The Inn at Montchanin Village & Spa - A Historic Hotel of America — Hotel in Wilmington

We’ve been coming to the Inn at Montchanin for almost 20 years. It’s a unique property in idyllic countryside very close to Winterthur and the attractions of the Brandywine Valley. Not only have we been frequent guests in the hotel, we have also hosted several private dining events in the “Crows Nest” above Krazy Kats restaurant.

We last stayed here in mid-March 2020 as we had to attend a funeral. The place was almost empty (early days of Covid shut down) and we were offered a favorable rate. We had a good stay and received a voucher that matched the rate for a year. Who knew Covid would go one for so long?!

Fast forward to Spring 2021. We haven’t been anywhere for a year. I have asthma so we haven’t taken any chances. As soon as I was able to get vaccinated I did so. So did my husband. I called the hotel to make a reservation. Most places I know will honor an offer like the one we received for some time after the “expiration”, especially due to Covid. However, the hotel would not extend their offer the few extra (5) weeks and honor the rate we received last year - but they did offer us a 20 per cent discount.

We stayed in the same room (Morgan) as last time. It’s very nicely appointed and clean with 2 bedrooms and 2 large bathrooms both of which have a shower and large soaking tub. It’s a great set up for us as a family of 4.

The refrigerator is usually stocked with 4 or more waters, 2 sprites, 2 Cokes and 2 diet Coke’s. The Inn is quite remote and doesn’t have a vending machine or anything similar so we’ve always appreciated these little luxuries. This visit there were just 2 waters and 3 sodas in total. I also noticed that they have stopped providing individual shampoo, conditioner and body wash. They have larger, refillable bottles in the shower. Several resorts have started doing this to use less plastic. I’m all for saving the environment so, if the products are still high quality, it doesn’t bother me. However, the body wash in our bathroom was very clearly diluted with water.

Overall, our first night was great aside from these relatively minor annoyances that first time visitors probably wouldn’t even notice.

The next day we headed out. We returned to the room at about 3:40pm to find that the room had not been serviced. I called the front desk - it took 4 tries for someone to finally answer. I was informed that they don’t clean the rooms every day during Covid to “minimize contact”. That was not mentioned when I made the reservation. My husband received the booking confirmation but never read it (until now!) and it was noted there that they don’t clean the rooms for stays less than 3 days. It was also not mentioned when I checked in. When I called i was informed this policy is because of Covid to “minimize contact”. I think that’s total BS. We aren’t in the room when it’s being cleaned! Other hotels clean the rooms and make the beds every day. For $300 a night the least that can do is remove the trash and make the beds! The management are helping themselves here and hurting the housekeeping staff who probably have 1/2 of the shifts they had before, and they are definitely hurting their guests.

I’m not reviewing Krazy Kats restaurant this time because the last few times we ate there the food was mediocre at best, so we don’t eat there any more.

My husband has said for the last couple of years that he thinks the place is going downhill. I’m afraid that, this time. I...

This marked my first and final visit to Montchanin Inn's "Spa." If you're seeking a quick reason to avoid giving them your money, trust me – DO NOT GO HERE. They are liars and thieves, and the services are mediocre at best, robbing you of time and money. I strongly recommend trying other local spas (La Belle, Alo, Sherif Zaki, Michael Christopher, Joseph Anthony) for a more enjoyable spa experience because Montchanin Spa is the last place you should consider.

For Mother's Day, my children gave me a $300 gift card for a facial and prenatal massage. Being five months pregnant at the time, I decided to wait until after giving birth to enjoy a relaxing day to myself. I had my assistant call to schedule a 60-minute facial priced at $120, with an additional $30 service (total $150). I planned to schedule the massage for another day due to time constraints.

After the facial, I realized the esthetician had only given me a 45-minute session, completing it much earlier than the scheduled 60 minutes. At checkout, the receptionist informed me that my total was $265, not the expected $150. They also failed to apply my $25 deposit and have yet to refund that amount. Perplexed, I consulted with my assistant to confirm she booked the $150 facial. I called them to report the incorrect charge, and they promised that the manager (ANNE) would call me back. However, a week passed with no response, so I called again to follow up.

