The Little Lion

It’s handy for the location and somewhere to sleep, but that’s about all I can say for it. With The Red Lion name and those prices, I expected more. The lack of staff really puzzles me. I liked it better when it was the Briarcliff, and I probably won’t stay again.

There’s a pleasant, roomy backyard, though it isn’t fenced. The rooms themselves are basic, and the walls are so thin you’ll hear the neighbors. At $250 a night, I expected housekeeping during a stay of several days, but there wasn’t any. The website doesn’t mention that, and with no one around to ask, you’re left to find out for yourself. Overpriced and underserviced. I won’t stay here again.

The room was clean, quiet, pet friendly, and reasonably priced, and the motel is conveniently placed for the things we wanted to do in the Berkshires. We stayed three nights and had an easy time with the no-contact check-in. My entry code came by text a few hours before arrival, and a few days earlier we’d received a helpful email full of good local ideas. That setup worked well for us, and we’d gladly stay here again.

This used to be my favorite getaway for years, but this visit was a huge letdown. Our favorite inn-keeper is gone, and they wouldn’t open the lobby for our group of more than 15, even though we were outside in pouring rain all weekend. In past years we could warm up there and there was coffee in the morning. People came by hoping to book a room, but we had to send them to the other inn to ask, and they gave up. I wasn’t told my card number was wrong until 9pm, when I tried to check in and had to call the other inn. Then I found out they needed a different card. If we wanted extra towels or blankets, we’d have had to ride our motorcycles to the other hotel in freezing rain to get them. I was there to honor a friend who passed there, and I’m grateful for the people I came with. Without them, this would have been an incredible disappointment after looking forward to it for so long. Customer service was sorely lacking.