Inn at Mendenhall, an Ascend Hotel Collection Member

As a local wedding photographer, I’ve been here a handful of times for weddings. Each time we utilized the hotel space, the grounds & the ballroom located in the back. Everything was nice, friendly staff.

I like older, quirky inns like this one. I appreciate their haphazard style and how historical buildings are pieced together to make a hotel– this place is such a location. The staff is exceptional and very friendly (with one minor exception), the rooms are good sized and the amenities (soaps, shampoos, etc) are of decent quality. A stay includes a hot breakfast from a common area which includes eggs, sausage, toast, bagels, yogurt, etc. Good mid-​sized property, perfect for the 60 person meeting which brought me here. If you are a Verizon Wireless customer you will frequently be in cell dead zones or on 3G, and those spots could be as little as 10 feet apart from each other and… to make matters worse, the Wi-​Fi here is anemic and sloooooow. So they get a solid 3 stars as a business hotel because a modern professional needs to be able to communicate with the outside world. Otherwise this place would have bee a solid 4.
PEOPLE MADE THIS PLACE GREAT.
The front desk staff have nice smiles and are very proficient and accommodating. My favorite person was a the lady who handled the breakfast area, she had charisma and made everyone feel like they were family. She was so warm and welcoming that I actually wondered if she knew me (seriously). The only person that didn’t fit the vibe was one of the female bartenders, who although not that busy answered my question on what kind of bourbons they had with: «Makers and whatever is over there» (as she gestured to the bottles behind her) in a very cold way. I was so taken aback that I said ‘never mind I’ll just take a beer.’ SMH. Other than laugh about it to my coworkers, I never told anyone at the property but the following night I came back in to the bar and a man (who I assumed was the manager) gave me a bourbon to enjoy. He made up for it and said he was hoping to see me again so as to treat me. So there’s that. I’m still trying to figure out how he found out, though.
If you are coming here for leisure or to stay as you visit the nearby Longwood gardens, then you will love this place. Make it a point to visit with the breakfast lady… she’s a hoot.

Had a nice stay here about a month ago while on business. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to visit the Longwood garden when I was there. This pace is just 5 min away from the garden and I will definitely keep it in mind for the future.

Came here for a wedding, spent the night at the inn, had both a catered meal at the reception, and breakfast inside the following morning. So, I’m not pro to the Mendenhall Inn, but I’ve definitely sampled pretty much all they have to offer. :)
I’m going to go in chronological order, and highlight the pros and cons.
CHECK-​IN
PROS:
* Clean lobby, very friendly and inviting.
* Covered area to pull up and check in during inclement weather; it was raining that afternoon, so this was quite welcomed.
CONS:
* Wow, what shoddy service… The woman checking everyone in did so in a one-​by-​one fashion, which is fine, but not when the rooms aren’t all ready. We were arriving for a wedding that afternoon, and though they were only promising a room ready by 3pm, many people were being checked in before we got to the front. When we did get up there, our room was NOT ready. So, we spent 15 minutes in line waiting for something it took her a second to check. Maybe she was too busy… but what about the receptionist sitting about five feet away from her, not interacting with the long line at all, not helping, not even making eye contact? That’s just plain ignorant customer service. Then, the woman who was checking us in said she couldn’t even check us in without our room being ready yet. Some line about «that’s how our computer system works.» Yeah, bull.
* So, anyway, we had to just hang out or go get a drink somewhere, which we did (Buckley Tavern, yay!), all the while pondering the wasted quarter of an hour that we could have spent getting dressed/​made up in another room. Disgraceful.
* Here’s the kicker, and what really ticked us off. When we came back almost an hour later, another person, possibly a manager, was also helping to check people in. Where was he before? Both women from earlier were there, the first one still doing her gig, and the second actively running back and forth, but still not making eye contact with any customers. What was her actual role, I wonder? Anyway, the guy checks us in, and clearly he knows how to work the computer system I guess, because our original room was STILL not ready, but he found us one that was! Imagine that! The power this guy must have had, where he could click and type and make magically appear a room of exact description where we could rest our weary heads and change before the rapidly approaching nuptial ceremony!
* Okay, so, I’m a little bitter, whatever. Anyway, long story short, I know you’re a busy inn with a lot of events, but that’s why you plan accordingly. Hire more staff on a temp basis if you have to, but get the rooms cleaned out and find the right staff for up front to check them in. That was embarrassing for your hotel, and I certainly wouldn’t want you representing me in my business.
CEREMONY/​RECEPTION (in the Grand Ballroom)
PROS:
* Big space, very lovely, enchanting chandeliers and décor…
* Catered dinner was agreeable, nothing too drastic in any direction.
* Incredible bar-​tending crew! Very fast on the creations, knew their craft well, and were quite friendly to everyone!
CONS:
* One serves from the left and clears from the right, monsieur. Minor complaint, but indicative of the level of training their wait staff has had.
* Little things, like a light bulb out here, a hole in the wall there, not big stuff, but minor ticky-​tacky stuff, but it adds up over time. Place just needed a once-​over by someone who cares greatly about the finished product.
* Nothing was really standing out in the main meal. The soup was tasty (crab/​asparagus, we think), but the salad was kind of bland, the chicken was a bit dry, and the white sauce was borderline flavorless and incognito. Hardly memorable fare, at least not for the right reasons.
ROOM
PROS:
* VERY comfortable bed! I got a great night’s sleep.
* Clean. Hopefully a given this day and age, but want to point it out all the same.
* Powerful shower head, and up at a good height for a tall person. I didn’t have to crouch over to wash my hair! Being a taller gent, I appreciate that.
* Free WiFi!
CONS:
* Not super huge, but that’s a minor complaint.
BREAKFAST
PROS:
* Great selection of items, most of which seemed to be very fresh.
* Make-​your-​own waffles! Always a good idea, especially for the kids!
CONS:
* Sausage was inedible, very disgusting.
* Potatoes were undercooked and bland.
OVERALL
The convenience of having the wedding, reception, and rooms all in one place was phenomenal, and I would readily stay here again for such an event. The hidden gem was the restaurant attached, which we kind of took over after the reception. The calamari was actually pretty darn tasty, too!
I’d be wary about checking in, but overall a good place to stay. I’d like to go back and try the restaurant for dinner someday. Looked very tempting. Bartenders were really awesome there, too!

I was there for a wedding and stayed the night in one of the rooms. Everyone from the hotel who was involved with the wedding was friendly and helpful. The space for the wedding was nice, and I liked that there was a bar for us to go hang out in after the reception.
It was a nice, warm, day. For that reason I liked that our room opened up directly to the parking lot. Though I can imagine hating this in the winter or foul weather. Most of the rooms are not like this, they are more like a traditional hotel. The beds were comfortable, and I didn’t hear any noise from outside the room. There is a mini fridge and microwave in the room.
The continental breakfast wasn’t great, but better than most continental breakfasts that I’ve had. The eggs tasted like powdered eggs, but most places don’t even have hot options for an included breakfast.
It was a nice enough stay. I can’t imagine going back for any reason other than a wedding though, since there didn’t seem to be much around the area.

This is an excellent facility with a very friendly and efficient staff. They offer a hot breakfast (biscuits and gravy, sausage, scrambled eggs or pre-​made omelets) as well as typical motel fare. The appearance of the lobby and rooms is very nice. We stay here 2 or 3 nights a month when visiting family and consider it to be our second home.