The Shire Woodstock

If I could give them a zero, I would. I’m very disappointed with our experience at The Shire. We paid over double their posted rate of $225 for a King premium view room -a title that implies there’s a view- during high season only to be put in a room with front and back views of parking lots. We couldn’t open our blinds because people or cars were moving by the windows throughout the day and night. Moreover, there was a jacuzzi tub and bathroom sink in the main part of our room bizarre and unusable and the shower in the proper bathroom area leaked water onto the floor because a make shift curtain was placed where a door to the shower used to exist. In addition, the shower was so small there was no room to turn around. I approached the on site staff about my concerns and they said management would reach out to me-which never happened. I tried via email, text and in person to share my concerns yet no one contacted me. The on site personnel seemed poorly trained and shared that “a premium view king room means you get a view of a parking lot”. When I asked what a standard king view room looked out onto, she did not respond. My husband and I were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary and looked forward to gazing out onto a “tranquil view” as was advertised on the website for our room. They came highly recommended from friends/owners of another business in Woodstock. Very very disappointed that they don’t care about customer concerns. They seem to be a business machine with no owners at the helm directing quality stays for customers.

Could not have been more disappointed by our room especially for the outrageous price of $640 usd we were charged. Staff seemed untrained and unaware of what was going on. We began check in and immediately I could smell a very strong and fragrant candle burning in the lobby. All I could think was what odor are they trying to cover up? There was an underlying odor of damp mustiness when I went to the bathroom near lobby area which was like something from 40 years ago but not in a good way. Our room late by 40 minutes. We brought our bags upstairs, opened the door and our room was also heavily fragranced, so much so that I had to open a window to air it out. The rooms were poorly decorated, the furniture was nothing more than cheap, bargain basement furniture chipped and worn that was trying desperately to look quaint and charming it failed. My daughter had a shower and the fan has a Smokey burnt smell when she turned it on, the shower had very poor water pressure, it was also very slow to drain so she was standing in her shower water which is disgusting. There was pink mold in the shower, the grout on the floor was black from grime it was not purposely dark grout - it was dirty. Cords were hanging down from the tv. We had at least 3 flies buzzing around our heads. This stay was the equivalent to a $50 a night run down road side motel. I would love a manager to offer me compensation because this should not have been a penny more than $200 and that is pushing but it is fall in Vermont so there is that. Absolutely NOTHING about this room was worth $640 usd $870 cad. I suspect the room I got had not been upgraded by the renovations but I certainly got charged upgraded prices. I will not ever recommend The Shire. I will be staying at The Woodstock Inn next time I come.

Lovely riverfront inn located in the heart of Woodstock. We enjoyed our time at The Shire and will definitely be back! The River House building was beautifully renovated with a great view of the Ottauquechee River! Excellent guest service and a very comfortable bed.Rooms: 5/5

Really enjoyed every bit of our stay! The location on the river and river views was amazing, with the added bonus of access to the river for swimming and riverside chairs for relaxing / reading. Close to Woodstock town center, Billings Farm & Museum, and Marsch Billings National Park. A general coffeemaker with a variety of K-cups + tea bags and cookies downstairs were a nice and unexpected for me addition as well. I can easily recommend this hotel : Rooms: Clean, comfortable, river views Nearby activities: Woodstock town center, Billings Farm & Museum, Marsch Billings National Park, Sugarbush Farm, Skiing Walkability: Very walkable to Woodstock and Billings Farm + Park Food & drinks: Complimentary K-cup coffee, tea, cookies Noteworthy details: Riverside with access / beach

On 8/5/23 we encountered a unfortunate breakdown with our car.And would have to spend the night. Woodstock VT PD, suggested this hotel for accomodations for the night. As it was past a reasonable hour, without prior reservations. This staff, met with us personally. Gave unbelievably nice accomodation. and any other needs to help us through the ordeal. Even following up at our break down site, to ensure our safety was met. Thank you so much.

Wonderful place. Simple, clean, with attentive staff. Our family room was huge, 2 queens and twin bunks. No noise besides our neighbors, but that's not management's fault.Rooms: 5/5

The entire place is fine - but it’s not worth $250 or more. It’s worth under $200 - potentially closer to $150 at first glance. They have a smart business model, they keep the prices at this level and don’t adjust for demand/supply.Rooms: 3/5

Nicely kept property, convenient location, beautiful sitting area in back along the river! Rooms are nice and very clean. Good overall experience!

Have stayed here twice and always have a lovely stay. There’s plenty of cute spots to stay in Woodstock but none have beautiful views from your room of the river quite like this. The rooms are nice and there seems to be some upgrades and renovations going on. Added bonus that they are dog friendly! Added a photo to show off the view from the room

The actual motel is nothing at all like the pictures. Shabby and not very clean. The “premium” room view is the roof of a garage. The other window holds a portable air conditioner and the busy road can be heard through the night. The refillable toiletries were nearly empty. Cobwebs, stains on carpet ….. the nice photos were uploaded by the motel, not by actual guests.