The Inn on the Lake – Waterfront Resort & Conference Center

You know that moldy smell that your towels get when you don’t quite dry them long enough in the dryer? That’s the odor that greeted me and my husband upon entry into the lobby of the Inn on the Lake. In addition to being checked in by a confused, rather surly and dismissive front desk staff, we were upset to find the mold smell was also in our very outdated, poorly kept room.
But it got better! After attending a wedding hosted by the Inn (for the record-​the food was burnt and hastily presented, and the waitstaff kept loudly sighing each time a guest would order a drink at the open bar the wedding party was PAYING for), we climbed into bed, only to hear a loud thud. We discovered that thud was a section of the ceiling that had fallen out, spreading plaster and water all over the floor.
After waiting 10 minutes at the unattended front desk to report the problem, 2 maintenance staff members came to clean the mess, and pointed out that there was a pretty decent leak coming from the ceiling (they put out a bucket and towels to capture it). They also pointed out that the Inn was full for the night. It now being after 11pm, we decided to not try and find another hotel and stuck it out.
I think the worst part was check out-​we told the woman at the front desk about what had happened, and she immediately started off on a defensive rant about how we should have reported the problem when it happened (which we did!!!). Her «generous» offer was to credit us a rather insulting $ 25.00 for the room. And to be clear, she made it seem like she was doing us a favor!!!
I think in summation, I wouldn’t recommend this hotel to anyone. I think it’s simply a rip off, a has-​been hot spot that has been terribly neglected by the owners. It must survive based on its location, which most likely tricks unsuspecting tourists into a sad, overpriced (and lets not forget smelly!) getaway.

My family has stayed here for a couple of days every Summer since about 1998. The Inn on the Lake a good place to stay if you get the lakeside rooms and it’s a very good place to come if you have a boat that can dock right at the hotel. It’s not a perfect hotel, but those lakeside rooms are very nice.

Check your credit card before you leave! We checked in to a room that had been pre-​paid by our wedding hosts. They took our credit card for «incidentals» which is customary, however they also promptly charged us 50% of the cost of the total stay! We spoke to the front desk manager (twice) who was unable to remove the double charge and left it up to us to work it out with our bank. Very shady… beware!

Came at check in time snd room was not ready. It took them almost three hours to have our room ready. Not a good first impression. Finally, when check in happened, not one word about their lateness snd not even a certificate for a discount at their restaurant! Clean room but unimpressive overall. There again, I am still angry about check in. I will never come back here. The bed was lumpy and tilted, so I kept waking up thinking I was falling.

Our experience was dismal at best. The one shining star and possibly redeemable quality is that the manager of the restaurant definitely saved our visit with complimentary dessert because our meals didn’t come out until 45 mins after we finished our salads.
3 out of the four of our party ordered steaks of varying cuts and they were either plain or grossly overcooked. And the waitress lied to us blaming the lateness of our food on the kitchen and the manager revealed to us that the kitchen didn’t receive the order until 20 min before we received our food.
Dessert was outstanding though.
Overall, the food most certainly did not match the cost for dinner.

We went to The Shore restaurant at The Inn on the Lake to celebrate my 40^th birthday. We were seated at a table with an incredible view of the lake. The food was AMAZING. Our waitress was wonderful — very attentive and helpful. The chef came out to our table to personally welcome us and share more details about the menu items. We started with the fried calamari and shrimp cocktail which were both excellent. The sauce served with the calamari had just a little kick to it which really enhanced the flavor of the dish. I ordered a house side salad, which had pomegranate in it — such a wonderful contrast to the dressing. For my entrée I had the Linguini and Clams. The dish was perfect — very flavorful and not too heavy. For dessert we were surprised by a chocolate torte which the chef brought out with a candle lit. This topped off the night perfectly! I’d definitely recommend this restaurant and can’t wait to go back!

