Grandison Inn

We felt so unsettled that we’d rather drive an hour and a half home after a late concert than spend the night there. I’d probably pay another $130 not to sleep there. We went inside twice that day, first to check in and then to bring up our things, but the second time we walked straight back out with all our stuff. The place didn’t seem well kept, and I felt uneasy right away. No one was at the front, and with rooms under construction I went looking for someone. A woman heard us come in, handed me keys without checking my ID, said we could use the butler’s pantry, and pointed us upstairs. There was a Bible on a table outside our room, the royal retreat. At first the room was clean and we sat for a few minutes, then went to find the pantry. We checked room labels and even tried a second stairwell before finding it. It was run-down and barely stocked. We left for food and to bring up our things, but coming back gave me the same uneasy feeling. Nothing strange happened and we heard no noises; it just felt wrong. We read the guest journal, where entry after entry from 1999 through 2023 praised the hospitality and wished people well or said God bless. My friend joked that perhaps people stopped writing after 2023 because they’d all disappeared, not seriously thinking that or even looking at the book. Then I turned the page and the next entry said, “this place is haunted.” That gave us both a real scare, and we left. If you see our rushed entry, it says, “we came, we saw, the vibe was strong, we respect that, we’re going home.” We didn’t see anyone inside the house except the woman during check-in. It seemed like the people running it didn’t want to be there either.

The old building had a lot of noise: the floors and bed frame creaked with any movement, and the bed felt unstable even when I sat down carefully. We also couldn’t get the temperature comfortable for sleeping, despite visiting in February. We appreciate historic properties, but the absent staff, missing advertised amenities, and comfort problems made the stay disappointing. We booked directly on the Grandison Inn website, which advertised a hot breakfast. When we arrived, a sign said no meals were available for Airbnb customers. We had booked through the inn’s own site, not Airbnb, but there was no staff around to explain, and we never got breakfast. Check-in was awkward too. The person who greeted us seemed surprised we were there and didn’t show us to our room. After a short conversation about when the special amenities we’d ordered would be available, we had no more contact with staff for the rest of the visit.

The $400 stay didn’t feel worth it. The house was drafty and old, and there should have been more blankets in the room. Hospitality was poor, perhaps because it was midwinter and not tourist season. Breakfast was cold cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, and one pastry to share. We only learned later that a hot meal cost extra. We stayed at the bed and breakfast in January 2026. Nobody came to greet us, so after calling hello several times, we phoned and were talked through checking in. Our key was on a little table in the parlor with a note saying, “welcome your in room 2.” We had the house to ourselves and enjoyed exploring it and sitting in the parlor. I had booked a one-hour massage for 7, but the therapist didn’t arrive until 7:45 and apologized for being late. The massage itself was only 30 minutes, including getting dressed and undressed, before I was taken back to my room. I could have saved the $400 and stayed home.

The location is great, and the room had the quirky, quaint feel you’d expect in a 120-year-old house. But we saw no one during our two-night stay, so there was no service. The breakfast closet was never restocked, the same danishes sat there the whole time, and the trash stayed full. There was even a giant rat trap beside the coffee refills. I won’t stay here again.