Inn at the Falls

The location is nice and the lobby is pleasant, but the rooms were a letdown. They felt worn and shabby, with old carpeting that looked like it had barely been vacuumed. The windows are outdated, the exterior molding is rotting, and the furniture is an odd mix of old and new. It has potential, but it didn’t live up to the rustic, quaint charm it promises.

The noise made it hard to sleep. The walls and ceilings are thin enough that we could clearly hear the people next door and above us. Breakfast was another disappointment: the hot food wasn’t hot, empty items weren’t replenished, and the condiments ran out. I had to track down someone in the back kitchen for basic things. Our room also needed attention. It looked dated, with scuffed paint and damaged door trim, and the floor had old food debris between the beds and nightstand. There was old food in the mini-fridge, and the room phone had come loose from the wall. Key cards kept failing or deactivating throughout the stay. Housekeeping and supplies were a problem as well. We had no washcloths, the small bins filled quickly, and we ran out of toilet paper. I asked for more toilet paper and garbage bags before heading out in the morning, but hours later they still hadn’t been brought to the room. I don’t usually leave negative feedback, but I wanted to share my experience at Best Western Plus Inn & Suites at the Falls in Red Oaks Mill, NY (near Poughkeepsie) so other travelers know what to expect. The poor maintenance, missing supplies, unanswered requests, and breakfast made for a frustrating stay. If you want a dependable, well-kept hotel in the Poughkeepsie area, you may want to look elsewhere.

We barely spent any time in the room because it was so depressing and miserable. The place sits nicely on a river and the lobby is lovely, but that’s where the nice parts ended. I can imagine it was a stunning resort once. Our room smelled bad and was poorly maintained, with ripped curtains, and it wasn’t serviced at all during our three-night stay. The coffee maker only gave us cold coffee. There seemed to be some kind of infestation. We heard a manager in the hallway beside our room, standing with the pest control worker, tell the housekeeper not to touch anything, to go home, shower, and wash her clothes. When we asked if we should be concerned, we were told we “should be fine.” We later approached the exterminator in the parking lot. He said he had a contract and wasn’t allowed to discuss anything, though he didn’t start by saying there was nothing to worry about.

The river view was gorgeous, and both the night and morning desk staff were extremely friendly. We got an upgrade to a river-view room, and the hotel is in a lovely spot and looks really cool from outside. Breakfast was top-notch for a continental spread, with eggs and sausage well above average, plus oatmeal packs, cereal, juices, and a fancy coffee machine. The room itself was a big disappointment for the price and a BW Plus. The sheets and pillowcases had lots of holes and small tears and looked like they’d been used for 5+ years. We didn’t find bed bugs like some other reviewers, but the mattress still felt suspect. The old, stained carpets continued down the hallway, and the bathroom towels were tossed together, with the washcloths barely folded. Thin walls meant we heard footsteps all night, and the old sheets made it hard to get a good night’s sleep. The fitness center was a joke, too: a small windowless closet-like room with three crooked cardio machines, a cable stack with no handle options, and just one 10 lb dumbbell. We expected more from a Plus than this. The room interiors need a lot of work, and the fitness center was an important part of our hotel choice. I might have given three stars if this had been a regular BW. To charge these prices under the BW Plus name, they need new beds and linens, mattress covers in every room, and new floors at a minimum. If the owners addressed those basic quality-of-life issues, I think the pretty location and friendly staff could make this a 4 or 5 star property. We didn’t have a good night’s stay.