Hartness House Inn, Springfield

I have to say, the area is exquisite, the Main house is lovely and charming. It is definitely a blast to the past. But that all changes as soon as you interact with the staff/owners. Upon our arrival, our room was 62 degrees. As I asked Daisy, the front desk attendant how to increase the heat, she asked me was it really that cold, to which I smiled and said yes. We left to see the area and about 6 hours later came back to a room at 85 degrees. When I asked to have the heat turned off, I was told "you complained about it and now you want it lowered?" Well, yes!!! I was then told it is an old house and the heat is tricky so to open a window. Also, they put blankets on the radiator to "insulate the heat in." My wife and I are in our late 20's and wanted a romantic weekend, instead we stayed in a sauna where no one cared about us or our experience. Also, on their website they claim to be a spa as well. Be sure to "book" your massage months before you arrive. When we arrived on Friday we inquired about a couples massage and was told you have to book in advance b/c they call in masseuses. What a joke! Love the area and the house, despise the lack of care or concern the staff exhibit!!!!!! Not recommended, look at the B&B's in Woodstock, Vt!!!! I wish I did!

I was just at the Hartness House for a wedding. If I was just rating the place on the quality of the accommodations it would be a 1 star tops. The place is very run down. The carpets are stained. The furnishings are worn and torn down to the padding. The mattresses sag, and the whole place had a very unpleasant smell. I needed to be on allergy medication the entire time I was there. It would be a nice place with about a quarter of a million dumped into refurbishing it, but it seems like the owners just don't want to spend any money on the place. They keep it super cold in the place as well, I am only guessing they don't want to spend on heating either. So make sure to bring a sweater. The reason I rated it three stars though is for the staff. They were very accommodating. They were willing to bend over backwards for all the wedding guests. They kept offering to help us with all the minor wedding details. We were holding out until the last minute to see if the rain would stop long enough to have the ceremony outside and they were more than willing to work with us on that. At one point in time they even looked for batteries to give the bride for her cd player. The justice of the peace was running late and they called him at home and told him to get there asap. The staff were up to the quality you would expect in a much nicer place. The housekeeping staff were unobtrusive, yet they were always in the background picking up trays or champagne glasses that guests had discarded. They even gave us a guided tour of the museum and telescope, which was entertaining. The food was fairly nice, especially if you like cheese. They make liberal use of local Vermont cheddar in their breakfasts and dinners. The spinach dip was cheesy and garlicy and tasty. At the reception I had the gnocchi and found it slightly under-seasoned but overall enjoyed it. In general, it is a mixed back. The staff is great but the place itself could use some major work. I probably wouldn't stay there again, especially since the town it is in is also run down, but I overall enjoyed the wedding and the experience.

Used to be classy/good service and welcoming...Stayed here for a wknd. in order to bury a family member nearby(that used to frequent the place). Rooms are disgusting, old, musty, dirty, broken toilet, no hot water, no one ever at front desk. To boot, I had paid a deposit for the room 3 months out. I tried to talk to someone/anyone about discounting the room, no one was ever around and no one answers the phone. Apparently CC companies don't re-imburse you for certain charges that are too far in the rear view mirror. OUT $300 or so...this is a has been.

