16 Elm Heritage Hotel — Hotel in Town of Ulysses

Our family of 5 occupied the suite and two additional rooms for 2 nights. We came to celebrate our parents’ birthdays and chose the hotel because they visited and liked it in October 2024. | |Positives: The inn is beautiful and spacious, the beds are comfortable, and we enjoyed spending time together in the well-furnished common spaces, which include a living room with gas fireplace, dining room, and small sitting room with a record player (and records). | |Negatives: The complete lack of service—or ability to speak with someone should you need something (which we did)—is a real problem. We did not encounter anyone else except another guest over our weekend stay. |• The weather was cold and rainy, but the heat did not work in any of our rooms. I emailed the inn about this (the only option offered in the welcome information) after the first night and several of us unsuccessfully trying to get the heat to work, but I got no response. |• On our second day we returned from lunch (after emailing about the heat issue) to find two windows in the suite propped open. No one had contacted us about entering the rooms, nor was there any explanation as to why the windows were open. Needless to say the suite was even more uncomfortable than before (it was about 40 degrees out that day). |• Though very nicely updated, the house is old, so be prepared to hear what is happening in other rooms (snoring and talking could easily be heard). |• We got take-out for dinner one evening and had to purchase disposable plates and cutlery, because the inn does not provide an alternative; though the dining room features a hutch displaying China, there is no indication that guests are invited to use it, and even if we decided to use it nonetheless (which seemed rude, so we didn’t), there is no way to wash dishes, since access to the kitchen is blocked. |• The lighting throughout the inn is dim, so it is impossible for older eyes to read a book. While my parents pointed this out to the inn (and suggested bedside reading lamps), that has not changed. |• If you care about having your home locked up at night, let go of that! Though the area seems perfectly safe, we would have preferred the option to lock the front door. |• The coffee situation is not good. The inn provides tea kettles, but the instant coffee option is terrible. My parents also complained about this, but it too remains. Thankfully, there is a great coffee place in town, just plan to walk there each morning and budget accordingly (our group easily spent $50 each day there). |• The online reviews are very high—note that the vast majority of them are dated and relate to when the inn was a full service B&B (presumably different owners, though I don’t know). Please also note that in response to the inn’s post-stay request for feedback, I sent all of this information and waited a week but again got no response. Needless to say, we would not...

Our family of 5 occupied the suite and two additional rooms for 2 nights. We came to celebrate our parents’ birthdays and chose the hotel because they visited and liked it in October 2024. | |Positives: The inn is beautiful and spacious, the beds are comfortable, and we enjoyed spending time together in the well-furnished common spaces, which include a living room with gas fireplace, dining room, and small sitting room with a record player (and records). | |Negatives: The complete lack of service—or ability to speak with someone should you need something (which we did)—is a real problem. We did not encounter anyone else except another guest over our weekend stay. |• The weather was cold and rainy, but the heat did not work in any of our rooms. I emailed the inn about this (the only option offered in the welcome information) after the first night and several of us unsuccessfully trying to get the heat to work, but I got no response. |• On our second day we returned from lunch (after emailing about the heat issue) to find two windows in the suite propped open. No one had contacted us about entering the rooms, nor was there any explanation as to why the windows were open. Needless to say the suite was even more uncomfortable than before (it was about 40 degrees out that day). |• Though very nicely updated, the house is old, so be prepared to hear what is happening in other rooms (snoring and talking could easily be heard). |• We got take-out for dinner one evening and had to purchase disposable plates and cutlery, because the inn does not provide an alternative; though the dining room features a hutch displaying China, there is no indication that guests are invited to use it, and even if we decided to use it nonetheless (which seemed rude, so we didn’t), there is no way to wash dishes, since access to the kitchen is blocked. |• The lighting throughout the inn is dim, so it is impossible for older eyes to read a book. While my parents pointed this out to the inn (and suggested bedside reading lamps), that has not changed. |• If you care about having your home locked up at night, let go of that! Though the area seems perfectly safe, we would have preferred the option to lock the front door. |• The coffee situation is not good. The inn provides tea kettles, but the instant coffee option is terrible. My parents also complained about this, but it too remains. Thankfully, there is a great coffee place in town, just plan to walk there each morning and budget accordingly (our group easily spent $50 each day there). |• The online reviews are very high—note that the vast majority of them are dated and relate to when the inn was a full service B&B (presumably different owners, though I don’t know). Please also note that in response to the inn’s post-stay request for feedback, I sent all of this information and waited a week but again got no response. Needless to say, we would not...

I wish I could give this charming B&B 6 stars because it was truly that spectacular. I've been to a few over the years and this is on par with luxury B&Bs I've stayed at in Europe and the U.K. The home is exquisite and is in beautiful condition. We felt incredibly safe the entire time and the staff wore masks at all times. We stayed in the Marie Cassatt room and we floored by how gorgeous it was when we walked in. The room was dark and romantic with a beautiful canopy bed and fireplace at the foot with two velvet chairs you can sit in for hours drinking wine. The bathroom was even more impressive with it's completely renovated design - beautiful heated tile floors, a jacuzzi claw tub and walk-in stone shower made for one of the most elegant and eclectic bathrooms I've ever seen. If that's not enough, the staff is incredible. Jet and the rest of the staff are incredibly attentive and will cater to any food allergy or restriction you might have. I have quite a few food allergies myself and they went out of their way to go to the store to buy ingredients that I wasn't allergic to so that I could safely enjoy what they other guests were enjoying. In all my years I've never been catered to like that, and it did not go unnoticed. It's rare that I get to eat any baked goods due to my allergy and they made sure I got a new baked treat every single day - from pumpkin spice loaf to blueberry bread and banana-apple muffins, I was in heaven! The breakfasts themselves were also gourmet - I would say the meals were worth $60-$70 for two people, so it's truly a steal. Most notably was the meal we had on the last day - fried egg on top of ciabatta with a slice of Brie, fig and date jam and applewood smoked bacon - probably one of the most incredible things I've ever eaten! As far as outside of the B&B we dined at the Inn at Taughannock a few miles away and it was delicious. We also felt very safe there as the tables were well-spaced and the dining room had high, airy ceilings. The other two nights we were there we dined in Ithaca at Gola Osteria (the pumpkin ravioli was one of the best dishes I've ever had) and Mahogany Grill which had amazing pasta, just in a more casual setting. We hiked Buttermilk Falls (a must-see) and also walked to the lower overlook of the Taughannock Falls and were floored by the grandeur of it. We also did a wine tasting at Wagner Winery and ate at their lunch spot, Ginny Lee, on the lake and had an amazing time. We had such an incredible trip, but candidly, if we never left the room I would have been just as happy. Juniper Hill is...