Name: The National Hotel
Address: 31 Race St, Frenchtown, Frenchtown, Frenchtown, 08825, United States of America
Rating: 8

No elevators

General

Concierge services

Services and amenities

Restaurant

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Parking

Free parking nearby

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the hotel

Doylestown Airport

Lehigh Valley International Airport

Trenton-Mercer Airport

Princeton Airport

Northeast Philadelphia Airport

Mc Guire AFB

The National Hotel

Frenchtown

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

15-beds

16-beds

17-beds

18-beds

19-beds

2-beds

20-beds

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22-beds

23-beds

24-beds

25-beds

26-beds

27-beds

28-beds

29-beds

3-beds

30-beds

31-beds

32-beds

33-beds

34-beds

35-beds

36-beds

37-beds

38-beds

39-beds

4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

Visited this basement bar for the first time in December 2022 and was super impressed/surprised.  Subsequent visit in the new year.  Both of our visits were not the same.  First visit: New owner (also owns Bamboo House) got it right: awesome cocktails with live music and an open wood burning stove in a cool rustic environment.  The food coming out of the kitchen looked great, although we didn't eat and the place was so packed that people were eating standing up along the wall.  Our favorite thing was the fire and corner seating.  Second visit: Soooo...we return in the new year, expecting the same experience, but it wasn't 100% awesome.  Same time of day/same day of week.  No fire.  It was so cold that people dining were wearing their coats.  We had French fries to snack on and they were run of the mill frozen fries...expensive for mediocrity.  The staff member walking around in a suit failed to ever come over to our table so I walked up and ordered at the bar.  Left disappointed.  However, the bartender is consistently awesome...I'd be as bold to say that it was the best margarita I've ever had (during both of our visits the drinks were great).   If I had rated our experience solely based on our first visit it would have been 5 stars.  However, due to the reasons above, an average rating seems to be warranted.  Take away: a basement bar needs to be heated in January in NJ.  Floor staff need to be attentive.  Offer items on the limited menu that are of higher quality.  Anyone can go to a diner if they want subpar French fries.  

New Owner of Rathskellar Basement Bar in National Hotel.  Inconsistent Experiences.

We were thankful to be able to find a room for the night on such short notice, but we were very disappointed when we arrived. The hotel does not look like the website! The furniture in our room was in poor shape. The carpets are stained. The bathroom was very clean (there’s that!)  Hank in the bar was very welcoming but with the hotel restaurant being closed and a late arrival we were hungry and had trouble finding a place to eat. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so disappointing if it wasn’t for the price we paid!

One night stay gone wrong!

We stayed here on Saturday night July 31 because we were in town for a family party and paid an extra fee because we were only staying one weekend night. The hotel website and confirmation email said check-in is after 3:00pm. I called two days before and asked if we could check in between noon and 1:00pm because we were driving from Boston and wanted to change clothes before the party at 1:00pm. Was told we could for $50.  We decided not to. At about 4:00pm Saturday I got a phone message from the hotel asking us when we were going to check in and to give them the courtesy of a return call. My husband went to the hotel to check in and was told that check in is actually ONLY between 3 and 6 pm and after 6 we would have had to contact the owner to let us in. 
There is no hotel staff on site available after 6:00pm. When we got there at 8pm we let ourselves in thru the door off to the side of the main door. The lobby had only a ghost light, no one at check in desk and no signs or directions to stairs or rooms.
The hotel restaurant was an attraction for us when booking since we planned to have lunch there Sunday before driving home. When we got there at 8pn Saturday there was a tersely worded sign bordered in RED saying that due to staffing problems the restaurant is closed. There was no indication of this on the hotel website.
This is not a luxury hotel. It is arguably historic definitely older and perhaps quaint.Our room had some interesting decorations. Towels are thin scratchy and barely absorbent and there was no floor mat in the bathroom. There were cobwebs on the moldings around doors and windows, the rug was stained and there was a stray water bottle under the bed.
Even after giving consideration for any pandemic related problems The National Hotel did not in any way live up to my expectations based on their description on the website. At this point after lock down restrictions have been lifted the management knows what their staffing issues are and should honestly disclose the situation in real time on the website and other social media. I do not recommend this hotel at all.

The Hotel Website is deceptive. Felt like we were bothering them by staying there.

We had dinner here years ago and always wanted to stay.  We finally got the opportunity and it didn't disappoint!  The room was huge and airy and the bed was very comfortable.  The room was very clean with nice amenities and generous amounts.  It was a hot weekend for June but the air conditioner felt so good after all the walking in town.  The service was wonderful and the staff is fabulous.  Would definitely recommend this hotel when visiting the cute villages in this area.

Lovely historic hotel

Comfy bed and pillows. Dinner in the restaurant was delicious. Local recommendations from the staff were spot on. Open Mike Night was quite entertaining. Room was clean and ample towels provided. Will be back.

Convenient and comfortable

Where to begin... this was an early birthday getaway weekend that my husband planned for me. It started with the front desk struggling to find our reservation which we made directly on their website and had a confirmation email from the hotel itself. It was obvious they were not prepared for us. The gentlemen checking us in signaled to a woman to go upstairs and “check” the room. She disappeared for about 10 minutes. We were given our key and told that our room on the third floor was ready. My husband then proceeded to carry up our suitcases and bags with his injured hand / arm which is in a guard/splint and they sat and watched and did not offer to lift a finger to help us.

