11 Singleton House

11 Singleton a Thumbs Down

"Via 11 Singleton House's website I obtained information about this B&B in
Eureka Springs, AR. I emailed the proprietor about the availability of a
specific room for the night of June 18, 2010. The room was available, and
the rate was acceptable, so I called with a credit card number to guarantee
the reservation. I received a confirming email, with the first
miscommunication from the proprietor: "As we discussed, I am holding your
reservation with your credit card until your deposit arrives." We had not
discussed my sending a check. At any rate, I sent a check for the room rate
of $110.

On our arrival date, we were to give her a call when we were an hour away.
We arrived in Eureka Springs an hour or so before we had planned, and we
went to do some shopping in the local stores. While my wife was trying on
clothes, I called the proprietor and told her we were in town, and that we
could check in any time it was convenient with her. She asked that I meet
her at the inn in about 30 minutes. When we walked into the inn, she made a
remark about how "everyone seemed to be showing up early". Another
miscommunication, as I had clearly said we were in no rush and could meet
her at her convenience.

A couple of sisters arrived at the same time, and as the innkeeper was
chatting with us she said to the sisters, "you can use either the bathroom
next to your room upstairs or the one downstairs. Since you both have long
hair, I suggest you use the shower in the downstairs bathroom".

She pointed to the room at the top of the stairs, and indicated it was our
room. We took our bags up and settled in for an hour or so. As we were
leaving for dinner and a musical event, I noticed that the supposed "private
bathroom attached" (her website description) had a second door that opened
onto the hall, with a little brass sign that said "Bathroom". It occurred
to me then that the bathroom was meant to be shared. I could have locked it
from the inside, but the sisters had already left for their engagement, and
I didn't want to create an awkward situation for them, and I didn't want to
cause any late night commotion.

I also questioned whether I had missed something in the room description
from the inn's website. Upon arriving home the next afternoon, I rechecked
the website wording and it unambiguously states "the Morning Glory Room is a
romantic retreat with private attached bath".

The email exchanges with the proprietor have not been pleasant, as she has
continued to insist that the bathroom was indeed private, and that my
actions had made it not be private. She has attempted to skirt around her
conversations with the sisters, not really denying what she said to them,
but saying it was my fault that I had not exercised the option to make the
bathroom private. As I see it, I was thrust into an awkward situation with
some fellow guests. If there was any awkwardness to be dealt with, it
should have been between her and the guests. She gave me no instructions on
the bathroom situation. She says this complaint has never been made before,
and I find that difficult to believe. It could only be avoided if she
clearly made the guests in the other room aware that their bathroom was on
the first floor, not on the second.

Unique Quality: Nice gardens and a pleasant breakfast, though not gourmet.