The Chalfonte Hotel

"Great location and charm. We stayed in the Southern Quarters, Room 9. Overall our stay was nice, but our room was in serious need of a refresh. Our bed spread had numerous stains and there were cobwebs on the ceiling. We felt the beds were sort of uncomfortable, and the wooden doorframe to the bathroom was falling apart at the floor. I will say I was also disappointed that many of the features I would expect from a regular hotel were not present. No AC, no closet, no safe/lock box, no complementary conditioner. Microwave and mini fridge are shared. It’s very “rustic”, so it’s certainly not for everyone. For me, it was a little steep considering it’s the off season and we weren’t staying in the actual Chalfonte. I’d like to come back sometime, hopefully the hotel management will make some improvements or adjustments :)"

"Even though ac is advertised on the website, it is turned off for the shoulder season. You should know that owner never returned my calls or emails regarding this issue. No hot water for showers, either. I submitted at claim to the CM Dept. of Consumer Affairs."

"The hotel desperately needs to be updated--painted, cleaned, etc. --inside and outside. It was not a clean room--cobwebs on the ceiling and walls. We stayed for a week in the Southern Quarter, room 1. It's a quite noisy room to be in as it's right in from the front door, and everyone passes the room, mostly not very quietly. If you're tall or large, you will find the toilet to be very unaccommodating as it is literally inches away from the bathroom door when it is shut. The door to the room does not even open very far as the floor slants upwards and then slants down, so it feels as if one is on a rocking boat. It looks as if the furniture was picked off the streets on trash day. It would just take a little sanding and paint to make the furniture better. I don't know why the owners don't put in the effort to make the place better. There is no parking except street parking, which is inconvenient. We had been booked into the Dormer House, which is owned by the same owners as the Chalfonte Hotel, but we couldn't stay in our room due to a powerful smell of mildew and mold. I would not stay here again, and I could not honestly suggest it to anyone else. The location is good, and the staff was very nice."

"The location is great. After spending 400 a night we were disappointed upon arrival. The staff at the desk had an attitude, the room was ok, no tv, and certainly needs some fixing up, my husband almost broke his toe going into the bathroom at night with a very high step into room and no lighting … major safety hazard. We were looking forward to a nice breakfast on the porch Sunday morning before church. there was no one waiting for seats in shade, but they wanted us to sit in the hot sun seat. They could have at least offered to move the the table into the shade after we explained that one of us had melanoma and could not sit in the sun — but they would not budge. No customer service involved whatsoever. It was more about following a rule. The customer is always right and a true customer oriented business would train employees to be sensitive to the needs of a customer. There were 2 tables for four people available and our group of four was not able to make it so we were down to the two of us. They would not serve us until the other couples came to the table and then refused service. Our only other option was to sit in bright sun with cancer as explained. Shame on your staff. Very disappointed in the customer service all around and I believe that they need to bend their rules a bit at the time of day and when nobody is waiting revisit the situation . Feeling penalized as a customer for not having for people showing up and then holding back on serving us we had no choice but to leave. I think it’s time to change the rules a little bit and assess the situation and not penalize customers for wanting to have a nice breakfast on the porch. If the whole party doesn’t show up, I never saw anything like it in my life and it was an extremely disappointing, ending to what was a nice weekend all around, I probably would now not recommend this place. I think you to revisit your rules it’s 2023 and we are not children figure out how to accommodate and cater to your customers if you plan to charge those prices with a very adequate room and environment. There are plenty of places to stay in Cape May. Unfortunately, we will not go back. Think twice before heading here."

"My mom worked here back in the 70's, and although the building does have some newer amenities (most notably: porch dining, a bar, and individual A/C units in each room)—it's remarkable how much of the Chalfonte's classic southern charm has been preserved. The service is friendly & personal, the doors have actual keys, and there's only one TV in the whole place, as far as I could tell (located in the coffee room). It felt like a trip back in time, and we loved every minute!"