The Inn is an older property in the process of being updated. If you expect perfection, this place is certainly not for you.
No problems with the staff. They were responsive to any issue we presented. The maintenance staff expressed the philosophy «If you’re not happy, we’re not happy» in instantly solving an issue with a room transfer.
We were here in the winter, so the lakefront facilities weren’t in use. Inside, the hot tub & pool met our expectations.
Food in the restaurants was good. No complaints. Had dinner one night at the hotel and breakfast twice. Server Stephanie did a great job getting us through dinner & boxing up the ample portions left over.
The New York Wine & Culinary Center is basically in the hotel’s parking lot and McGregor’s is across the street, so walking to other food & drink is no problem.
Perfectionists would likely check out minutes after arriving. Small touches such as toilet seats that won’t stay up, (Maybe an intentional feature designed to end the up/​down battle?) or a lack of electrical outlets from the days when people didn’t have so many devices, would drive such folks insane.
The Inn fit our needs for the weekend, it may fit yours.

My husband and I recently got married at Inn on the Lake and let me tell you, it was AMAZING. We truly cannot say enough good things about our entire experience!!! I would highly, highly recommend getting married here. For starters, from our very first meeting in June 2013 to our wedding in October 2014, Lori was WONDERFUL. She was always prompt with answering my questions (there were many) and she completely got my vision for our wedding from Day One. Lori was a true pleasure to work with, and by the date of the wedding it felt like I was working with a close friend. :) In addition, the rest of the staff at Inn on the Lake were nothing short of lovely. From check in, to hospitality, to the rest of the event staff, everyone was so nice, so accommodating, and just great people. Again, if you’re looking for a stunning lakeside venue in the Finger Lakes, Inn on the Lake and Lori are your ticket to your very own «Best Day Ever!!» :)

A great experience at The Inn on the lake. The chef greeted us warmly and prepared individual complimentary gourmet appetizers as, according to our server, is his custom so that diners might taste other fare they might not otherwise try. All of our meals were as beautiful, as they were delicious. An altogether amazing meal. I would go again for a nice night out or even a sandwich or burger.

Had a party of 15 at The Shore Restaurant — very nice place and pleasant staff. The place was not busy but the service was VERY slow. I should mention they did have a wedding going on. Nonetheless that is no excuse. Some of the entrees were cold. Very disappointed after dropping a $ 700 bill for sub par service!

The rooms could definitely use an update, but they are very clean. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful.
We arrived the first night after a 6 hour drive up from New Jersey. We checked right into our room. It smelled a bit musty at first, but that went away as soon as we turned on the air.
We had only been in the room for a few minutes when we started hearing a woman moaning in the room next to ours. I guess the walls are a little thin. Good for her, though.
This went on for a while. Probably over an hour. It was near midnight when they stopped, and I was able to get to sleep.
1:30 AM. They were going at it again. I’ll admit that I’m a light sleeper, but this sounded like they could have been in the room. Maybe the walls were a bit thinner than I thought. I think the door between the rooms is the weak point. I’m not sure when they stopped or when I fell back asleep.
4:30 AM. Wow, again? Its getting pretty aggressive over there. In addition to the moaning, there is the sound a hand smacking flesh. Maybe they were salting a ham? There was a guttural «Yeaagh!» from the man.
8:30 AM. I don’t know what to say at this point. I’m impressed really.
I asked the front desk if I could change rooms. I mentioned we did not get any sleep due to the neighbors being very noisy all night. They didn’t ask for specifics, and I didn’t give them. They upgraded me to another room. This room was nicer, and completely silent. Slept through the whole night without a disturbance.

This review is for the Sandbar only. The view is fabulous, service fairly good but the
food today was poor, ²⁄₇ in our party rated the fare as acceptable. What can the kitchen do to a caesar chicken salad to make the poultry tough and try?
Beats me! Skip it!

