Mayfair Hotel

I booked this for one night because it was less than a mile from the job I was working on. The website photos seemed okay for a building from 1920, and I expected some personality. You can tell the hotel has history, including what looks like an old dining room facing the ocean, but layers of fairly new paint cover much of it. The Wi-Fi was poor in the area where a laptop table could be used, and only marginal in my corner room, 108. The room was relatively clean but well used, and at first it was quite cold, maybe around 65 degrees. I couldn't adjust the heat myself and had to go to the front lobby to ask. The layout was odd, with windows facing both 10th St and Ocean Blvd. There were two full-sized beds, not queens, set at right angles. A ceiling fan partly blocked the TV, which was mounted near the ceiling. The TV arm could have let it face different parts of the room, but the cables fixed to the wall meant it only moved about 5-6 inches. The bathroom was extremely small. Sitting down, at least one shoulder touched the wall, and it felt like I could almost brush my teeth at the same time. It was clean and had enough supplies for at least two people. The shower and tub were even stranger: raised on a platform about five inches above the main floor, with a 7-8 inch step before climbing over the tub edge. There was a glass door on the tub, but a fabric curtain separated the whole area from the rest of the room. I actually wondered out loud where the shower was. I picked the wrong bed. The one nearest the door had its legs set too far toward the middle, so sitting or sleeping at the edge tipped the whole bed and sent you onto the floor. At least the wall was close by. I wouldn't bring my wife here. As I told her, I need a room to have a bed, toilet, shower, and Wi-Fi. The hotel has potential, and it looks like the current owner has put some time and money into renovating, but there's a lot left to do before it could be a destination hotel, even in this area. It gave me the feeling of a place where estranged husbands might end up. I couldn't upload the video I took of the room.

I used to love this place and had stayed several times. On my last visit, I had to leave because of an emergency. The manager agreed to a partial refund, but what showed up on my account was another charge instead. When I called, they said everything looked fine on their end and there was nothing they could do. The double charge is clear in my account. During the dispute, they told my bank they had never issued a refund. I'm now out more than $300 for a stay I didn't even use. I'd give zero stars if I could.

Eileen was so kind and helpful, a real asset to the Mayfair. We really enjoyed staying there.

We'd hoped Hurricane Erin wouldn't affect our trip and waited as long as we could before canceling. But Belmar closed every beach at the last minute because of coastal flooding and rip current warnings, just after our free cancellation window had ended. Booking.com said we'd owe Mayfair Hotel a one-night cancellation fee. Ken, the General Manager, called me directly, talked it through, and agreed to waive the fee as a one-time courtesy. He didn't have to do that, especially since Booking.com policies protected the hotel. I'd even offered to let him keep the fee if he would apply it to a future stay. His kindness meant a lot. I've dealt with plenty of local hotels, and some don't even bother replying in situations like this. Ken was a refreshing exception. Based on his professionalism, we plan to book again when the weather allows, and we're happy to recommend Mayfair Hotel to our friends and family.