The Quality Inn Manchester Airport, also known as the Wayfarer Inn met all my needs. I stayed there in April and November of this year while on business. I had a room which was well appointed, comfortable, clean and quiet, had computer WiFi access and the location was close to all places I needed to be. The staff was friendly enough. And the price was a very good deal – much less than other properties nearby. This worked for me.

The story behind the Wayfarer is that it is a large convention center and was the IN place to be during primary seasons in the 60’s and 70’s. It is a large hotel with 180 rooms and several large convention rooms set in a very scenic sprawling site complete with a waterfall and covered bridge. In the 90’s it changed hands several times ending up with the Jitan Group from Brocton MA. They did a renovation in 2007 resulting in nice furnishings in the rooms. Unfortunately, they otherwise clearly demonstrated how NOT to run a large hotel and convention center. The hotel was quite empty on the weekends I stayed there, there was little to no signage showing how to get to the property and the center wasn’t even listed in the yellow pages under “banquet halls”. From the downturn in guests, they closed Quackers restaurant, once considered a very trendy place to go. They then closed the pools and cut back on the breakfasts and other amenities. Maintenance was curtailed, evident in the musty hallways in some wings and smell of gas near the restaurant. None of these affected me as I was in a wing on the other side of the property.

The final insult is that they have closed the property for renovation. What this really means is that they will knock down ¾ of the facility and sell it off to a developer building a mall. When they open next April, the motel will be only in the renovated Upper Falls wing (80 rooms), with no other facilities. One can guess that the service will be minimal as they try to maximize profit out of minimal effort. It is really sad to see a classy place go this way based on lack of effort.

So, I was quite happy with my stay, but sad to see this turn of events. And it was a bit of an eerie feeling knowing that I was one of the last guests to stay in this storied hotel.

What a weird trip. The hotel is now being closed by the weekend of 11/14/09. It was relatively clean, but not really. Worse, it was just CREEPY. First, not being able to find it as there is NO sign and requires specific directions to the hotel, and next, having the property splayed all over hell's half acre. There are many little and big stairs you must descend or climb and I was in the most remote section, with only, literally about 5 people staying in the entire hotel. In the night, alarms went off in the distance, and when I phoned, the front desk casually said that the Macy's department store next door had been ROBBED. No sense of what happened, was I safe in my room, were the cars safe, nothing. Next, about two AM, I phoned back because I could still hear the alarm. She said "It could be a car alarm. It might be your car alarm but I can't leave the desk to go check it. Maybe YOU should go check it." Weird. I said, No I'm not leaving my room because of the robbery - maybe there were creeps out there. I asked the front desk to phone the police to check on the alarm and then asked for her to PHONE ME BACK when she learned what happened. She never did. I could hear the alarm going off somewhere until about 6 AM. Later, I talked to the front desk person, who apparently was not the same one or two? from the night before. She admitted that the place was haunted and that Old Mr. Goff walked the halls at night. She also relayed a personal experience she had but I don't relate it here. CREEPY CREEPY CREEPY. I KNEW something was wrong with the hotel. I'd never stay there, even after the "renovation." Perhaps an exorcism is needed!

We chose the Qualify Inn Manchester Airport for our final night of an 11-day trip to New England. We arrived late and had to catch an early flight the next morning. The hotel's shuttle picked us up within 20 minutes of calling that evening and even delivered us back at the Manchester Airport at 4 AM. Needless to say, we spent precious few hours at the hotel but we found it quite nice. Our room was large and the bed very comfortable. The bathroom, however, needed some minor repairs (ceiling damage due to a leak upstairs needed painting, grout in one floor tile needed to be regrouted, and the sink faucet needed to be lubricated so it opened easier).

The hotel did not contain a restaurant so we walked across the parking lot to a nearby Italian restaurant. Due to our early departure, we did not utilize the complimentary breakfast.

All in all, we liked the hotel and its staff. We would definitely recommend this hotel to others.

My only problem with the hotel was finding it! The girl behind the desk gave very good directions from the airport, but the entrance is not marked well. The hotel is older but very well kept ,and the covered bridge and creek running behind it is very lovely. We were only there one night but would recommend it to anyone.