Graduate New Haven

Most people with any experience of The Duncan will tell you it is dated and shabby. Well, it is dated; but that is the charm. For under $100, I got a suite - a bed area and a sofa area. The furniture must have been 50s, maybe 60s, (maybe 40s.) It gave the sense of how a hotel would have felt around the time I was born. This bothers some people. Me, I loved it. Everything was spotless, everything worked - including the hand-operated elevator. To top it all, when my taxi didn't show, the manager asked a member of staff to run me to the station. Yet, for those who appreciate something different, this experience may soon disappear. The property has been sold to a hotel chain and what their plans are is not known to me. They may upgrade the existing hotel, in which case it will be just marvellous. Or they may convert it into a production-line 'boutique hotel', which would be a tragedy. Long live the old Duncan!

This hotel was likely once a wonderful place to stay, at least maybe when it was built in 1894. Today, the hotel is less than no frills. The elevator does not operate until after 8 a.m. It is in deteriorating condition. It was suitable for a one night stay, barely. There was a mouse trap in my room. The air conditioning barely worked. The carpet felt like a scouring pad. There is running water, and they do give complementary bars of soap. Overall, this was a bad choice of places to stay.

Let start with the positives.... Yes, this is not a chain hotel and the entrance lobby and elevator are original and pleasant (though not Wow!!). The staff were polite. The hotel advertises itself as being the cheapest in New Haven. If this is the case, you should count the cost of cheapness.... The only complimentary item was a very thin bar of soap which broke on first use. So, no complimentary breakfast, toiletries, tea or coffee (or the means to make them - though our rooms did have a fridge and microwave; but only flimsy plastic cups that you couldn't have used in said microwave). The rooms (described as "city view", which meant unattractive roof tops) were functional and not very big; carpets especially obviously fairly ancient and "used". The beds were relatively comfortable, but what is the point of a bed if there is a noise like building works outside your window ALL night. It was loud, constant and prevented me from sleeping, though - to be scrupulously fair - my husband, who travels a lot and had his own earplugs (none provided by hotel), slept ok. The man on the desk said it was the exhaust system for the car park next door - so I accept not directly the hotel's fault, but I don't pay to not sleep next to a noisy garage, with no warning, ear plugs, attempt to do anything about it. No plug in one of the bathroom sinks - though they said they would rectify this - and out toilet blocked for no obvious reason. I wouldn't ever go back to this hotel.

Unfortunately this hotel is going to close for refurbishment, which will mean the loss of a reasonably-priced idiosyncratic place with lots of character for the sake of yet another expensive boutique hotel. The rooms aren't brilliant, rundown, but they have all the basics. What isn't there you can ask the staff for and they'll provide. The big plus is the quaintness of the place. Like the 100 year old lift, the oldest hand operated lift in the area, which has a tendency to get stuck, but is something from a bygone era and should definitely have a conservation order on it. The lobby is an old-fashioned tiled area with old photographs and the feel of a 1950s film set. The staff are amazing - helpful, chatty, informative. There's no restaurant, but ample provision round about. It's a couple of blocks from the shuttle to the train station, and handy for university and all amenities. There's free wifi, but it doesn't seem to work in the bedrooms. You have only a couple of months left to stay here before it shuts down and this gem is lost forever.

When I read the reviews as "old hotel" I didn't mind because "old " sometimes has its own charm but when I entered my room the smell is like an infirmary center - its like an old hospital, being sanitized. I agree that its not for everyone. the smell scared me imagining weird things like this could have been an old hospital decade ago. However, I must say that the hotel is clean but noisy aircon at night and the TV is the oldest, imagine the black and white days era.

Walking into the Duncan was like stepping back in time. I found the old school decor and furniture quite charming. The staff was very friendly, the room and all other areas clean and everything working like it should. Having said that, it's certainly not a luxury hotel but I wouldn't let that stop me from staying there again.

Fantastic location, easy walk to everything: Yale campus, galleries, restaurants, bookshops. Good value for money in expensive downtown New Haven. Property has authentic old-world charm (it's not retro - it's original) so don't expect things to be new. That said, room was a generous size and everything was perfectly functional. I enjoyed the original furniture and fittings (but this is not to everyone's taste). Two witty gentlemen at reception desk. Negatives: No kettle for tea / coffee (esp since there is no breakfast available). Aircon was noisy at night. The original lift has an operator and doesn't function after 11pm at night, it's not a tall building though, I didn't mind walking up the stairs but if this bothers you request a room on the lower floors.

The longer you stay at the Duncan Hotel, the more you feel that you are part of a sitcom about an aging hotel and its personnel and guests. First, the good: The Duncan is located on the edge of Yale's campus, a half block from the School of Architecture and a ten-minute walk to the Beinecke Library, and It sits on a street loaded with restaurants. In short, it's ideal for anyone who has business at Yale but no car. The rooms are clean, comfortable, and huge (in fact, I had a two-room suite, sort of). The management was friendly, and the price was better than that of any other New Haven hotel that I checked. Next, the curious: The rooms are hilariously outmoded, with old wall-to-wall carpeting, a mish-mash of furniture, and a television that is older than anything I've seen recently except the bathroom fixtures. There's a distinct odor of mothballs. The bottom line: would I stay there again? Yes: it's clean, convenient, and reasonably priced. Just prepare for the time warp.

I love old hotels. We came into this place for the Yale Graduation and I felt I was on the set for Eugene O'Neil's play "Hughie." It also reminded me a bit of my stays at the wonderfully eccentric Chelsea Hotel in NYC. The trappings are old school, there is an antique elevator--with a crank--the desk clerks are from central casting--not some perky-happy talk youngsters--but big, friendly guys--who have been around the block, and give it to you, straight-- no chaser. All the staff was helpful--and they had a desk in the room that faced Chapel Street--where I did some writing. The room is clean and basic--and you can't beat the price. I have written a few poems about the Chelsea-- I may write a few about the Duncan.