Scotlaur Inn Bed & Breakfast

My family came from New Jersey and Virginia Beach and the surrounding area of Annapolis, MD. We chose the Scotlaur Inn based on reviews we saw on Unilocal.We gathered to spend time together for Thanksgiving 2015. We had an awesome time. The place is so cool. The rooms are furnished with everything you’d need. I don’t think we ever turned on the TV. We had too much fun eating in the Deli Downstairs. The food is awesome. Amazing burgers. Breakfast is great. Crab Cakes are to die for. Coffee is excellent. I can’t say anything bad about the place. The owners is totally cool. Every morning all the diners in attendance stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance together. If you happen to be there during someone’s birthday in the restaurant… everyone, and I mean Everyone in the restaurant sings Happy birthday. The location is the best… you can walk to anywhere. I cannot say enough positive things about this Inn.

Man, I LOVED the Scotlaur Inn. Just absolutely loved it. Positively, absolutely loved it.
It all started about a year ago when I made my first trip to Annapolis. Of course, based on Unilocal and hearsay, we made a stop at Chick and Ruth’s. While passing in, my eye caught sight of the B&B upstairs. «What an awesome location,» I thought. A few trips later, I had to find a pick a place to stay, so why not?
The website was simple and helpful. I had a question about parking, so I called, and they gave me a quick, courteous answer (they give you a ½ price coupon card for parking when you check in, which you insert when you leave the lot behind their building, and they will give you as many as you need for each time you pull out of the lot).
We arrived in Annapolis at around 11 the day we were supposed to check in at 3. There was an option to check in early, but we were in no rush. We got a bite to eat (Iron Rooster is awesome!), checked out some stores, then headed back. You get your key at the checkout line for Chick and Ruth’s, when one of the waiters shows you to and around your room.
The rooms are small but cozy and clean. Heat/​AC is easily controlled by a fancy remote console. To my surprise, the room also had a TV, which I couldn’t see in the Unilocal pictures, but was much appreciated for movies later that night.
I suppose my favorite part of the whole experience, and why I will Scotlaur such a stellar review was the whole ambience was EXACTLY what I want in a downtown B&B. AWESOME location. SUPER competitive price (I think the cheapest downtown). Great room. Plus, and I didn’t even consider this as I checked in, I LOVED having a full-​service restaurant downstairs. At one point, we were thirsty and wanted sodas. Instead of having to get dressed for the weather outside and walk to CVS (which is admittedly not too far), I could simply mosey downstairs, go up to the cash register and get a couple fountain sodas! After that, my mind reeled at the possibilities! You’re telling me without stepping a foot outside, I can get almost anything from the most popular restaurant in Annapolis? We got milkshakes and pie later to enjoy later. If that’s not Heaven on earth, I don’t know what is.
We had dinner across the street at Preserve, and while it was only above average, you had your pick of any restaurant in Annapolis from this prime location.
The next morning, we got breakfast, which is included. My girlfriend got something off the specific B&B menu, but I opted to use the $ 5.50 credit they offer to get olives and cream cheese on toast with a side of chili and cheese potatoes. Plus, they threw in coffee, so with the side of bacon, we only paid for the bacon and tip! Very family-​friendly, classic diner feel. I was incredibly reluctant to leave after that meal… they were also extremely flexible about the 11 AM check-​out time.
Literally, my only complaint was the towels could use some fabric softener. That’s it! My sole complaint! I would recommend the Scotlaur Inn to anybody I know planning a trip to Naptown!

Menu is ridiculous. Food is gross. Service is slow.
I had the chicken wrap sandwich. It was so bland. I swear they boiled the chicken and threw it in the wrap without even considering seasoning or flavor.

I am updating my review because Ted was kind enough to reply and mention that he is making updates and addressing some of my concerns. I am hoping that his improvements will bode well for his business. I cannot say that I have been back to see any of these first-​hand, but, I appreciate his feedback and willingness to improve. Best of luck to Ted and his inn!