Upon contact, they acknowledged that I did indeed book a facial for $150. However, they claimed the esthetician, ANNETTE, upgraded me to a different facial costing $265. When asked if I was informed of this during my facial, I clarified, "Absolutely not; I was never told I was getting upgraded services." They called back, essentially accusing me of lying because Annette insisted she informed me. In an attempt to rectify the situation, they offered me a 20% discount on a massage for the "inconvenience." Yet, there was no inconvenience; their employee had lied about upgrading services without consulting me. Additionally, they failed to provide a full 60-minute facial, cutting it short by 15 minutes.

The remaining $150 of the gift card was intended for the massage, but now I have only $35 left. They believe offering a 20% massage discount, which would require additional payment from me, is not a sufficient resolution. As someone who routinely pays for self-care services such as nails, hair, lashes, eyebrows, laser, and Botox, I emphasize that it's not about the money.

This spa essentially stole $100 from my children, who bought the gift card for their mother to enjoy a facial and massage after having a new baby. The spa accepted the word of a LYING employee, Annette. I want to highlight that I tipped her $65 on this facial, a 25% tip, only for her to lie about informing me of these upgraded services. Instead of owning up to the fact that she never communicated this information to me and that she also shortened our service time by 15 minutes, the manager and owner repeatedly refused to refund the $100 they took from me.

I provided them multiple opportunities to make this right before posting this review. However, it seems their business is struggling to the extent that they are willing to STEAL FROM CUSTOMERS, EMPLOY LYING EMPLOYEES, and jeopardize their reputation over $100, which was simply a miscommunication error on their esthetician's end. It is absolutely pathetic...

I had always wanted to try this Inn because it looked like such an idyllic peaceful setting. I pictured long walks early in the morning in the countryside. My biggest disappointment was to discover that the Inn straddles a very busy intersection with 2 roads cutting through the property and cars whizzing past you all times of day. It is not pedestrian friendly at all. There are no walking paths to speak of, no sidewalks no shops or restaurants within walking distance. Their restaurant Krazy Kats is not open for breakfast except one day a week so you get the feeling of being stranded in an intersection in the middle of nowhere. Also impossible to explore the surrounding countryside as there are no sidewalks between you and the whizzing cars. Even at 7 am the cars were relentless. ||On the positive side:The main building is a converted bard with a huge fireplace and sitting area and is beautiful with wood beams everywhere and comfortable couches and chairs. there is a spa and small gym attached to this building. The other buildings in the complex look nice from the outside a little less historic from the inside but with nice features like a kitchenette with microwave and refrigerator. and Keurig coffee maker. ||The room was nice enough if not spectacular. Ours was the top floor of one of the buildings which was most likely an attic at one time with windows at knee level which gave a bit of a closed in feeling despite the high ceiling. My sister had a room on a lower floor with windows at eye level and that was much nicer so I would recommend trying to avoid the rooms on the top floors. The shower was very good with strong hot water. ||Be aware the Inn does not automatically clean your room. You have to request it. This requirement is explained on a slip of paper placed in our room which we missed because we accidentally covered it up with our bags so we lost the opportunity. This requirement is not mentioned at check in so if you go you might want to make a point of requesting your room be cleaned when you do check in when we called the front desk they explained the note and then we found it. they did walk over new towels immediately which was nice. ||There is a restaurant but it has very limited hours and is not open for breakfast except for brunch on Sundays which is a real shame as there is no restaurants or cafes within walking distance. I understand the Inn used to offer pastries in the morning but discontinued that practice. Having the restaurant open would have been a nice service for the guests. ||We usually stay at Hotel Dupont which offers very luxurious rooms and a location next to shops and restaurants at about the same price. We tried the Inn mostly to experience the tranquility of the country but that isn't what we found so this will probably be...