I recently was in Mattoon, IL on business and the usual chain hotels were fully booked. The McGrady was available and for less than I usually pay. Rolling the dice on an unknown isn't always easy for someone who spends over 100 nights a year in Hilton's and Marriotts. This was a dice roll that paid off. The innkeepers Adam and Karen were super helpful and friendly. Adam even showed me some of their pictures of the building from back in the early 1900's. This place is spotlessly clean and the AC is adjustable in each room. Everything is comfortable and welcoming. This building was a United Brethren church and then a United Methodist Church. There is stained glass and beautiful wood floors. It is an architectural gem. The only detracting is the narrow staircase to get in the building, otherwise a perfect experience. I loved the peaceful and unhurried experience. I will be back! read more

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This place is terrific. So charming, so historical, so Charleston IL. Hostess is a dream.

Definitely relaxing. Karen was super sweet and nice. A lot of history. Some of the older furniture still is present in this B&B. It was nice having a full night to ourselves with no other renters. read more

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stay was great! clean, comfortable, and quiet. stayed 7/1/23 area was good. karen was an excellent host! read more

I would have loved to give this more stars. It's a B&B in a gorgeous renovated church and the inside is just amazing. Lots of the original interior was preserved, and our room was adorable. The managers or owners (not sure which) are super-sweet and welcoming. The place was quiet, in central Charleston, and parking was plentiful. But... Our room was listed as a two-room suite. And it turned out the two rooms are on two different levels. And there was a LADDER between the two rooms. And this was never mentioned on the website....anywhere. Nor was it mentioned in the confirmation email, etc. I had a sprained ankle and could not climb the ladder. My husband did it once and pointed out that the ladder was not connected to the floor, which isn't safe. He wasn't sure how this could have passed inspection. The only way, then, to travel between the bottom room (couches, TV) and the upstairs room (bedroom, bathroom) when I was in my nightgown was to get dressed, leave the bottom floor, lock the door behind me, go into the public space, go upstairs, unlock that door, and lock it behind me. Unacceptable. It's a hotel suite! I should be able to use both rooms of it without getting dressed! That said, if I'd been staying with my little nephews or something, I bet they would have really gotten a kick out of it. But you have to mention this on your website....really. The most they say is that their rooms aren't wheelchair-accessible. That doesn't cover it. Furthermore, there were a bunch of little annoyances that didn't match the ambience/management at all: -the "breakfast" part of the B&B was cold cereal and some muffins. Now when I heard muffins, I imagined something made in-house or brought in from a local bakery, not Otis Spunkmeyer wrapped in plastic. -there were no bedside lamps or even outlets near the sides of the bed. We had to keep the overhead light on to read, and we charged our phones in the bathroom. -speaking of the bathroom, it was gorgeous - huge with BIG bathtub, giant shower stall, stained-glass windows, antique furniture, the works. However, in the giant shower, there was no shelf or table to put my shampoo, etc. I had to put it on the floor, which might have been sort of okay except that the drain was clogged, so my bottles kept floating away in the ankle-deep water. This would be an easy four-star review except for the freaking ladder. read more

I stayed two nights in the McGrady Inn and it was great! It was immaculate and well furnished, from the queen size beds, to the common areas. Breakfast was similar to continental with muffins, instant oatmeal, orange juice, milk, dairy alternatives, yogurt and coffee. It is not handicapped accessible. I would stay again if I visit Charleston Illinois. read more

Where do I begin?? My boyfriend and I wanted to do something special for Valentines since we are long-distance, so we happened upon McGrady Inn as a half-way point. Pros: It's so homey! And beautiful! It's a lovely renovated church with amazing stain glass windows and a big open floor plan. While we were there, there was only 1 other couple who was out all night so we essentially had the entire place to ourselves. Others made comments about the lack of professional staff- but honestly that added to our stay. We were free to put on music and dance about the big wood stage-type area upstairs, drink wine on the couches and near the fireplace, and our room was perfect- such a cute bathroom! Cons: Don't expect a bed and breakfast in the general sense- it's a "help-yourself" style breakfast with cereals, bananas, coffee/hot coco/tea, & milk/juices in the fridge. Bottom line- that wasn't even a con for us. If you are more high-end or looking to be served per se, this won't be for you. If you want a cozy, lovely, QUIET, get away, this amazing. And we kept commenting how cool it would be to get a lot of people to rent the entire place out! We hope to go back eventually time permitting! read more

In November of last year, my best friends son and daughter in law bought her and I an over night stay at the Inn in the Choir Loft upstairs. From what I gather they paid in advance and even paid for extra goodies for the room. Fast forward to February, when our reservation was. I drove an hour to meet my friend and we drove another hour to Charleston to stay the night there and do some pampering and just hanging out and having fun. We got about half-way there when her kids called her and told us that there were problems with the room. Apparently they'd allowed the people who had spent Friday night to go ahead and keep the room the next night. Bumping us out of the room. Not cool.... but they were going to make it right for us. Her kids drove over an hour to come down and try to fix the situation. But the owner wasn't there. They ended up giving us a room downstairs. The room downstairs turned out to be two rooms downstairs... we weren't even going to be able to be together unless we sat out in the lobby!!! The rooms we were offered were very small. Obviously small offices at one time. The owner couldn't even be there to talk to them, couldn't be bothered to come to the Inn to discuss things. We hung around for about an hour hoping something would be done... nothing was. So once again we called and told them we were leaving. Ended up in the Super 8 or something on the high way, hanging out and having just as much fun - but still would have been nice to be in the room that was paid for. I'm not even sure if they were given a refund on the room. I hope they were. Wish I knew what was going through their mind at the Inn. Seems like a nice place... never know I guess. read more