PROS:
Location is incredible
Great balcony for relaxing
Room is surprisingly quiet
Rooms are clean
Tons of pictures on the wall of the Levitt family is surprisingly charming
We had an apple fritter in the deli that was the best one I’ve ever had
Teddy (proprietor) seemed very nice in the 2 minutes I talked to him when I checked out. He seemed genuinely bummed to hear about our negative experience. I have no doubt that he really wants people to have a good, comfortable time.
CONS:
Deli does a huge business, so it is clear guests in the rooms are second priority. Proprietor is too busy with deli to interact with inn guests.
Incredibly surly staff (Bad experiences with Nick and Laurie)
No do not disturb signs for doors
When you ask for ice they dump it in the bucket without placing in a plastic bag. They also don’t rinse them out before dumping in the ice. Ours had some dirt in it that I neglected to rinse out because I assumed they would put a plastic bag in it.
Hallways are not air conditioned and hot as an attic in the summer
Check-​in procedure in the over capacity deli is very awkward (especially if you have bags)
The breakfast is mediocre. The deli is a quantity over quality business. Food isn’t great, but you get a ton of it.
Bed had a plastic cover to cover the blood on the mattress. It was uncomfortable and ripped. We asked Laurie if they could have it replaced. She gave us a really hard time and said that the staff had already come around. She never sent anyone up and we had to keep putting the cover on the bed the best we could.
Rooms smell a little like fried food.
Final note: For your entire stay, you will be treated like a patron at a busy NY deli and not a guest in a charming B&B.

The Scotlaur Inn, billing itself as a B&B is not your typical B&B. The hotel sits in the 2^nd and 3^rd floors of an old building smack dab in the middle of the action in Annapolis, right on Main Street. The hotel sits atop a very popular «Delly» restaurant. The restaurant is noisy and emits lots of great smells, but thankfully, we didn’t experience the noise or the smells in our room on the 3^rd floor.
Check-​in, right in the middle of lunch hour, was a bit of an issue. I waited about 15 minutes to check in, as the check-​in is done at the restaurant cashier, and many restaurant customers were lined up and ready to pay when we arrived. After finally getting our key, we were shown our room on the 3^rd floor. I didn’t notice any elevator and there are a lot of stairs to get to the floors above, so if you are not physically capable of negotiating several flights of stairs, you may want to look elsewhere.
Our room was… compact. The queen-​sized bed fit into the room, but there was no room for a desk. The TV was located in a wardrobe cabinet (we were missing a remote control and we had to «borrow» one from another room to use the cable/​TV). The sink was located in the room, separate from the bathroom (toilet and shower).
Our main issue with the room was the noise caused by our room’s window vibrating from teh vents from the neigboring restaurant’s roof. My wife managed to fix the problem by sticking a piece of paper in our room’s window and voila! No more rattling window.
This is an old property, so we expected rattles, creaks, etc. But once we fixed the window the room was actually very quiet, even though it was right on Main Street.
I found the bed to be comfortable. The breakfast part of staying at the hotel includes a meal in the «Delly» restaurant on the first floor. The hotel offers six set meals from which to choose, but if you want, you could eat anything on their menu and the hotel deducts a flat amount from the check (per person) to help pay for whatever you chose. The crabcakes smelled so good, I decided to have a crabcake omelet for breakfast. It was delicious. My wife ordered a fresh fruit cup. The cup was huge, and the fruit really was fresh. The restaurant has literally over 100 different items, not including many cakes, muffins, pies, etc.
Parking is tough in Annapolis, but the hotel covers half of your parking costs from the public lot located right behind the hotel. One night of parking costs $ 20, but the hotel’s voucher saved us $ 10. Not too shabby.
So, the hotel is not for everyone, but we had an enjoyable stay. If you’re looking for a newer hotel and/​or great customer service, you may not be happy. But we found the place to be quirky and historic (including family photos mounted on many of the hotel passageway walls). The location, right on Main St. is great, and is a short walk from the US Naval Academy, the State House and other areas of interest near the center of Annapolis.

I had a very pleasant stay here! The room I stayed in is beautifully decorated and I felt very comfortable even though it is a petite size room. The staff working here are very friendly. They took good care of my needs and recognized me while I was walking in downtown. I would definitely recommend this place to my friends if they ever need to find a place to stay in Annapolis.

