Rippon Kinsella House

Dear person reading this, do not go if you want to have a good time on vacation I was told I was gonna get a great hotel but instead mold, greasy floors and pipes leaking from the roof so do not go.

My fiance and I took a relaxing getaway trip to Springfield over the weekend. Springfield was wonderful and staying at the Rippon-Kinsella was icing on the cake!

When we arrived Roger, the innkeeper, was gardening in the yard, which is beautiful with large trees, lots of flowers, a brick patio, and a little fountain. He quickly stopped what he was doing and gave us a tour of the house, showed us to our room, and brought us each a cold drink. Over the weekend, we got to chat with Roger and his partner Dave during breakfast. We even ran into them at another property they own, which they graciously gave us a tour of.

Now onto the first "B" for "bed"
My fiance's not into the "antique" and "victorian charm" style that I love, but even he had to agree that the house was beautiful, comfortable, and clean. We stayed in the Captain's Quarters which was spacious, decorated in a nautical theme, with lots of natural sunlight. The queen-sized bed was comfortable and the linens are super soft, I slept like a baby!

Now onto the second 'B', breakfast!
Roger is a great cook and he served us a delicious and filling breakfast each morning. We had pancakes with scrambled eggs one day and a biscuit with cheese omelet the next, both were accompanied by cinnamon raisin cake/muffin, yogurt parfait, sausages, and plenty of fresh fruit.

The house itself is in a beautiful and quiet treelined neighborhood and conveniently located. Common areas include a den with a mini library and bar, living room, dining room, a large wraparound porch, and a foyer with a piano. It's walking distance from Lincoln's Tomb and the War Memorials, and only a short drive from downtown Springfield (Lincoln sites & museum, Frank Lloyd Wright's Dana-Thomas House, etc.).

The Rippon-Kinsella is a true labor of love for Roger and Dave and they were wonderful hosts!

I've stayed at my fair share of Bed & Breakfasts and frankly I am surprised at all of the great reviews here as well as across other ranking platforms (FB, TripAdvisor, etc.). The innkeepers are a bit quirky but friendly enough but politeness does not a nice b&b make. This place is DISGUSTING.

My husband and I had made a reservation for the Captains Quarters (which is I assume the best room in the place) but upon our arrival we were told by the owner that he didn't know we were coming, he must have not checked or something, and gave our reservation away. Awesome. So he took us to the Campaign Room which at first glance was just as quirky as the rest of the house. We grabbed the keys and left for our dinner reservation.

When we got back to the room later that evening we were able to really see what we were in for. Hair in the sink, cobwebs in the corners, dust on all of the tables, the alarm clock snooze button looks like it's never been cleaned, someone's back of an earring on the floor so clearly it wasn't vacuumed recently and it smells like an old wet basement. I get it's an old building which is actually really awesome and one of the reasons it attracted us, but it is blatantly obvious it's not been cared for or maintained. And as far as comfort/amenities: the pillows/linens are worn and thin, the bed is probably as old as the building which creaks and sounds like someone is chopping wood every time they move, there is single-ply TP (an odd complaint I know but it's still worth noting), we weren't sure if the half-used toiletries on the sink were for us or were left by the last guest, and the cherry atop this wonderful stay is the BRIGHT RED NEON EXIT SIGN strategically placed in the little window over the door. So even with all the lights off, your room is illuminated all. night. long. Not wanting to be put out at 11:30 at night we suffered through it, paid, and left before breakfast.

If comfort and cleanliness are a priority to you, stay somewhere else.

This really is the antidote to charmless, soulless chain hotels and motels. The house and gardens are charming as was our room and our hosts.
Whether you are lucky enough to eat breakfast on the charming verandah or the atmospheric dining room Roger will ensure that you leave for the day's sightseeing with a full stomach and his partner Dave is a source of excellent local information.
It is a little out of town on a quiet street but the walk to the main attractions is down charming tree lined streets and gives you a chance to walk off the that breakfast.

This is a fraudulent and dangerous "business." Please read the other negative reviews and stay away.

I planned a 3-day vacation with my 11-year-old over spring break and booked 2 nights at the Rippon-Kinsella House. The online reviews looked good overall but, as I was in a rush, I didn't check the negatives one carefully - a big mistake.