My first stay at the McGrady Inn surpassed my expectations! I travel every year to Charleston for the IL State Track Meet and all the hotels in the area fill up so quickly. I was able to get a room at the McGrady Inn a few months in advance for a competitive price and it's only 1 mile away from the track! Especially compared to other hotels in the area, you get a lot of value for your money and Karen and her husband are incredibly welcome and accommodating. Their personal touch gives the experience such a homey feel. The rooms are real nice and spacious, you get to jump on the free wi-fi, and the public dining area has lots of beverages and snacks! I will certainly plan on booking the McGrady Inn at first availability for my trip back to Charleston next May! read more

The McGrady Inn is a hidden gem. The Inn is immaculate and the rooms were extremely comfortable and clean! We selected this location to stay during Dad's Weekend at U of I. The drive to and from Champaign was not bad at all and I will definitely select this historic location again - it is a wonderful place. I cannot say enough about the owners - they went above and beyond to assist us during our stay. They were extremely responsive to all of our questions and even brought a bag left behind up to Champaign for us. They are wonderful people and you will not be disappointed if you select the McGrady Inn! Matt E. read more

We stayed here over the weekend for a wedding/reception. They were both held in the Inn. Absolutely beautiful! The rooms were perfect! Very clean, and comfortable! The building itself was a Church restored into an Inn! The woodwork and staind glass windows are stunning! Walking distance to down town Charleston. Highly recommended! We absolutely loved it! read more

I booked the whole Inn by reserving 3 rooms for my wedding party & family. I received confirmation and everything. Two months later I received a phone call and they stated they accidentally booked someone else (and their entire wedding & reception) at the Inn! I was really upset. I booked the rooms 5 months in advance of my wedding and thought that was adequate. Because of their mistake, I'm now searching for other lodging in the area (which is limited)! I had no choice and the owner cancelled my reservation! I'm disappointed with their poor customer service and professionalism. I guess it's all about money, when it comes down to it, not your word. read more

An absolutely beautiful facility. It isn't really a bed and breakfast, although there is a small kitchen where you can probably make your own breakfast. The room was clean and very nice. We spent some time in the large sitting areas on both the first floor and the balcony. We know there were others there but it was set up so that it seemed we had the place to ourselves. Would be a great place for a romantic getaway. Texted the owner for recommendations on places to eat, advice given was good. read more

A bed and breakfast this place is not. But a gorgeous Inn well worth the price is exactly what this is. My family and I rented out the entire Inn and we could not have had a better time. The rooms were all clean and well kept. The architecture of the church is beautiful and Mr. McGrady's collections are so interesting to look at. We really did enjoy our time here and we loved how peaceful it was to sit around the fire drinking tea. The manager was very lovely and helpful. Since I had read the yelp review and other reviews online, I knew not to expect what I would typically consider a "breakfast" to the bed and breakfast. I am glad I did not and I was not disappointed. My stay was wonderful and we would definitely stay there again if we are in the area. Thanks Mr. McGrady and Leah! read more

Made a reservation one year in advance and the inn called three weeks ahead to cancel. They had a large group that needed the room so we were just cancelled. read more

We stayed here October 2012 on Halloween night. It was peaceful and incredible. What a wonderful little spot! We will definitely be back for another short getaway soon. Amazing service... everyone we encountered or spoke with was so kind. They left a note on the door for us when we arrived, such a sweet gesture. It was overall an incredible experience! read more

Although this building is conveniently located, it was the most bizarre place we've ever stayed at. No one was ever around....not the Inn manager or owner. The doors were always unlocked day and night which made me very uncomfortable. The rooms were not clean at all and there was nothing special about the room at all....very bland bedding. I was expecting a decent breakfast, but all I found were generic boxes of cereal, generic oatmeal, over ripe bananas and Walmart muffins. Definitely was not impressed with this Inn and won't be staying here again. read more

We stayed at the Inn this past April and had a gererally good experience. My only complaint was the continental breakfast, generic cereal and Walmart muffins. I expected more. Anyways we enjoyed it so we booked the Choir Loft for graduation weekend in 2015. I received an confirmation email stating we were booked for May 8th and 9th for 2015, Graduation weekend. Then I received a post card this last week from the owner asking me to call him. Apparently our reservation was never entered into their computer system and someone else has now booked the room for that weekend. Even though there is an email confirming our reservation that just doesn't matter. And of course there are no other rooms available for the two days we need. Not just at the Inn, at anyplace in Charleston for that weekend. So now I am trying to book any room within 30 miles for my son's graduation. Mistakes happen, I understand this, but if the owner were to do the right thing it should be to cancel the other reservation and give us the room for that weekend. Whether or not the reservation was entered into the computer is irrelevant. The emails from the Inn clearly state the room was reserved for us. And from another review I read here, we are not the first people to have a reservation issue. It makes us feel like the owner is having friends in town for the weekend and they are getting the room. Bottom line is you cannot trust making a reservation at the Mc Grady Inn. read more