My husband and I stayed in the Founders Inn this week while celebrating his mother's 103rd birthday. We wanted to stay in the main building but no rooms were available to reserve. They had offered us the opportunity to upgrade to a room with a whirlpool tub, which we very much wanted due to my ongoing physical issues, but upon arrival were told "none of those rooms are in service at this time". Well, OK. We were in a nice, large corner room on the second floor of the York River Lodge building. In actuality, the room itself was not unlike any typical hotel room in the mid-priced chains, except larger, and offered a couch and coffee table, plus a wing chair in the corner. Oddly enough, the couch was at a right angle to the TV, which had no swivel, so that it was difficult to see the TV. There was plenty of room for the couch on the bare wall across from the TV so we wondered about the nonintuitive arrangement. I'm sure there was a reason. The TV had a wide variety of channels selections including a working "guide", much appreciated. The entertainment/dresser cabinet held a refrigerator but no microwave. The rather ancient looking Cuisinart 4-cup coffeemaker had some quirks but we finally managed to get the thing to crank out some coffee (Royal Cup brand, nothing special). There are wrapped plastic cups for water or other drinks, plus insulated disposable cups for coffee, as you would find in a Motel 6 or Econolodge, for example, but no glassware, coffee mugs, or wine glasses that you might expect to find in such an upscale setting. The king-sized bed and bedding was of high quality, comfortable for my husband but a bit on the hard side for me because of fibromyalgia. Ah, if only I could have snagged that room with a whirlpool tub! I had my own pillows and heating pad though, so that helped. Hubby slept like a log. The bathroom is typical hotel style. Unfortunately, the water pressure in the shower was so weak that I had trouble getting the soap off! There were two sinks, one outside the bathroom, which was much appreciated and had a wonderful lighted make-up mirror, but neither sink would drain properly.
We had a breakfast package which included a buffet in Swan Terrace dining room, offered from 7-11 AM. We generally go in about 9 AM. The setting and service were top notch, although the buffet itself was on a par with places like Residence Inn, Holiday Inn Express, and Embassy Suites, offering similar hot and cold choices, plus an omelette station and a charcuterie board. We thought the coffee was somewhat tasteless, but then we like our coffee very strong and black. It did come in a whole pot, which is always nice. Fresh juices are brought to the table per request. On the second day when we arrived for breakfast the serving dishes for several basic items were empty, and the amount of time taken for them to be replenished was a bit lackadaisical if I may say it nicely. The dining room is lovely, as are the table settings, and we enjoyed a walk around the beautifully kept grounds on the way back to our room. The public rooms are just gorgeous and wonderfully appointed. The location itself is very quiet and feels secluded, even sandwiched between two major thoroughfares leading to any sort of shop, restaurant, or convenience you might need. We've made another reservation for the Christmas season, this time in a room in the Main Building. Still no whirlpool available though. This time we will bring our own coffee for the room, a couple of glasses for wine and water, and maybe a coffee mug. They would certainly have gotten us these things if we had asked, because the service at this hotel is consistently stellar, but we were out and about a lot and tired when we returned, plus in a building away from the lobby, so we didn't bother.