Prentiss House by Thatch

Nice hotel near to lots of goings on. Adjoining rooms convenient. good price for the two rooms. However: Room 20 (room next to street): Toilet did not work. no way to get a hold of anyone to fix it. We emailed, but didn't get a response till the next day, and I was not checking email regularly (vacation!). Husband had to fish around in the toilet and finally got it working. I did get a call from someone from the hotel at 1:00am on Friday night - she didn't realize it was the middle of the night - where was she and why didn't she realize this? Its her job (hotel business!) Smoke alarm broken and hanging from a hole in the ceiling (see photo) Doorknob broken and found on floor (see photo) Heater made very loud noise when turned up - impossible to use at night Same problem with drain in tub - very loud. We thought hotel was good value, very convenient, and we would definitely stay there again (we are already repeat customers!). However, I don't love it when extra fees are attached on to a listed price, esp w/o advance notice. CC Processing fee - $32.82 - this is for paying with a credit card I think? If you are going to charge 5% of the room charge for paying w a credit card, which I would guess 99.9% of people do, then there should be advance notice, and presumably notice of alternative methods of payment if one does not wish to incur this fee.

Our stay was even better than I imagined! It was better than described. We had college visits at Harvard and MIT and this was the perfect location to do that. Plenty of places to eat and explore nearby. If you have a car, the covered onsite parking is nice and affordable. It’s great having a reserved spot as street parking is hard to come by. The home was beautiful and our room was exactly what we needed. 10/10 recommend!

I think the idea of a staffless hotel is great… in theory. I had no qualms booking for that reason , however in practicality it was no up to par. Our customer service experience was quite poor. Booked through Airbnb and saw that there was parking available on site for additional charges , however it was not clear that this is the ONLY parking for at least a mile. We spent an hour trying to find a spot that was "permit parking only", since it was outside of "business hours" for the customer service of Prentiss House. Finally we texted the emergency line and literally never received a response. What is the good in having an emergency after hours line if it doesn’t actual respond? Finally we reached out via Airbnb and were redirected again to someone who said they couldn’t help us and then eventually ended up helping us anyways! We were able to obtain a parking spot but I have no idea what we would have done had they all been booked. The building and rooms themselves were quite beautiful , with history and character. Howeverr the age does show, as the AC is not well working and we had to open the windows to cool down the room, as well as the toilet only flushing half of the time. Overall would not return to this spot, though the centrality to Cambridge was nice.

Owners need to update this inn and stop neglecting their guests. On our 3rd night, the power went off in our room. We called the emergency line and they were offshore phone operators and didn’t have the correct instructions for us to reset the circuit breakers. They tried to get ahold of management and no one answered. We were forced to get a new hotel room at midnight because the room was freezing. The bathtub also did not drain even after cleaners came to unclog it. The HVAC was awful and our door lock didn’t work. This is an older house but these are all things that can be updated for guest comfort. We received a refund for the nights we had to switch hotels, but they refused to compensate us for the high price of the other hotel that we were forced to book at midnight due to their negligence. I love inns but would not stay here again

The value for location can't be beat! Very clean, quiet, and comfortable in a central location close to public transit. I stayed in Room 16 which is on the top floor and not ideal for anyone with issues carrying heavy things up tight stairs. It was a cozy little room which felt private and I liked it very much. I would have appreciated more access to filtered water and larger bedside tables. BUT, I would absolutely stay here again. It was a fantastic value and I had no issues.

Our room #6 was very spacious. It would have been nice for the air conditioner to be on when we arrived on Friday as it was extremely warm. Not much to say about service as we never saw a single person. They replaced the hand soap that was empty via text. We were given a code to get more towels. Great location. The walk ability is fantastic to so many places & restaurants. Only a few patio lights worked on the outside patio and coffee maker was hit or miss.

The Prentiss House is a charming and homey gem conveniently located just minutes from the T station at Porter Square, with a variety of restaurants, bars, and shops within easy walking distance. The modern farmhouse decor creates a cozy and welcoming vibe throughout the property, and the sitting area by the fireplace is an ideal spot for relaxing with a book or friends. While we experienced a minor hiccup with the unstaffed check-in when our room code didn't work upon arrival, the issue was resolved within 25 minutes, and all other communication with the staff during our stay went smoothly. Despite this small snag, the overall experience was excellent, and I highly recommend it for its charming atmosphere, cleanliness, and superb location.