dinning room too, which can be a plus - depending on the people staying and amount of dogs/obedience. CONS: Constant dogs in the dinning area was somewhat of a CON for me. At breakfast I wasn't so annoyed with the dogs ( I did not bring my dog to eat with us until checkout day) but at dinner, it was annoying. Not that the dogs were misbehaved but it was annoying to have a dog sitting on the seat or very close on the floor next to you made the space feel a bit unkempt. Sometimes people would assume you are OK with their dog and it got a bit pompous. I would have limited the dogs to the room with the fireplace (that seemed more casual) or say sorry folks, at dinner due to the volume of people we might need to restrict dogs in this space at this time. All other times GTG. The food was a bit heavy, smallish portions. We visited Wildflower hotel and felt the nature aspect was a lot less and it felt more uptight of a space but the food was great. Lots of options and a bit more serious. The store: More options than at Wildflower, but not that many niche brands. I visited Accord Market and it was nice to find new brands. I think both properties could open themselves up to local makers. Brands they carried: Aesop, Lake&Skye, Flamingo Estate, Frama, Dune etc. Wildflower Hotel: Cire Trudon, Wonder valley, Gardenheir etc. Overall I recommend Inness, had a wonderful and memorable holiday and plan to...