The elegant image of a luxurious and historic hotel enjoying brand-new upgrades is at odds with the experience. This is a place that gets all the little things, plus a couple of big things, wrong. The big ones: poorly trained staff and stifling hot rooms caused by inadequate air conditioning. A few of the annoying little ones: the expensive restaurant is closed two nights a week; the bar serves bad bar food and is uninviting; leaky bathroom fixtures; no lamp by the reading chair; no cables for using the free internet; beautiful bedding on a flimsy frame that squeaks every time you roll over. And this just bugs me: it's not really that historic. It was built in the 1940s on the SITE of older hotels. I salute the hoteliers and the town for taking pride in their history and the present-day character of Easton, but the management needs to improve. I'd recommend picking other places to stay until then.

Hotel is undergoing renovation but needs even more work than is currently planned. A/C barely functions in the rooms; bathrooms are old. Service is inconsistent. Waited over a hour for ice, never arrived after two calls. Finally, had to get it myself at the front desk. Car valet service quite slow. The renovations that have been completed are generally but much more needs to be done. Local Restaurant and Wine Bar are outstanding but don't make up for the rest of the property.

I stayed at the Tidewater in Easton, Md. This is an old hotel, with lots of charm. It has that great classic hotel architecture, real wood, etc, but the best classic feature is the staff. Every one I met was eager to go the extra mile to see that the guest had an excellent stay. I was impressed.