Guest House Motel

We were up a narrow dark staircase in the sandstone building. The room was clean but that is all I can say about it. The room was so dark we couldn’t read and the bathroom was so dark I couldn’t see to apply makeup.
I really don’t know how it could pass the fire codes with the narrow staircase the only way up or down.

January 2014. This hotel is clean, quiet and simple. I’m happy. The front desk reception was very helpful and nice, when opening up the door to my room I was pleasantly surprised. The hotel is situated in a little community of the Amanas and there is lots to do and see like antique stores, shops with local crafts, cheese/​wine shop and local owned resturants in this little community. Down the road there’s a park called Kent park, they’ve got covered picnic tables, trails to walk and a park ranger station. I’m grateful that I found a nice quaint little place to stay for the night.

I often go out of my way to support small family-​owned businesses, but the husband and wife that own this place made me pay for that this time. I was supposed to stay here for a wedding but had to cancel early the day of the wedding because my girlfriend (my date for the wedding) fell ill. When I called to cancel, the husband notified me that they have a 24-​hour cancellation policy and that they would have to charge me. The 24-​hour cancellation policy is normal, but my experience is that many hotels will cut you some slack if you have a good reason to cancel – rather than a full charge, many places will charge a discounted rate – and I wasn’t notified of the policy when I reserved the room.
I then spoke with the wife, told her I understood the reason for the policy but explained I really wanted to be there but could not given the circumstances and politely asked if there were any way I could get a discount on the cancellation penalty. She responded rather snidely, «That’s the nature of the beast,» and then told me she’d give me a refund only if I found someone else to take the room. So, basically, there was nothing she would do for me.
What really irritated me, though, is that she called me back a few hours later in the early afternoon and asked, «You didn’t by chance decide to come after all, did you?» Irked by her inquiry (I quickly realized what her call meant – she was renting the room to someone else and wanted to double-​check I wasn’t going to show up), I curtly responded, «No, I told you my girlfriend is seriously ill and can’t travel.» Despite the fact that she filled the room (the hotel was fully booked so this would have been their only opening), she still fully charged me for the room.
Again, I understand it’s their policy and the onus was on me, but especially considering the fact that someone else ended up renting the room, it seems egregious that they still refused to budge on the room charge. Add to that the fact that they acted a bit rude when I was very polite and I can only suggest not bothering with these people. If you had a complaint about a room, I wouldn’t anticipate they’d be responsive.

If you’re looking for a no frills place to stay in Amana that’s not a bed and breakfast, the Guest House Motel should fit the bill just fine. Their rates are reasonable, and their rooms are clean and comfortable. Every room is equipped with A/​C and TV with cable and HBO. The bathroom was functional, and the beds were comfortable. My only complaints were that the room didn’t have a clock and our A/​C unit wouldn’t turn on, nor could we open the windows for some fresh air when it got warm in the room. I don’t know if they haven’t turned the A/​C on for the season or what, but fortunately, we could survive without it. Even though the motel is located on the main road, it was very quiet, and it’s within stumbling distance to the Festhalle, in case you’re attending an event there.