We arrived early afternoon and was greeted by the owner - who seemed a bit disheveled and somewhat "out of it," but was friendly enough.. After a brief tour of the house - which consisted of a quick walkthrough of the 1st floor and a request not to go into the "private" kitchen - he offered us a free upgrade to the most expensive room, since no one else was staying at the house.

The place looked quite different from the pictures online - much more cluttered, dingy and not very clean, with stained carpets and a strong smell of pets and other odors. I also noticed a garbage can overflowing with beer cans when I parked in back, but hoped it was just an accumulation for recycling - trying to stay positive since their refund policy is 48 hours notice and not wanting to jump to conclusions or alarm my child.

My daughter & I went out for a late lunch and sightseeing, then returned to the house around 5:00 for a quick nap before dinner since it was a long drive to Springfield. We inadvertently slept until 8:30, so decided to stay in and have some snacks we brought with us. I went downstairs to see if the "nightly wine and cheese" was still available, and to get a soft drink for my daughter. To my surprise, the house was completely dark, and the owner was nowhere to be found, despite my calling out and even knocking on doors. Wanting to respect the owner's kitchen rules, I drove to the local store for some pop and bottled water, a bit frustrated since I've never had a B&B owner go out in the evening when guests are booked - and, frankly, never been asked not to use the kitchen.

Since the store did not sell cold drinks, I need glasses & ice when I returned. I called out again, but the house was still empty. With no choice, I went into the kitchen and got quite a shock. Like the rest of the house, it was cluttered, dingy, and unclean - dishes laying about, a mop in fetid water in the sink (!), the fridge crammed and smelly and - worst of all - a LOT of liquor bottles everywhere. My "mom alarm" went off big time and I decided not to stay a second night. I left the owner a note that we would not need breakfast, and intended to speak to him in the morning and hopefully get a refund for the second night.

I went back to my room to watch some Netflix with my daughter. Unfortunately, their Internet needed a password, so we couldn't use that. Ditto for cable - we turned on the T.V. to get a message that the network was not connected. There were also other irritants - the room was stuffy but the windows were painted shut, there was no water pressure, and, believe it or not, no blanket on the bed - just mismatched, dingy sheets under the bedspread. Once again I looked for the owners, then gave up and turned in for the night.

Around 7:30 the next morning I went downstairs to talk to the owner. My note was gone but the house was empty and quiet - no coffee or fruit laid out, no one answering my calling out and knocking on doors. I went back upstairs to pack and shower (we only got one in because the hot water ran out), then went downstairs to look for the owner again at around 8:30. Still no one was responded. We waited until 9:00, then decided to go for coffee in town, and call the owner later.

After getting coffee, I decided to try to reach the owner. That's when I realized I left my brand new iPhone in the room, charging. We went directly back to the house, but my phone was gone. As I was leaving the room, the owner came out of the one across the hall - accusing me of "sneaking off in the middle of the night" and refusing to give me my phone until I paid in full for both nights. Apparently, there was a problem with my credit card, which he had tried to put through.

He was pretty irate, so at first I tried to calm him down. I told him I had no problem paying him for the one night, but did not want to pay for the second night because I didn't feel the place was remotely as advertised. At this point another man came out of the bedroom where the owner had been, swearing and being very belligerent. I had no idea there were two men in the house, realized they both were "coming down" from liquor or some other substance, and began to feel very unsafe. I also realized the credit card I had used to reserve the room a month earlier had been cancelled by my husband the previous week because he lost his card. I explained this to both men, apologized profusely (I was afraid of them at this point) and offered them a check. They refused to take it, saying "it was probably bad," and insisting I give them another credit card.

The only other card I had was my debit card, which I was hardly going to

I have never written a negative review before but I must this time. The Rippon- Kinsella House looks nice on the outside, but the random flea market pictures that covered the walls of our room made for a bizarre interior. That I could tolerate, but the shower had so little water pressure it was hard to rinse soap off and impossible to wash hair. One of the inn keepers tried to fix it, but when he couldn't he insisted nothing was wrong with it. When I disagreed he had a temper tantrum -throwing down a towel, stomping out of the room and slamming the door HARD. Which left us feeling very uncomfortable, even unsafe - Old victorian houses can change from charming to creepy quickly after a display like that!!