The location is A+. Right on the lake and an outside pool right next to the lake. The grounds are very nice as well. Service good, rooms clean. This was all the good part. On the down side, the counter staff was fair at best. One girl behind the counter needs a huge lesson on hotel hospitality for sure — she was brutal. Hotels are supposed to be very friendly and hospital, right???
We booked 3 rooms there. 2 rooms (1^st floor) had refrigerators, microwaves, desks, chairs. The 3^rd room (2^nd floor) had none of those items and the hotel was charging me the same rate. If I didnt book the 3 rooms I would have never known I was getting short changed. I strightened it out but it took two staff people to get it done and it took two days to do, why? They gave me a discount, so I was satisifed… They also asked if I used the safe in my room. I said «yes, one time» so they then added $ 1.00 to my bill. The hotel must not be doing too well… how else can you answer this? Also the fine dining was not too fine. All the meals were fair at best… this was dsissappointing too.

This review is for both the hotel and the restaurants within. The hotel itself I would rate 3 stars if it were not for the restaurant which is attached to the lobby.
The hotel was about average, it could use some updating withing the next few years for the peeling wallpaper, carpet, etc. My room was clean upon arrival and always serviced promptly before my return. (I was gone for work from 3:30am-noon each day) The staff was polite and accommodating.
«The Shore» restaurant and lounge has excellent food, I ate there 3 times during my stay, and every meal was spot-​on. cooked perfectly, brought promptly. Most of note were a chicken dish with arugula salad and a lemon based sauce (modestly called «chicken») and salmon over a bed of lobster and asparagus. The lounge also has house made chips, and a few locally made craft brews on tap. There was an outside bar called «the sandbar» which I only had a beer at, since I had already eaten but it did smell pretty good if you just want a sandwich/​burger and fries.

Inn on the Lake’s location-​although finding the driveway is near impossible the first time — cannot be beat. Much of the property features amazing views of the Lake, including the Adirondack-​chair lined seawall, pool area and Shore Restaurant. The Restaurant is extremely reasonably priced for breakfast, especially for a hotel.
It can be a challenge to get a room as there are many event room blocks. Persistence and knowing the cancellation dates are key to securing a room and we were able to get one for a two night stay this past weekend. While the location is great, I was not as impressed by the rooms. They’re dated, but clean. Charging a safe fee is lame. Either provide it as a guest benefit, or don’t. Don’t nickel and dime the guests.
I rarely stay in hotels in the Canandaigua area as we have local friends, but I’d consider a return visit to the Inn if the price was right and the nearby HIX wasn’t available.

Stayed here this past weekend for a wedding. Overall I thought it was really cool. I liked the fact that you can just walk around with a drink in hand. The food at the Inn was really good — we had steaks at the wedding. The staff was overall super friendly and the sand bar is pretty neat. We didn’t get any food there though so I can’t vouch for it. I would say I’d definitely go back, but seeing how I live in Baltimore I really have no reason to ever be back up that way.

Great view of the lake. But the service is glacial and the food is not anything special.

Terrific views of the lake! Amazing «SANDBAR» which is very beachlike. Cold drinks, terrific food! We opted for a the Buffalo Chicken Nachos for an appetizer. And man oh man were we pleased! Huge portion of chicken and fresh toppings. It was loaded. My guests opted for wraps. They were terrific. I got the Fish Tacos and they were frankly amazzzzing! Highyl recommend this place!
All the waitresses were real sexy, college aged, which paired well with the beauty of the lake! We will be back very soon!

The property is nice. Staff is very friendly and helpful. Bathrooms are small and unventilated though and rooms are dimly lit. Worst is the restaurant, which can be very slow. Breakfasts are good, though. The stuffed french toast is a big hit.

Review of hotel only here:
–lumpy bed
–other people’s hair all over the supposedly clean bathroom
–peeling dirty-​ish, old wallpaper
–moldy ceiling tiles in bathroom
–only 3 pillows on bed– supposed to be 4 (according to website… yes…getting picky here)
–pool and hot tub area looked sketchy with stagnant water… no thanks
–not the greatest check-​in experience… person behind the desk was from the catering side of the hotel
–glad I have my own technology– The «Business Center» had a PC with an «out of of order» sign on it and a printer with an «out of ink» sign…
There were some rolls of carpet were off to a side hallway– maybe there are some very badly needed renovations in the works?
There is a nice Hampton Inn near the mall 1 exit west of here…