Hotel Gunter

Make reservations for New Years Eve only to discover that the bar closed at 9pm. Rooms are beautfully appointed and remain true to the history. Check in and parking is confusing. Overall site is clean and well preserved Menu in the Toasted Goat is tasty and refreshing

Quite interesting place. Former classy hotel, somewhat rundown now, and with former elegant banquet rooms and such no longer in operation. Clean comfortable room, third-floor walk-up, which was no problem. About 11 p.m. the fire alarm sounded---much, much louder than any alarm I've heard. There was no fire, but there was absolutely nobody working in the hotel to turn it off, and for some reason the fire departmant could not turn it off. It took nearly two hours for someone to locate a manager and get it turned off. I asked for my money back, and was refused, but offered a discount next time I stay there. As if.

We knew the hotel was historic and looked forward to its unique character based on some reviews. All was fine on arrival - quaint lobby, little coffee bar, cute restaurant adjoined. I was a little confused when she said that the doors are locked at 9:00pm for the “residents living there,” but decided that added to its quirkiness. After parking in the back lot, we walked through the funhouse basement with varying degrees of fascination and incredulity over the “exhibits” - btw the Speakeasy and coal mine are super cool. But making our way to our room on the 2nd floor felt like The Shining - old red carpet, dark narrow hallway, exposed wires on old light fixtures. And our room itself was small and musty, with popcorn ceiling, one ceiling fixture, rock-hard bed, tiny bathroom - about like my childhood room at Grandma’s house. Exploring the rest of the 2nd floor, we noticed that ours was the only room that wasn’t a residence, and that the end of each hall had a cool little iron balcony - complete with mold and full ashtrays. We didn’t expect the Four Seasons, but had some expectation of comfort - tbh we couldn’t have spent more than 5 minutes in our room without a feeling of impending doom. They need to either convert the entire building to residences or do a major rehab. No one should pay to stay here as a “guest.”

Stayed here before hitting the Tracks & Yaks the next morning. We got in at 4:30 on a Saturday. Thought it was weird that the girl at the desk pulled my reservation out without even asking my name. All the shops close by 5:00 pm (was a Saturday) so we didn't have anything to do. Took a little walk around the town and was saddened that so many businesses were boarded up and vacant. Had an early dinner at Toasted Goat (food was good; wine was awful). Went up to the room to watch a movie and the tv didn't work. Message said to call the front desk, but guess what? NO PHONES IN THE ROOM! We called on our cell phone and there never was any answer. There was a creepy doll looking out of the upstairs window which was actually kind of fun. The basement "museum" was kind of weird. There were no counters in the bathroom to put anything. Overall, I'd say it was clean, but definitely needs a lot more renovation.

The Gunter calls itself an "historic' hotel. I think that's just to cover up all its flaws: run down and badly in need of paint--and cleaning--plus a surly staff. We arrived before scheduled check-in and the receptionist was quite annoyed we were there before the appointed time. She warmed up enough to give us our room which was dingy and beyond spartan. There was only one bedside table although we were checked into a double, and the only light other than the harsh overhead was so dim, it was like a night light. The room could have used a deep cleaning and more. And it was only as we were crawling into bed that we realized one window lacked any shades so we were woken by bright light earlier in the morning than we would have wished (it was, after all, close to the longest day of the year). The room was also lacking a hair dryer. When we checked out, we mentioned these missing items to the receptionist (a different one from the day before but even more surly). She said that the hotel already knew that. Interesting, I said, that they'd still give us that room (when there were plenty others to be had; hotel was not crowded and we did not, as I said above, check in late). The receptionist just shrugged and said, "I'm only making minimum wage." Bottom line: find somewhere else to stay.

When you first enter, the hotel looks nice. There was no one at the front desk so I had to ring multiple times on a bell for someone. When they finally arrived they explained they worked at the restaurant and had no idea what they were doing. They handed me keys and walked away. Our room was so outdated and we wore shoes to walk around on the carpets because they were gross. The comforter stunk terribly so we threw it off the bed. Food was ok at the speakeasy, the wine was terrible. I definitely wouldn’t stay again. We also booked with the added fee for the 25 dollar toasted goat gift card and never received it.

We went here for a birthday weekend. Hotel Gunter was home base to exploring this part of western Maryland. The staff was outstanding. Service and brunch at The Toasted Goat was very good. I wish we could have been here on a night The Speakeasy was open but will plan to do that our next trip out. But keep in mind this is an ongoing and very extensive (and most likely expensive) renovation project. Having done remodeling work myself I can understand some of the decisions made for things that just have to wait like carpeting. If you are looking for a modern facility with lots of perks/distractions this might not be a good choice. But if you want to enjoy old world charm and a great staff, give Hotel Gunter a try.

The place is beautiful. Lots of work in progress. Super friendly staff. Clean. Excellent water pressure in the shower. Great food at the Toasted Goat. Plenty to do within walking distance: good food, good coffee, lovely shops, model train club. We had the BEST time!!