The Baseball Hotel

There were small lounges around the property since the rooms are too small for seating, and coffee and lemon water were usually available, though sometimes they seemed to have been sitting there since the day before. At checkout no one was around, so we left the keys in the drop box and texted the number at the desk. To check in, you call that number and get a room number, then find a regular key hanging on the door. There are no extra locks inside. The rooms were clean but shabby and rustic, with a musty smell and a lot of 🍃. I know it's hard to control what other guests do, but the smell was something else. Common amenities like TVs, irons, and lighting weren't there. The water tasted stale and looked kind of rusty, which made me a little skeptical. At least there was a window AC unit. The bathroom door in my room didn't really close, but I guess that's fine. It's definitely pet-friendly, but I wouldn't bring children, especially with the limited security. I'd recommend the Baseball Hotel if you just need a place to sleep and aren't expecting more than that.

Breakfast was a nice touch, but something about it tasted off. My friend got really sick in the car on the way to Cooperstown, about 20 minutes after eating, and we skipped breakfast the next morning. The hotel has a uniquely charming feel, and if you're after a different kind of experience, this is it. But we paid $185 a night with taxes, and for that price the AC barely worked and the walls were thin. It should cost about $80 a night for what you get, maybe half of what we paid at best. They seem to be taking advantage of tourists who can't find rooms closer to Cooperstown. In response to the owner's comment below, what about the food poisoning?

The front desk lady was kind to my son and helped us navigate the many obstacles to our room. She showed us a common area with broken board games. It was right in view of a staff area, though, where employees were sitting around on a bed, gossiping and staring at us like we were on display. The building was a ramshackle house with a bizarre layout, rooms made out of hallways and stairwells, and cheap sheets over shattered windows. The musty smell hit us before we were even inside. Broken old furniture blocked exits, and the safety standards seemed questionable. We were already worried about our family breathing the air in our “room” when a family emergency came up soon after check-in. I called the owner to share the sad news. He bluntly told me to return the keys at the front desk. When I asked if we could get a rebate since we couldn't use the room anymore, he said, “I don’t believe you.” Three days later, I'm still stunned that someone could make an already difficult moment so much worse. The place was an absolute horror show, but the uncaring and hostile owner made it even worse. I've never before written a bad review about anything on the Internet. Because of the health and safety concerns, I'm continuing to seek a refund. Avoid it.

We called before check-in and were put on hold several times. They gave us a room letter, but when we arrived and opened that room, it was a storage closet. After another call we got a different room. We asked the man on the phone if we could move to a larger empty room and offered to pay extra, but he replied, “nice try,” and refused. Three fire alarms had low batteries and chirped every minute. The neighbors were loud and awake all night, though that's not entirely the hotel's fault. This felt like a hostel with no management: we never saw anyone at the front desk. There was no WiFi, cable, or air conditioning. The TV had no remote, and I don't think it was even plugged in. The website was misleading, and everything felt dusty and musty. They charged the rate of a nicer hotel, which was honestly insulting. If there'd been any other option nearby, we would've left. I can't recommend staying here, and I don't want others making the same mistake.