The first thing that I noticed was the dirty old runner up the first staircase. There is old and then there is dirty and this was both. 

Our room... where to begin. Here is the list:
1) Peeling paint everywhere - on the door, the wall (Pictures Attached) 
2) The radiators were rusted and disgustingly filthy.  (Picture Attached) 
3) Small ants in the bathroom 
4) The two bath towels provided were rough and paper thin - one had an ant on it and a stain. 
5) A deep jetted tub with no handle or bar to get in and out, a crappy shower curtain ring hung above it that was broken and the shower curtain rings were broken, no bath mat so when I stepped out I almost broke my neck. (Picture Attached)
6) The toilet seat was old and worn out - peeling 
7) The soap dish was used and stained and appeared to be moldy.(Picture Attached)
8) There was hair on the floor and in the sink and other areas.
10) There was no closet - only an alcove  with dry cleaner styles used hangers hung on a crappy wire shelf, nothing else. There was one small circular mirror for use in the entire place above the sink in the bathroom. There was another useless one above the bed. No full length.(Picture attached)
11) The bed was absolutely horrendous - there was a paper thin strange almost transparent silky sheet over the top .. as opposed to a normal cover - beneath it a horrible down comforter with stiff sheets. 
12) The pillows were AWFUL. They were old and mushy - stained and smaller than a standard size ... there was also a stain on the wall above the bed. (Picture attached) 
13) The phone had nothing attached (no cord) and therefore unusable. 
14) The furniture was all horrible - cheap - stuff that was peeling or in need of repair - fake pressboard style end tables. 
15) It was obvious the place hadn’t been vacuumed. I walked everywhere in my flip flops. I woods not walk barefoot anywhere. 

I went down to the front desk on three separate occasions to complain and no one was there. On our check out morning I went down around 9:00 am to see if someone could help with the bags (as there notice in the room indicated to ask if you need help with bags) and there was a sign that said that the desk was unattended at this time. There was no one around anywhere. No coffee or anything for guests. I went down again at 11:00 - still no one anywhere. 

If it wasn’t for the fact that we could not find anywhere else to stay at the last minute and that we had plans - I would have gone home and canceled our weekend. 

I am baffled that this place has good reviews. I travel a lot and stay in many different types of places from B&B’s to
Hotels and I have never ever stayed in a place which such poor overall service and basic attention to amenities and detail. This hotel is horribly neglected. A simple investment of a cleaning company, some paint and better quality lenses  would make a huge difference. JUST A VACUM
AND SOME DUSTING would be a huge improvement. I have stayed in nicer Holiday Inn hotels. I am all about charm and old historic places. This was a building in massive neglect. Don’t get me started on the safety aspects inside and outside of the building - loose wooden stairs off the back and rotting wood, the exterior door that appeared to have been chewed by mice ... 

We washed everything immediately once we got home. 

I will never stay here again. 

Neglected, Dirty and Dissmal

We had a nice two night stay.  The bed was comfortable and room was a nice size.  The room was very quiet which was great and had access to a back entrance to the parking lot.  

The hotel needs some upkeep though.  The carpets in our room need to be replaced.  There needs to be better lighting in the room as it was so dark since we didn't want to open the curtains as our window looked onto a shared porch and the lamps didn't give off much light.

There is no staff on site at night which we didn't realize until we went looking to see where we could get ice later in the evening and no one was there.  We weren't given a contact number when we checked in, to call if we experienced any problems during our stay.  Makes me wonder what we would have done if we had needed to contact someone.

The food and cocktails at the hotel restaurant were superb and not too pricey.  Of course with COVID, we had to eat outside on the front porch so we did not get to see what the inside dining room was like.  The servers were very pleasant and attentive.  The servers were always wearing their masks and made us feel safe.

Was expecting more based on the website

My fiance and I planned a weekend getaway for my birthday, and we chose The National Hotel. We've stayed there a couple of times before and have been meaning to come back.  Being it was my birthday weekend,  I wanted to go tubing down the delaware, this nice little gem right in Frenchtown was perfect.  We were greeted by Pete and Marlon, whom are both very friendly and accomodating. The staff was amazing and the cook is excellent. We ate there each night of our stay (3 nights). There are trails nearby for bicycling, and the Delaware River is a 5 minute walk. The only thing we missed out on was indoor dining and the Rathskeller pub, both closed due to restriction from Covid19. The hotel itself was built back in the mid 1800's with an interesting history. If you're looking for a cozy and quaint getaway, this place is for you.

Everything about this place is great

I stayed in the National Hotel during a hike on the Delaware Canal from Bristol to Easton, PA. It is perfectly located as a way station on that 60 mile walk. The owner was most hospitable, putting me in a larger room at no additional cost. It was a cool night and I was quite cozy in the well-heated room.

This hotel is also in the heart of a beautiful old canal town, with walking access to all its amenities.

I strongly recommend this historic hotel to all.

Hospitable, Comfortable, Charming

For an older hotel we did not expect modern amenities. However, on a chilly Christmas Eve night, we were looking for heat and a nice warm blanket.  The heat was lacking and the room was drafty. The bed had a sheet and a very thin bedspread. There were no extra blankets in the closet. Also, the pillows were half size. A coffee maker in room would have been welcome. 

The National Hotel

Main amenities of the hotel

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Location

Description of the hotel

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Check-in terms and conditions

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