The Spencer Hotel

My wife and I were very impressed with our stay at the Spencer. The staff at the hotel was very cordial and helped answer many questions about the area. We did not expect to have a security guard the night we spent in the hotel but Hanna apparently did her job. Thank you for getting the scooter for me. We could not have toured the grounds without it. One suggestion involves the bathroom. I am somewhat handicapped right now and was not able to get in and out of the bathtub. It would have worked if there had been grab bars around the tub. Thanks for everything.

Had a quiet, relaxing stay at the Spencer Hotel. Although our room was small, it was nice to be able to sit out on the attached porch at night. The bed was comfortable, and breakfast by Helen the next am was delicious! This was our 1st trip to the Chautauqua Institute grounds, and we will return!

Beautiful property in the heart of Chautauqua. Charming room decorated with an "Out of Africa" theme - and we had a nice bottle of wine & cheese tray on arrival. The grounds are gorgeous and the staff was all super super nice! Had a great time & we will be back

With all of the options in Chautauqua, put this one at the bottom of your list. We had read lot of negative reviews and thought they could not all be true based on the information on the website. But we now wish we had listened. The "hotel" is barely an adequate B&B and the "spa" is a converted room where services are brought in from the outside on an as needed basis. Even the technicians complained about the facilities. But we decided inspite of this to make the best of our 3 days there. When we were leaving, we emailed and left a voice mail asking for an invoice and accounting of our stay. We never received that but got a lot of charges on my charge card. When I repeatedly asked for this, I finally got a voice mail message from the Innkeeper saying that I was a terrbile person who was threatening her and harrasing her so that I could rip her off and get a free stay. WHOA!. All I wanted was an invoice. Not an unreasonable request. We really enjoyed the area. And we travel all the time so we have enjoyed so much better. Amazingly better. And a few that were not good. But we have never had a run in with an owner who treated us so shabbily. Run, don't walk, to any other option in the area. We will the next time we are in the area.

I have traveled the world, this was the poorest return on my dollar that I have ever experienced. I booked a romantic get away. We agreed on a specific spaciousness room based on sleeping arrangement, first floor easy access ( I am handicapped), jacuzzi tub, and internet access (My wife needed to finish some work tasks). I called back the following day to add a third day and make spa and dinner arrangements. No one there was able to help me, it seems that everything is arranged personnally by Helen the owner. She later called back a indicated that everything was arranged as I had requested. Upon arrival I was flabbergasted to discover that, without my knowledge or approval, she had switched us to another room totally different from what I had arranged and payed for. Top floor, sporadic internet access, cramped room, the water in the tub was tepid and mold burbled out when the pump was started. Helen apparently became vindictive and did everything she could to minimize our enjoyment of the facility. As the time went past it became apparent that everything that transpires there is in accordance with her personal whims and desires. The food was excellent, the decor was very nice. Helen does an excellent job with the decorating. The staff were all friendly, courteous and accommodating. My wife used all of the spa services. The spa contractors which she brings in all performed flawlessly. However, they had to work around the inefficient conditions imposed because of Helen's emphasis on appearance instead of functionality. She will probably attempt to blame housekeeping or our "Room Change" for the unsanitary tub, but as I said - EVERYTHING - that happens here is exactly as she dictates. If you are looking for a place where the views of one person override common sense, efficiency, and hospitality this is the place for you.

Loved everything about the hotel and site!