Even tho all 6 guests were attending the same conference in the morning which started at 8:30, the innkeepers would not serve breakfast before 8 so none of us got a hot breakfast. My friend and I got fruit, some stale pound cake and 2 small bottles of water in a used paper bag.

Over the years I have probably stayed at 75 B&Bs and although some are quirky, the innkeepers care and try hard to assure their guests have a pleasant stay. The innkeepers at the Rippon-Kinsella House did not even try to be hospitable! One of them didn't even attempt to disguise his hostility. They need to find another line of work. They are way beyond innkeeper burnout!

Photos of the property must have been taken many, many years ago. The outside needs a lot of work...broken fence, weeds instead of grass, power cords, ladders, tarp on roof....and that is just the beginning. Going inside, the first thing you get is an odor. You do expect that with antiques but, this is over the line. The entire place needs a deep clean, the carpet on the stairs is no longer white/tan, the light switches are grimy, toiletries in the bathroom have been reused multiple times, reused and stained paper cups on the sink, old and thread bare towels...just to name a few. We were told to park on the street even though the website said off-street parking and the AC window unit was in dire need of replacement. We didn't stay, there was no way we would have been able to sleep. When looking for a place in Springfield, think twice about staying here.

We went for a visit to see Springfield and thought it would be fun to try a B&B we were to have a big room but they asked us to take the small maids room since they had booked someone else that changed to two night and our room would not be available both night. The maids room was the pits very small and the bathroom shower did not work right and the pressure was bad we told them about it they acted surprise like it never happen but I read were other people had told them.

We said no pork for breakfast and they gave us pork. They had a dog they owned and it barked all night and they would not do anything about it. In short with out listing other reasons I did not enjoy it I would tell everyone not to go there

This is the place that gives bed and breakfasts a bad reputation. Beware! Do not make a reservation to stay at the Rippon-Kinsella House in Springfield, IL. Upon arrival, there were red flags everywhere. We were told to park on the street even though "lighted off-street parking" was listed on their Web site. The room had an overwhelming smell of MOLD. According to the Web site, "The entire house has air conditioning." It might HAVE air conditioning, but it does not FUNCTION to cool the room. It was a beautiful day outside, yet the room was unbearably hot. There was one portable fan running in the room; we asked for a second fan. Roger, the innkeeper, attempted to plug the fan into three different outlets in the room - none of the outlets worked. Overall, the house was unclean, not maintained, and generally disgusting. After being inside the house for less than ten minutes, we informed Roger that we would not be staying. He immediately started yelling, "You still have to pay me." We made it quite clear that we would not be paying for such unfit conditions. He referenced the cancellation policy. We met our part of the deal by showing up to check-in. He did not meet his part of the deal which would be to provide a room that would meet basic, minimum standards for cleanliness and safety. Of course, he charged our credit card as soon as we walked out the door. This is NOT a reputable business. This is a SCAM. I had wanted an interesting place to stay for one night of our vacation instead of staying in a chain hotel - I did not want this kind of "interesting." Stay away! Stay away! Stay away!

Absolutely stay anywhere else. This property is nothing as it appears of their website. We thought we arrived at the wrong place. The property is filthy and not maintained inside or out. The rear of the property where the "off street" parking is located is piled with trash, broken furniture and toys and other rubbish. The innkeeper met us at the door and we were overwhelmed by the musty smell inside. The house is dark and the innkeeper gave us a quick tour and we entered each room, he turned the lights off. This house has not been cleaned in quite some time. The innkeeper then showed us to our room. The bedding was old and stained, the sheets were old, yellowed and had not seen a washing machine in a very long time. It collectively smelled horrible. The bathroom was dated, and dirty. There were only two small reused bottles of toiletries labeled "WASH" and "conditioner" each contained about a tablespoon of some liquid. The towels were ragged. I found the innkeeper and advised his we needed to return home, and he quickly snapped that he needed to charge me for the room. I gladly paid $118 to get out of there. We spent a total of no more than 15 minutes as a guest at the Rippon Kinsella House which is more time than anyone should spend there. Please carefully read all of the available reviews.