Blackbird Inn, A Four Sisters Inn

A great disappointment as B & Bs go. Location was ok, but definitely not reasonably walkable as far as going to the better restaurants along the river. The breakfast was absolutely the worst we have ever experienced in the 15 or so B & B's that my wife and I have stayed at over the years. The first morning our breakfast was served in a metal 1/4 baking pan wrapped in saran wrap with a sticky note with our room number. I think it was supposed to be scrambled eggs, but they were gray and dry, with undercooked bacon, a few blueberries and 2 Strawberry halves . There was no decaf coffee, and your only choice of juice was orange juice. Can't tell you about the next 3 mornings as we went to a couple of local highly rated breakfast spots (Model's and Buttercream Diner). There are only 3 tables in the common area so the guests have to eat in 2 sittings. The building itself was dark and somewhat dreary. The bushes outside the "Inn" badly need to be pruned so more sunlight can come into the rooms. The location is at 2 major intersections and there is a lot of early traffic, truck and bus noise. Our room was supposed to have a jacuzzi tub, but there wasn't a control for the tub that we could find and there was no one to ask as the person at the desk leaves at 7. The furniture was supposed to look like antiques, but it was cheap quality. Parking is tight. Overall our experience at the Blackbird Inn was mediocre at best. The amazing thing is that the Blackbird Inn is owned by the Three Sisters group, which normally have high quality B & B's

What a disappointment!!! We had stayed at Bed and Breakfasts before and this one I would not come back. The positive: central location. The negatives: We stayed in room 3 on the first floor. The room's carpet is very old, a dark brown that needs to be replaced for a clean looking carpet. The room is big but it felt old, dark and totally outdated. I know they are going for an antique vibe, but this felt and dated. We had an outside terrace that was totally covered in dust. The bathroom was big, but OLD, the tub was very dated and when I decided to take a shower, the water pressure was horrible. I tried everything...just a trickle of water from both shower heads...not good. We tried to sleep, but the walls are so thin you hear everything...my husband had to call someone to complaint about another guest talking so loud that they woke us up at 4 am!!! Next was breakfast, you had to choose a slot time to have the Frittata. We chose 8:30. When we got to the breakfast area (the living room that had 3 small tables) we found several ugly looking military style trays with Saran Wrap on top of the food. We picked ours (they had numbers) to discover that everything was cold, the fritatta was cold and dried up. Same with the English Mouffin. The fruit was acceptable. When I went to see if they could change it for a fresh one...no luck. The reception was empty and one girl was running the whole operation. She disappeared after bringing the trays. To make things better, there was NOWHERE to seat. We had to seat at the sofa...all the tables were taken. Most people took their trays to eat in their rooms. How could you offer breakfast and not have enough tables for your guests? We did not eat the breakfast...we had coffee and tea. After you finished the "breakfast"everyone took their trays, and cleaned them to place them in a closet. The food was terrible, there was nowhere to seat and you had to clean up after yourself???!!!This felt like a school cafeteria kind of place...not a Bed and Breakfast. Next day, when we saw on the board what was being offered for breakfast, we texted the lady to put the cheese on the side because of lactose intolerance. They answered that any changes had to be made the night before....well, we did not know what the options were until that morning. My husband was able to make the change, but they made us wait an extra hour for breakfast. We rushed that morning to get a table and eat like humans, and we had to wait. The level of non service is totally unacceptable. I would not come back to this place. Stay away, it is a complete rip of!!!!

Avoid - fraudulent business practices. I was charged $115 on my card without a word shortly after checking in. After inquiring, I was told the charge was an additional fee for having a 3rd guest in their suite. Except I had specified 3 guests at time of booking, and staff admitted that the official website does not include or acknowledge the fee at checkout. The wildest part is no one cared to tell me at check in - they just charged me and hoped I’d never question it. Really sneaky stuff. I will be disputing with my credit card, as they have refused to refund me a fee that was never disclosed. This was on top of other strangely unwelcoming behavior from staff that I’ve never encountered at a hotel or b&b. From the beginning, the brunette woman at the front desk was unfriendly and made me feel like an imposition. I had been up since 4 am traveling and was at the property before 3 pm check in. I asked politely about the possibility of early check in and was told it wasn’t until 3 without the slightest indication they’d try to accommodate. Fine. But I was also denied access to a bathroom as a paying guest who had been on the move for hours. When I finally checked in, they dictated their myriad rules to me like a child who had already done something wrong. I was also given the wrong room at check in and had to go through a whole back and forth to get it resolved. When the same brunette staff member finally admitted I had been given the wrong key by her coworker, instead of apologizing she said, “Maybe if you had told her the room number….” Really? The defensiveness was so unprofessional and childish. TLDR: the property itself was fine, but combative staff and shady fees make it absolutely not worth it. My other friends stayed at Churchill Manor and loved it.