The National Hotel

We had dinner here years ago and always wanted to stay. We finally got the opportunity and it didn't disappoint! The room was huge and airy and the bed was very comfortable. The room was very clean with nice amenities and generous amounts. It was a hot weekend for June but the air conditioner felt so good after all the walking in town. The service was wonderful and the staff is fabulous. Would definitely recommend this hotel when visiting the cute villages in this area.

Comfy bed and pillows. Dinner in the restaurant was delicious. Local recommendations from the staff were spot on. Open Mike Night was quite entertaining. Room was clean and ample towels provided. Will be back.

Where to begin... this was an early birthday getaway weekend that my husband planned for me. It started with the front desk struggling to find our reservation which we made directly on their website and had a confirmation email from the hotel itself. It was obvious they were not prepared for us. The gentlemen checking us in signaled to a woman to go upstairs and “check” the room. She disappeared for about 10 minutes. We were given our key and told that our room on the third floor was ready. My husband then proceeded to carry up our suitcases and bags with his injured hand / arm which is in a guard/splint and they sat and watched and did not offer to lift a finger to help us. The first thing that I noticed was the dirty old runner up the first staircase. There is old and then there is dirty and this was both. Our room... where to begin. Here is the list: 1) Peeling paint everywhere - on the door, the wall (Pictures Attached) 2) The radiators were rusted and disgustingly filthy. (Picture Attached) 3) Small ants in the bathroom 4) The two bath towels provided were rough and paper thin - one had an ant on it and a stain. 5) A deep jetted tub with no handle or bar to get in and out, a crappy shower curtain ring hung above it that was broken and the shower curtain rings were broken, no bath mat so when I stepped out I almost broke my neck. (Picture Attached) 6) The toilet seat was old and worn out - peeling 7) The soap dish was used and stained and appeared to be moldy.(Picture Attached) 8) There was hair on the floor and in the sink and other areas. 10) There was no closet - only an alcove with dry cleaner styles used hangers hung on a crappy wire shelf, nothing else. There was one small circular mirror for use in the entire place above the sink in the bathroom. There was another useless one above the bed. No full length.(Picture attached) 11) The bed was absolutely horrendous - there was a paper thin strange almost transparent silky sheet over the top .. as opposed to a normal cover - beneath it a horrible down comforter with stiff sheets. 12) The pillows were AWFUL. They were old and mushy - stained and smaller than a standard size ... there was also a stain on the wall above the bed. (Picture attached) 13) The phone had nothing attached (no cord) and therefore unusable. 14) The furniture was all horrible - cheap - stuff that was peeling or in need of repair - fake pressboard style end tables. 15) It was obvious the place hadn’t been vacuumed. I walked everywhere in my flip flops. I woods not walk barefoot anywhere. I went down to the front desk on three separate occasions to complain and no one was there. On our check out morning I went down around 9:00 am to see if someone could help with the bags (as there notice in the room indicated to ask if you need help with bags) and there was a sign that said that the desk was unattended at this time. There was no one around anywhere. No coffee or anything for guests. I went down again at 11:00 - still no one anywhere. If it wasn’t for the fact that we could not find anywhere else to stay at the last minute and that we had plans - I would have gone home and canceled our weekend. I am baffled that this place has good reviews. I travel a lot and stay in many different types of places from B&B’s to Hotels and I have never ever stayed in a place which such poor overall service and basic attention to amenities and detail. This hotel is horribly neglected. A simple investment of a cleaning company, some paint and better quality lenses would make a huge difference. JUST A VACUM AND SOME DUSTING would be a huge improvement. I have stayed in nicer Holiday Inn hotels. I am all about charm and old historic places. This was a building in massive neglect. Don’t get me started on the safety aspects inside and outside of the building - loose wooden stairs off the back and rotting wood, the exterior door that appeared to have been chewed by mice ... We washed everything immediately once we got home. I will never stay here again.

We had a nice two night stay. The bed was comfortable and room was a nice size. The room was very quiet which was great and had access to a back entrance to the parking lot. The hotel needs some upkeep though. The carpets in our room need to be replaced. There needs to be better lighting in the room as it was so dark since we didn't want to open the curtains as our window looked onto a shared porch and the lamps didn't give off much light. There is no staff on site at night which we didn't realize until we went looking to see where we could get ice later in the evening and no one was there. We weren't given a contact number when we checked in, to call if we experienced any problems during our stay. Makes me wonder what we would have done if we had needed to contact someone. The food and cocktails at the hotel restaurant were superb and not too pricey. Of course with COVID, we had to eat outside on the front porch so we did not get to see what the inside dining room was like. The servers were very pleasant and attentive. The servers were always wearing their masks and made us feel safe.

My fiance and I planned a weekend getaway for my birthday, and we chose The National Hotel. We've stayed there a couple of times before and have been meaning to come back. Being it was my birthday weekend, I wanted to go tubing down the delaware, this nice little gem right in Frenchtown was perfect. We were greeted by Pete and Marlon, whom are both very friendly and accomodating. The staff was amazing and the cook is excellent. We ate there each night of our stay (3 nights). There are trails nearby for bicycling, and the Delaware River is a 5 minute walk. The only thing we missed out on was indoor dining and the Rathskeller pub, both closed due to restriction from Covid19. The hotel itself was built back in the mid 1800's with an interesting history. If you're looking for a cozy and quaint getaway, this place is for you.