Delightful. This place is perfectly located, right in the heart of downtown Annapolis and up the street from the harbor. The rates are affordable. Those things alone would be reason to recommend it, but it’s also a great experience. The inn is located above Chick & Ruth’s, an old school diner with everything on the menu. Free breakfast at the diner is included with the room, which you can take advantage of whenever you come down — a big perk for those of us who don’t like getting up early enough to take advantage of most hotel breakfasts, and saved us ever paying for lunch while we were there. You also get to skip the line that forms on weekends. The room was cute, comfortable, and came with a teddy bear.

I spent a couple of nights at the Scotlaur Bnb several weeks ago and generally have only positive things to say. The place is a bit cuckoo, but I suppose that’s part of the charm. To check in, you go down to the diner that is owned by the same proprietors. From there, one of the waiters takes you up to your room on the several floors above. Rooms are adequately sized, simple, basic, and traditionally appointed. Furnishings, linens, etc. were quite clean, if a bit dated. The bathroom was petite, but does the trick. Everything about the place was just fine. The only thing that did disappoint a bit was the lingering scent of butter and cooking oils that emanated up from the first-​floor diner. I’m not too big a fan of smelling like bacon, and that’s a bit difficult to do when the air circulation seems to pick up some of downstairs’ cooking.
Nevertheless, I had a good stay at Scotlaur: it’s a simple, economical, and centrally-​located spot to stay in during a visit to Annapolis.

I used to frequent Chic & Ruth’s since the early 80s (until I relocated to the Midwest in the late 90s) and I never had the need for the Scotlaur when I was living in the area. My wife and I needed a place to stay this month since my parents relocated to a nursing home, and after looking at various places in the area we decided to give the Scotlaur a chance for a couple reasons (pricing, location).
We’ve been to B&Bs around the country, Canada, and Europe, and we have stayed in many hotels (high and low) over the years because we love traveling. Most B&Bs don’t do it for us because they’re typically pretentious, lack in genuine customer service and/​or charm, and charge more than what they’re worth. So, we didn’t have much in terms of expectations when we booked at the Scotlaur Inn.
In short, we were pleasantly blown away by our experience. You definitely get that warm and caring charm that is characteristic of good B&Bs without annoying staff or their superficial customer-​service front. Nick showed us to our room and gave us the run down, and the next morning we met him while eating breakfast (the crabcake eggs benedict is a MUST; I’m extremely picky when it comes to eggs benedict and haven’t found a good one in many, many years… until now). I’m not a doughnut person, yet the doughnuts at the Delly were phenomenal. We had fresh towels and turn-​down service offered daily.
The room (301) looked much better in person than the online photo, and I did notice another room (304) that also looked really good. I think we got the biggest room, but would have been okay with one of the smaller rooms as we’re a bit on the low-​maintenance side of traveling. We had a minor issue with the heating unit in our room (we forgot how to engage the heat setting and as a result we had cold air), and Teddy didn’t hesitate to come to our assistance early Christmas morning. He was very accommodating, offering another room should our room not be adequately heated (but he figured it out and it was quite warm and comforting).
We highly recommend the Scotlaur Inn without reservation. Experienced travelers will absolutely love this gem. Although it’s not a high-​end B&B, the Scotlaur Inn succeeds in making guests feel comfortable. The pricing is reasonable, especially in comparison to several hotels (both downtown and in West Annapolis). We’re definitely booking a room the next time we’re in town.

The dirty, grimy carpets are absolutely disgusting. Inexcusable in this price bracket.
On weekends, you may as well spend the evening next door at the dance club, since you’ll hear nothing but pounding bass lines and drunk patrons anyway. Not a quiet place till after the bar/​club closes.
Honestly, it is too bad, as the staff are very friendly.

This place is certainly the best bang for the buck in the Main St. area. It is a historic building, with private bathrooms A/​C & in every room, which are serviced by the cleaning staff daily. The managers of the B&B/restaurant are incredibly welcoming & friendly. The food and service at Chick & Ruth’s was great. The location is prime, you can walk to just about anywhere in downtown Annapolis. I would recommend this place to anyone. This is a Bed and Breakfast, if you are looking for all of the amenities of a 5 star hotel, then book a 5 star hotel. If you are looking for a friendly, clean, and cozy place to stay in the heart of everything this place is for you.

