Athenaeum Hotel

This is a very tired old hotel in need of major updating. My room was in the annex, a charmless additional building with no views, only one window that could be opened, a tiny bathroom, only a straight chair. It was clean and the bed was comfortable. The service to the rooms is great - clean towels each day. My plan included meals, all of which were buffets. Breakfast was plentiful and good, lunches and dinners uniformly mediocre. The front porch is a nice place to sit but seating is hard to find. There are not many options at Chautauqua but if I return I will look for a different opportunity.

I expected an old, creaky hotel with small rooms. We have been coming to Chautauqua for many years. What was surprising was: almost without exception unfriendly staff; and a VERY mediocre, poorly organized breakfast buffet with poor service. Some years the house we rent can be crowded and we chose to get a room elsewhere. I doubt we will return to the Atheneum.

This hotel is old (1881), but it has tons of history and charm. That's why I love it so much. We stayed here for the first time this year, and we've already reserved our room for the 2025 season. It's mind-blowing to walk down the same historic hallways that Ulysses S. Grant, Teddy Roosevelt, and Bill Clinton walked and stayed. We had a fantastic room at the end on the 2nd floor. It had been updated (see photos) and had a great view of the lake. There was even a charming porch area outside the room. The front desk staff were very polite, helpful, and quick to address issues. We loved our maid, too. She took care of our every need and made sure our room was cleaned properly. At the end of our visit, we asked her what some of her favorite rooms in the hotel were. She showed us each room and we reserved one for our 2025 visit. NOTE: I see that some of the less-than-stellar reviews knock the hotel for its restaurant, The Heirloom Restaurant. I agree that the food and service at the Heirloom are not that great and don't meet expectations for such a grand hotel. But I shared that in a separate 3-star review for the restaurant.

Don’t recommend Our room was in a sad state. Floor slanted so badly it looked like a ramp. Noisy from guests above us. Entire place in dire need of upgrades.

I loved this stay but for one thing. No food available for dinner on my 66th birthday because the restaurant was rented out for a wedding. If only I had thought to rent the whole place out in advance I could have eaten here! Being off season there was nothing open on campus so we had to drive for food. Oh well. Apart from that, it was all I remembered. I’d last been here 50 years ago with my now departed parents and wanted to relive it for my 66th. Well, I certainly did that. The property is as beautiful as I remember and the stay comfortable. Highly recommended.

This place was a little diamond in the rough and it’s unbelievable of all the places I’ve been in the world which is many was so impressiveI’m