The Usonian Inn LLC - Spring Green, Wisconsin

Jacob H.

We picked this motel because of its proximity to the House on the Rock, a destination my college-touring daughter wanted to see. It was very convenient, and a relaxing place to stay.||This place bills itself as the only Usonian-style motel in the world. It is a small property, but charming and quiet. The styling is reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright, as it was inspired by the nearby Taliesin home of Wright's. A student of Wright's helped with a renovation in the 1990s.||Our room had two beds, an in-wall air-conditioner, radiant heat (which we didn't need), a nice view of trees and bushes in the back of the motel, and a bathroom with a walk-in shower and a dual-flush toilet.||There is only one cleanser in the shower instead of the triple shampoo/conditioner/body-wash dispensers you see in some hotels. If you want to have a more varied cleaning routine, you should bring your own items. The towels provided are very thick, however.||Privacy in the parking-lot side of the motel is provided by translucent boxes, screened on the bottom, to let in light and air without the risk of anyone peeking in.||WiFi is provided. There was a TV in the room, but we didn't use it, so I don't know how varied it is. Also in the room are several guides to local attractions and restaurants.||We were recommended Anita's Café for breakfast, but we had leftovers from our great dinner at the Old Feed Mill restaurant in Mazomanie, about 20 minutes away. The motel room had a microwave and a refrigerator.||The digital clock on the night stand provided two USB type-A ports, so my daughter and I were able to charge our phones overnight at the same time, while still having them in reach.||The setting and quality have made me start planning a return visit.

Mindy W.

I wasn’t going to write a review, but after reading some of these and after our stay, I feel we owe it to Carolina. ||First of all, some of the standards with people are beyond ridiculous. Those complaining about the reservation/check in process and not being waited on hand and foot need to understand something about what it means to run a privately owned establishment like this. Carolina is not just the owner, but she is the concierge, housekeeper, and office manager, all by herself She has to check in the guests, clean the rooms, and be available to guests’ needs, simultaneously…and somehow still have a life of her own outside of her job. ||The “invasive” and arduous process of getting a room and checking in is to protect her as a small business owner. She is not a chain of hotels, nor does she have the resources available to be able to take a corporate sized hit to her business. So when people disrespect the property or take more than what they use during their stay, it has a huge impact on her business. Taking all of the toilet paper, tissues, and sundries? Are you kidding me? What kind of person does that to a small business owner||The “house rules” are valid because it’s HER HOUSE. Yes, we are paying guests, but that doesn’t mean we can just disregard the property and do whatever we want. She’s not your mom - be an adult and pick up after yourself. Leave the room as clean as when you checked in. The room was spotless and she works hard to keep it that way. Arrange a check in time so she knows approximately when to expect you and be as on time as possible. If you are going to he late due to circumstances outside your control, then stay in communication with her so she knows what’s going on. If you are scheduled to arrive in the afternoon, then be there. Don’t roll up eight hours later and get salty because she wasn’t there to let you in. Take responsibility. ||Also, this is a historic property. If you want updated everything then go find a Hilton. The entire point of staying in a place like this is to enjoy its vintage architecture and charm. ||Carolina contacted us more than once to check if we needed anything. She recommended an amazing restaurant and we had the best time. We originally tried to stay three other places, but they were booked. We’re actually glad we landed at the Usonian because we had a lovely stay and Carolina was a gracious and wonderful host. ||All that just to say, if you’re a snowflake princess and hate a cultured personality, you’ll probably be disappointed in your stay. No one should cater to that. But if you enjoy historical architecture, supporting small businesses, and being in a quiet, clean, and relaxing space, then the Usonian Inn is the place for you. ||Carolina, we loved our stay. We will be back! ||Love, |Mindy & Deej

Bobbi H.

DO NOT STAY HERE!!! I was told I could check in early and when I arrived I had to use the bathroom. I was told there was not a public bathroom, and I could not check in early. I later returned and checked in. After I got my stuff in my room I went into the office to get ice and was told people like me slow her (the manager) down. She has laundry and cleaning to do. She locks up early then you cant get any ice. I checked out early.(8:00 am) I went to return my key and she would not let me hand it to her. She made me lay it on the tray. People in town warned me she was strange. I called later because she charged me for two people in the room and she called me a sicko for moving the pillows off the bed and onto a clothes rack, and using the Kleenex. Very strange lady.