4 weeks before the date we had set for our wedding, we called and spoke to Alla. She was so sweet and helpful on the phone, in fact she was willing to meet with us that day. When we pulled in we couldn't believe how beautiful it was. They have quite an extensive website with lots of photos but it really didn't do the house any justice. After meeting Alla and taking the tour of her facility, we knew this is where our wedding would be. Alla was so helpful in helping us plan our wedding, she didn't seem bothered by our short notice or my incessant calling with questions. In less than a month we arrived back at the inn for our 4 day wedding weekend/ honeymoon away. We had reserved the James Hartness Suite as part of the Elopement Package that they offered. At breakfast we were so excited, our parents had arrived the previous night and were all sitting down for a wonderful breakfast and chatting about how beautiful the day was for our wedding and the wonderful setting. Cathy had promptly brought us fresh muffins and coffee, and was very quick to learn many of us by name as we ordered. Our friends began arriving later on that afternoon while my bride was off getting her hair done. They would check in with Alla, each telling her how amazed they were at the beautiful house and it's prefect fall setting. I would walk and chat with our guests as they each made there way to there rooms. I did get to see about 12 different rooms spread in groups around the hotel. I was slightly disappointed by the modern wing. We had been shown this as part of the tour, but as I spent more time in the wing I began to notice it's downfalls. In no way do I regret choosing this facility as the setting for our wedding and our friends and family were perfectly content with the accommodations, but I can see how some would be upset. We had a lovely outdoor ceremony on a perfect, but slightly chilly day. All of our guests were very surprised that they actually had a small menu to choose from for dinner, even for 27 seats. We had our choice of soups/salads, appetizer, and entree, and our hostess handled our drink orders for us so we did not need to travel to the bar in the other room. Alla, Cathy, and our server were so wonderful, they always made sure everyone was promptly taken care of. The even made a special low sodium Fillet Mignon for my father who was ill and had some heavy diet restrictions. We ate, drank, and dance to a little Sinatra, before cutting the cake, the garter, and tossing the bouquet from the mid stair landing. After another wonderful breakfast, Alla added us to list of guests that were taking the 10am tour of the tunnels and the observatory. She handed the flashlight off to me and pointed the way. I led the group down the narrowing tunnel as it slowly became smaller, older, and darker on all sides, till we popped out into a surprisingly large room where Alex met us and gave a wonderful trip thru the history of the Inn and the observatory. After exiting thru the side door onto the front lawn, we said goodbye to many of our friends and family as they headed home. Those who stayed went with us to the nearby orchard and then up to Quechee for a hike and some lunch. The next morning, came one of my favorite parts of the whole weekend, .....breakfast in bed! We had the most wonderful french toast, fresh french press coffee, and strawberries, with the best homemade whip cream I have ever had! Around lunch time we thanked Alla, whom it seemed was always around whenever you needed anything, 6am to 10pm it seemed. And of course we cannot forget Cathy who was also such a large part of our weekend going so wonderfully. We left on our way to the Cavendish Farm for horse back riding, knowing in my heart we would be back. In fact we plan on returning for our anniversary next October, with a few friends from our wedding who loved it just as much as we did.

The customer service is extremely weak. They don't return your calls and the manager is always "not available" and nobody can tell you when they may become "available". It location is beautiful, but if you want to relax I'd look to one of the surrounding hotels and visit this area.

The entry way to this Inn is deceiving -victorian charm that ends at the front desk. Upon arrival I waited 10 minutes for the check-in person to get off the phone. The room I was given intially had a defective bathroom fixture which buzzed loudly as well as a mirror that was falling out of its frame. I asked to be moved as the connecting room had some rather loud occupants and the inn seemed fairly empty. I was then given a room with a leaking sink facuet and plumbing that didn't seem to want to work as well as a closet door which was off its track. I decided to just leave. Overall the part with the rooms seemed dirty and not well maintained.

My husband and I came here with a bunch of our friends for a new years package weekend. We were very disappointed with many aspects of our stay. My husband and I stayed in the contemporary wing which was a major disappointment compared to the accommodations in the Main House. The rooms resembled those of a cheap motel, which is fine if thats what you are paying for. We payed about 500 dollars for two nights including dinner and dancing (for one night). My friends stayed in the Main House and were very disappointed with their rooms. The rooms in the Main House looked like they haven't been refurnished or redecorated in many many years. This bed and breakfast needs to invest a lot more money into their rooms to make them look clean and welcoming. The service overall was very poor. The staff and owner were rude to my friends and I throughout the stay which made us feel unwelcome and uncomfortable. The food was also poor at the New Years Dinner. We had a New Years dinner which I have to say, tasted like there was no effort put into taste. I am not the best cook, but I could've made a much better dinner! The package was completely inflated and I felt that my friends and I got a really bad deal!