AMAZING!
I had the pleasure of staying at the Scotlaur Inn above Chick & Ruth’s in Annapolis. I wasn’t sure what to expect at first. Chick & Ruth’s is an amazing deli/​diner/​restaurant in Annapolis that you can’t miss. I just wasn’t sure if the service was going to match with a B&B.
Upon check-​in I was greeted by a manager and shown around by one of the servers. They both did a great job of making me feel at home and welcoming me. Throughout the stay the entire staff recognized me and welcomed me. I have to say, they went above and beyond making sure my wifi connection worked too. That made me feel special that they closed the loop and went the extra mile.
Breakfast is included with your stay… which is GREAT! The food at Chick & Ruth’s is great, so that is truly an added bonus.
Overall, this is a great place to stay. I used to work in higher-​end hotels and can be a picky guest. I can say that the Scotlaur Inn is a treasure in Annapolis. It’s just difficult to get a reservation I am sure… it’s that good!

We spent Easter weekend here on a mini-​honeymoon for two nights and thought it was great.
Perks:
Convenience-​Not having to worry about driving back and forth from a chain hotel elsewhere in Annapolis was a huge plus! We loved being able to go out and enjoy dinner, dancing, and a few drinks without paying for a cab or having to designate one of us as a DD.
Parking: They give you stickers to reduce the price of parking in the Noah Hillman garage by half.
Check in: We were able to easily check in a little before midnight late Friday night before the delly closed.
Breakfast: You get a complimentary breakfast or up to $ 5.50 off your breakfast/​brunch there, and I didn’t see any time limits. Breakfast is served at all times in addition to other standard delly foods.
Cost: Much cheaper than other area B&B’s and the Mariott down the street.
Character: This place is a local legend and exudes quirky character. The daily pledge of allegiance, the colossal Man versus Food challenge menu items, the décor of the delly, the homeyness of the guest rooms (looks like my grandma’s guest rooms when I was little), and the overall mood gives you a smile and a chuckle.
Cons:
The delly is busy all the time… Seriously, it stays packed with people in and out. If you’re an anxiety ridden person or uncomfortable with crowds, you might not like entering/​leaving.
Stairs: There were many. I didn’t see a wheelchair or handicapped accessible area, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have it. I just know that if I brought my grandmother or mother, they would not appreciate all the steep stairways.
Tiny: Large people do not even need to attempt trying to get a table at the delly (They pair several two person tables next to one another/​back to back, usually separated by about 12−18inches.) The shower was small and allowed you to only stand up straight, impossible for you to shave your legs. I tried, I failed. Also room 202 was tiny, but we expected that coming in. Therefore we weren’t disappointed. For those with kids, you may want to book a larger room with space for your playpen.
For those expecting modern décor, this is not the place for you. We loved the old timey character, but it’s very much like your grandmother’s house.
All in all we had a great experience and will be back again.

Read the negative reviews on tripadvisor, see the pissy replies from the sub-​literate owner, and then notice how the poor spelling carries across to the 5-​star reviews (by alleged guests with only one contribution to tripadvisor – if you’re going to write fakes, you have to do better than that).
It’s filthy, it’s just a few rooms above a greasy diner, you have to check in at the diner as people are trying to pay for their eggs and coffee, it’s overpriced, the décor is awful…

My goodness. This place is pretty much the most charming thing. My boyfriend and I came into Annapolis for the annual croquet match and this place was perfect. Located in the central part of Annapolis, this bed and breakfast represented the wonderful quaintness of the city. Let me count the ways:
1. It is above a pretty damn good diner/“delly“
2. The name: Scotlaur Inn, after Scott and Laura, who are Chick and Ruth’s grandchildren (ADORABLE)
3. The rooms are so homey and warm, each with distinct charm
4. Private bathroom, wireless internet and television
5. The family photos that adorn the walls of the hallway just make your heart melt.
On a side note, the only thing that was strange was the collection of books on the bookshelves. For some reason, our room (304) had a lot of books on euthanasia. Other than that, it was the perfect experience in Annapolis.
Sure, you could stay down the street at the historic Maryland Inn. However, I prefer the less expensive, more homey quality of the Scotlaur Inn.