Maureen C.

We actually didn't go to the hotel and canceled our reservation a month before we were due to stay there. I received an email stating the following. ||"AS previously stated in our communication emails, anytime cancellation entails you forfeiting the amount deposit that was retained within the initial booking, no amount is refundable at any time."||So just be aware of the "House Rules". No refunds at all if you need to cancel your reservation so make sure you are able to go!!

Larvatus P.

I can’t use my real name because the proprietor of this establishment is not stable and I would fear for mine and my family’s safety if I were to even hint at my name or location.
Suffice it to say that should you visit this establishment, you should check every regular, normal expectation of how to be treated as a hotel guest at the door.

No matter what you do, the owner will criticize and scrutinize your actions. The owner will look for every opportunity to upcharge you, criticize you, make your visit inconvenient, and call you a liar.

It is an absolute travesty that the potential this place holds is hostage to this person.

Please think twice about coming here because it’s just not worth it.

Bradford H.

My wife and I stayed here recently to visit The House on the Rock, (only a 10 minute drive). The room had a wonderful retro feel to it. Very clean, very cozy including an electric fireplace, minifrige, microwave, TV cable. But the real hidden gem is the bathroom. Giant bath, Modern stand up shower with full body jets. Carolina even put together a basket of wine and cheese for us when she found out it was our anniversary. She was very quick to respond to any questions i had. I was able to check-in online from start to finish.

Miranda D.

Truly bizarre experience at the Usonian Inn. Bottom line: would not stay again and would not recommend. READ REVIEWS before booking.

The arduous "registration" process will leave you questioning the need to share so much personal information. Owner is unprofessional and overbearing with a strong misunderstanding of what constitutes customer service. Several surprise fees at the end of the booking process are also off-putting.

The rooms are not a real draw either... they are in poor repair and have a musty smell about them.

Strongly recommend staying with a well reviewed inn or hotel chain.

EDIT: using a pseudonym because of the battalion of information the owner required at booking and the clear use of retaliatory aggression as response to honest reviews 🙂

Claude J.

We received an email asking for a review after our stay so here it is: overall our stay was disappointing.

Prior to arriving the Inn tried to charge us more than the amount quoted when we made the reservation. It wasn't until we questioned them about it and provided them with the amounts we had been invoiced with the reservation that they corrected the issue.

The location was convenient enough but the area surrounding the parking lot is overgrown with trees and going to and from the sidewalk to the car required a lot of ducking or getting hit in the head.

We provided IDs and car information prior to arrival so our check-in was just an email letting us know that our key (singular even though there were two of us) would be in the room and the room would be unlocked; which is a little disconcerting because what if something taken or removed prior to our arrival.

The room was clean and the soaking tub and shower were great (and the whole reason we got the room in the first place).

There were several small issues though: the doors stuck and were difficult to open; the LED candles didn't work; all the windows except one had opaque plastic bolted over them; the window that wasn't covered had a view of a trailer; the main light and night light in the bathroom room didn't work; there was no body wash or shampoo in the dispenser in the shower; the room number was printed onto the key which is a safety concern; and when the air conditioner was turned on it was set to heat and there was a horrible smell.

In the morning, as we were taking some stuff to the car, the owner came out and asked how our stay was. We said it was good but she should know that the bathroom light was out; the air conditioner made a horrible smell so she might want to clean it or run the heat on it a while to burn off the dust; and suggested she might want to move or somehow hide the trailer because it ruined the view.

At this point things with the stay went from somewhat okay to rather disappointing. The Owner went into the room (while we still had stuff in there) to verify the light was out. Told us she had intentionally turned the air conditioner to heat because she thought we would use the "fireplace" (which is really just a pretty space heater and one has nothing to do with the other except that we were previously informed that you cannot run both at the same time [which we didn't] and had she actually thought we would use the heat setting on the air conditioner then why didn't she run it to burn off the dust beforehand). Then she got defensive about our opinion that her trailer that was centered in the only unblocked window wasn't view. She argued that there was a bunch of green all around it so it was fine (customer service tip: when you don't like your customers opinion thank them for sharing their thoughts and say you will keep it in mind because it allows you to blow them off while making them feel heard as opposed to arguing with them about something subjective).

Then for check out we were just supposed to leave the key in the room with the door unlocked; which again was disconcerting.

We will not be staying there again.