We thank the review for the many compliments on the Inn. We are glad they found the Inn romantic and beautifully decorated and clean. And noticing the little touches that make our Inn more memorable such as the rose petals, towels fan pleated, monogrammed bath robes, and even the rosettes made from the beginning of the toilet paper roll.

I am surprised the first disappointment was in regards to a Christmas parade. The reviewer states this caused them to be even further delayed in arriving then what they had planned. There are two primary streets in Eureka with Spring Street being one of them. The Inn is located on Spring Street, but there is more then one way to get to the Inn. However, as the reviewer mentions, their GPS did not work in Eureka. An issue I have no control over.

The reviewer does say at this point she tried to call us. This may have been as I often encourage guests to call me when they arrive so they do not waste time riding around. However, our phone shows all calls received or missed. We did check our phone for missed calls and found none from the reviewer. However, it is not unusual for some cell phone carriers to not work in Eureka. And I suspect this was the issue. If you see our other reviews, we have been and continue to be very responsive to our customers as we know this is important to our business.

There are many ways with all of our streets in Eureka to access the Inn. Our town is small and quaint and the parade did not last any more then approx. 30 minutes. The parade was at 6:00 p.m. The guests stated they would arrive at 3:00 p.m.

We send a letter attached in an email confirmation (sent 11/29 and again 12/2 when I didn’t get a confirmation) that states we do not have an office at the Inn (every bit of our space is dedicated for the guest suites), and it gives instructions on what to do when they arrive. It also asks that the guest please confirm back that they have read the email and attached letter detailing the instructions. A generic copy is also located in the Inn.

This same letter also states that since we are intermingled with residential homes as well as other lodgings that it is preferred to use our parking lot to keep harmony with our neighbors. It is not mandatory and they could have unloaded in front of the Inn and should have. The reviewer comments the steps were treacherous. I found this to be a strong word for about maybe 7 steps that are made of block limestone which have been there for many years and are typical of Eureka Springs and indigenous to the area and gives it much of its European charm known to Eureka. And many of the homes, stores, buildings, etc have these same steps. Ours are kept clean and both sides of the step have walls to hold on to. We did check the lights and did find them to be in working order but will continue to keep an eye on them. The pathway is lined with lights as well.

The tub/shower that the reviewer mentions is a Jacuzzi tub and is deep as Jacuzzi tubs normally are. This is why we have a step stool in front of the tub so if someone does have trouble getting in and out, they can step in and out with ease using the step stool. This is also for safety as well. This was a first that an issue on the tub.

The reviewer mentions others guests in the Inn, we did have guests in our two bedroom suite. However, it is an Inn and I haven’t had issues with noise in the past so I am not sure what happened and not able to address at this time.

I am not sure what was meant by the carpet being dirty. We talked to our cleaning staff, went to the Inn to address all the issues in the review and did not find the carpet dirty. In the regards to the small refrigerator, the fridge is located inside an antique armoire. It is a small 1.5 cubic ft. refrigerator and sits on the bottom shelf of the armoire. We put complimentary bottle water in it for guests. It is old, but it works and it is clean. This should not be held against the housekeeper as the reviewer remarks that this was the housekeepers tip – (contradicting that the reviewer found the Inn clean) that was a mean comment. This is the owner’s decision and actually we did replace it.

We have no control over parades, if a GPS works or not, and do not feel we should be held accountable in the review for this. Part of discovering the town is what many find the magic in when discovering Eureka including the magic of a Christmas parade.

Thank you for the great review. Our goal is for our guests to have a worry free stay and want to return! We hope to see you again soon. Susane Gruning

We take these types of reviews to heart. So much passion goes into trying to make our Inn a success so that it can be enjoyed by many guests and repeat guests. I am sure I speak for many other lodging owners/innkeepers as well because we work incredibly hard at what we do because we love our career, and we love our guests. We take everything about our business personally, because it is personal.

We are quite surprised by how this review was written. This party canceled their booking just THREE (3) days before they were due to check in during our busiest month of the year. Our policy clearly states (of which they agreed to) that you must cancel 14 days PRIOR to check-in to receive a full refund.

The reason of the cancellation was NOT due to catastrophic health as stated by the reviewer. It was due to the injury of 1 of the 4 people in the party who got hurt, and even though they said the other 3 could still make the trip, they did not want to unless it was all four.

We immediately were empathetic to their situation and we offered viable alternatives. ** We agreed to allow them to rebook within the following TWO months. I also told them if we rebooked their dates I would give them a full refund. I released the dates from our on-line reservation system; I even posted this availability on Facebook. We also offered a weekend to them even though they had a mid-week booking with a discounted rate. However, I was told that all four would have a hard time with their schedules due to do other travel outside of the country, and additional health issues that came up AFTER the cancellation.

In addition to the online reservation, I also send out a confirmation with a review of the policies again. We tried to work with this party outside of not only our policy, but during a month that is known to be our busiest month in town for the whole year. This room was blocked preventing any opportunity for us to rebook. At no time has anyone in the party acknowledged this.

Then one of the sisters took the lead and basically after this the situation went down-hill quickly. This person was belligerent, derogatory and trying to bully us into refunding them. Even asking us what would happen if they did choose dates but then just absolutely hated the Inn, I was really caught off guard and asked her why she thought she would. She frankly stated that she would do anything to get their money back. At no time did this party offer new dates with in the 2 month time-frame but kept finding angles of how to get out of a commitment they made.

We did try to work with this party; but it became clear they had no intention of rebooking nor did they want to be held accountable for the policy agreed to at time of booking. (You much check a box before you can finalize your booking that you agree and understand the policies). We cannot run our business on the unpredictability of others schedules. This is why we hold such strict cancellation policies. We can try to accommodate in a reasonable fashion and we did try. In addition, part of the policy states a $25 cancellation fee which was not charged to this party.

**CANCELLATION POLICY: We are a small, privately-owned business and due to our small size, cancellations impact us significantly. A last minute cancellation gives us little chance of filling your suite. For this reason we uphold a strict policy.
• Reservations must be canceled 14 days prior to the arrival date for a refund. If cancellation is made less than 14 days before your reservation date you will forfeit the full payment. A $25 booking fee will be deducted from your deposit for all cancellations. (WE RECEIVED 3 DAYS)
• Bookings within 14 days are non cancel-able.
• One night bookings discount rates and extras are non refundable/non-cancel-able and payment is made in full at time of reservation. (THIS WAS A DISCOUNTED RATE)
• Peak nights, discount rates, events, etc. are non-refundable. For peak nights your room charge will be charged in full upon your reservation. These peak events include, but are not limited to, Discount Specials, Special Events, and Month of October. (THIS WAS ALSO CONSIDERED PEAK NIGHTS FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER AS STATED HERE)
• Reservations are guaranteed with a credit card. Full payments required for one night and discounted specials. Both are non refundable but under severe circumstance may be rescheduled within 30 days as available – some restrictions may apply. WE OFFERED TWO MONTHS!!!!

At this point we were getting nowhere, frustrated and tired of the emails, phone calls, etc. we decided to withdraw the offer of the extension. We do not want someone like this at our inn or around other customers who are there to enjoy themselves. We did not have to offer to rebook, but we did. In our five years as Inn-owners we only had a handful of cancellations all of which the guests were grateful to rebook with 15 – 30 days with no issue.

We are sorry this took an unfortunate turn; however, it is not due to our lack of trying but a customer trying to take advantage and not be accountable to the policies to which they agreed.