Pier Blue Inn Old Saybrook - Essex

The room we saw had nothing to do with the pretty rooms shown by the multiple booking sites. We booked 3 nights, but left without staying once we saw the ground floor corner room. It was bare floor, dated, and dank, with curtains that didn't cover the wide windows facing the parking lot. Anyone outside could see in. We managed to cancel one night, but still had to pay for two under the 24 hour cancellation policy we had "agreed" to online. There was no way to know the room was that bad before arrival because it was misrepresented. They say we were "in contract" while taking our money, even though we believe they broke the agreement by misrepresenting the room. Desperate and despicable. Management got our card details through a booking.com reservation. When we disputed the two-night charge with Capital One, the hotel claimed to have "proof" we'd "checked in". We hadn't. Booking.com sided with the hotel, not us. This felt unscrupulous, like the property was hiding behind multiple booking companies that didn't know the pictured rooms weren't real. Save your money and book somewhere decent, directly. Don't indulge a lying thief.

My wife and I spent five days vacationing in Old Saybrook and chose the family run Pier Blue Inn because we don't care for pricey corporate hotels with middling service. Check-in was quick, and since it was off season the front desk manager gave us a free upgrade to a King Room. It was exceptionally clean and comfortable. The inn was near the places we planned to visit and plenty of excellent restaurants. The attentive staff did everything they could to make our visit more enjoyable. Well done, Blue Pier. You've got a repeat customer next time we're back, and we look forward to seeing you all again. Thanks!

After a long drive, I was left stranded outside. I'd booked one night from out of town and paid in advance. Staff had called earlier to confirm my ETA and asked me to call when I arrived, but nobody picked up or could check me in. A maintenance worker taking out the garbage heard what happened, asked me to wait while he contacted the manager, and said he'd return. I waited over an hour, but no one came. With no nearby motel vacancies, I had to sleep in my car. I never got to check in, and the whole thing was a huge inconvenience. Very disappointing.

The front desk lady was really nice and walked us to the room. Once inside, I noticed the floors looked like they had wax or something on them, even though they weren't the sort of floors that should be waxed. They were so slippery that I was worried because I use a cane. My husband wiped them with a towel, but they stayed slick, so I spent nearly the whole evening in bed and needed his help to get to the bathroom. The view out back was pretty, and the hotel is cute from outside and well located. There was also very loud noise next door at night that wouldn't stop, so I called the desk. The man was nice and said he'd walk back to find where it was coming from. I never heard from him again, though I think he did try. The noise finally stopped around Midnight.