I brought my family to Baltimore and wanted to stay at a moderately priced hotel that was close to downtowm. We picked Mt. Vernon because it looked like it had character and charm. We knew it wasn't new, but that's OK.

What we didn't expect was the roach problem in our rom that completely
spooked my wife and kids. We counted at least six different roaches. When we complained they told us to write a letter to the ownership (which we did and got no response).

And using the bathrooms were quite an experience. We had some sewage backup when we arrived and asked for a change of room. They refused that request and instead sent up a third-rate maintenence man. He roto-rootered the prblem out, but it left the room smelling very bad. Later that evening the same problem re-surfaced. Again we complained and asked for a change of rooms and again they refused. I asked to speak with the manager and was told he was busy and to check back in the next day. I asked to make an appointment with him and he laughed and saif that wasn't possible.

We were more or less assigned to this hotel as part of a soccer tournament.... I had read previous negative reviews and hoped they were not accurate. I was wrong! We actually checked in to learn that our "loft" room had no beds in the loft...in fact the sleeping loft was empty. A bedside light had no bulb and when we asked for one, the man who was to bring it asked to check the lamp himself. Carpets were dirty, beds were saggy and the total atmosphere was dismal almost frightening. They had no other room with the correct number of beds that they could offer us...but staying was not what we wanted to do.
The only good thing was that we had no problem finding another hotel and the front desk did not hassle us about leaving. Assured us that our credit card would not be charged. We were not the only family who left so perhaps they are used to this.

My wife and I Stayed at the Mount Vernon many times and the staff always made us feel welcome. The hotel is currently doing some major renovation and so far as made a tremendous effort to upgrade. I talked with the front desk person and was told renovation should be done by spring 2008, New carpets, new bathrooms with granite etc...We will definitly return...It's a great location......

The Mount Vernon has a lot of potential, and I'm sure it was great about 30 years ago. The building has a lot of historic architectural elements. But it has not aged well recently. The carpets are stained and dirty looking, the bathrooms are in need of replacement, the furniture is an afterthought. The linens and towels were "one star hotel" quality. They are doing renovations. Maybe it'll be great by 2008. But I'm not planning on coming back to find out.

Really what you're getting is a hostel with a private room for $100/night. There are lots of young people drinking coffee, studying, and working on their laptops in the lobby until late at night.

There is no parking at the hotel, but there is an unsecured parking garage across the street for $10/night.

The location is great. There are art galleries, museums, monuments, coffee houses, restaurants, and bars nearby. It is a long walk to downtown or the convention center, but it is walkable. (better than driving and paying for parking twice). And it is considerably cheaper than the places along the harbor. I just expected a little more for $100/night.

My wife complained about the lack of TV stations to choose from. They have Showtime, but not much else.

The free breakfast was average for hotels I've stayed at recently. There is free WiFi.