We thank this guest for her review and we welcome the opportunity to discuss our business practices in this forum.

This reviewer checked in on a sold-out weekend, with all the guests attending the same event. Her schedule required her to be away from the Inn for the entire day and into the evening, so it is hardly surprising that our interaction was limited. In regard to our payment practice, reservations at our Inn are confirmed with a one night deposit, or 50% of the reserved stay, whichever is greater, with the balance due at check-in. All guests are informed of this practice at the time of reservation; it is stated on every confirmation; and is prominently listed on our website as well as on our Webervations internet reservation system. The guest's comments lead one to believe that this came as a surprise to her at check in, which it did not. We travel extensively, staying at the finest Inns in America, and can attest that this practice is more and more the industry standard, except where the Inn requires the entire amount to be paid when reserved.

We know of no other inn of our size (6 rooms) that offers the extensive breakfast menu available at The Red Maple Inn. Our executive chef is an honors graduate of the New York Restaurant School, has owned and operated restaurants for nearly 30 years, and won 3 stars from the New York Times for her tony Hamptons eatery. We are justly proud of the food we serve at the Inn. Our guests are not offered the "Entree of the Day;" instead they order breakfast from a restaurant-style menu. On the dates that this reviewer was a guest the menu consisted of:

Freshly-Baked Muffins ~ Choice of Juices ~ Coffee, Decaf, Tea (Black & Herbal assortment)
Fresh Fruit
and a Choice of
Virginia Ham & Vermont Cheddar Scramble
Omelet a la Greque: Sauteed Organic Baby Spinach & Imported Feta Cheese
"Pumpkin Pie" Stuffed French Toast
Croque Monsieur (Classic French Breakfast Sandwich with Canadian Bacon & Imported Gruyere, Egg-dipped and Sauteed, served with Sauce Bechamel)
Creamy Oatmeal with Cranberries
Red Maple Inn Fall Granola

Each day offered a different Omelet and French Toast du Jour.

As might be expected, to offer a menu this extensive to a full-house of guests, and deliver the food hot and to the proper table with only a chef and one waiter, takes preparation, attention to detail and concentration. As in all the finest Inns in our experience, breakfast is offered at set times, and our other guests, who were attending the same events as this reviewer, chose to stay in the morning to enjoy our breakfast. But, unlike donut shops we are not open for food service 24 hours per day. When this guest told us she would need to leave at least an hour before our dining room opens we offered to give her a "Brown Bag Breakfast," which includes a 1/2 liter of Poland Spring Water, 2 Granola Bars, a piece of fruit, and a fresh muffin. Just outside her room is located a guest station with complimentary coffee, decaf and tea, stocked with take-away cups. My mother, who is wise in these matters, used to say, "No good deed goes unpunished," which perhaps applies here.

Which brings us back to the question of why we ask guests to pay their balance on arrival, a policy which has been in place for 8 years without one previous objection. Firstly, it is for the guest's convenience so that at whatever time they wish to depart they are not delayed by a lengthy check-out procedure (I,for one, hate waiting in a queue to check out of an Inn), but already have their receipt and charge slip in hand when they are ready to leave.

Secondly, because we are a small inn and operate without "front desk" staff, the Innkeepers wear many hats: reception, bell man, host, chef, waiter, and concierge. If a guest wishes to depart during our breakfast preparation time, which typically begins 60 to 90 minutes before the dining room opens, it would require us to stop cooking to go to the front of the house to charge credit cards and print receipts. Our system makes it possible both for our guests to enjoy a carefully prepared breakfast and also accommodates those who need to depart early.

Finally, as to ours not being the "warm, welcoming B&B experience" she is used to. I will simply add that when she made her reservation for this weekend we were already nearly booked up, which required her to move to a second room during her stay. Our housekeeping staff moved all of her belongings to the new room so as to cause her the least inconvenience possible. In addition, she requested that we set up a trundle bed in her room to accommodate a guest on her last night, which we offered to do at no additional cost. We greeted her guest warmly on arrival and invited her to stay, which she ultimately declined.

To conclude, we have certain policies in place which are established for the benefit of the vast majority of our guests, and our hospitality is attested to by the great number of "excellent" reviews on this site. We do our very best to accommodate all of our guests' needs, but when those needs conflict with the needs of others, we must abide by our policies.