I stayed here for work last September and wasn't impressed. When I needed to come up to Orono again this September I decided to give the Black Bear Inn another chance as it does have potential- the staff are very nice.

My room was on the second floor and I decided to take the stairs. They were old and flimsy as was the hallway leading to my room. The carpet is worn and smells of dust.

Then I get to my two queen-bedded room. The first thing I noticed was the dank, dusty smell; the second was a concaved, old and worn bed. I chose the other bed which was a bit better.

The bathroom was dirty. The toilet had not been scrubbed in a while, bathtub had a slow drain and the shower curtain was moldy.

Some channels on the TV came in fine while the local NBC,CBS and ABC channels were fuzzy- odd- but obviously from low-end cable subscription.

I then went to the 'exercise room.'.
Worst I have ever seen! The weight equipment was fine but only one treadmill which was about 10 years old and in bad repair. I usually run but did not trust it so I just walked on it.

It seems like more of the positive reviews were from years ago. These days it seems like the management doesn't want to admit that it is time for a renovation.

I had to stay at the Black Bear Inn recently in order to attend a funeral of a lifelong friend. I was very happy to have such an easy check in process and such a friendly and welcoming staff. I got checked in in minutes, had a delicious cookie, and then headed to my room.

My room was clean, bright, and decorated with quilts and artwork depicting black bears. I thought the room was very tastefully decorated and very comfortable. I even had a small stuffed black bear on the bed to "keep me from being lonely." I purchased the bear (which his tag said I could) as the profits go to Cancer Care for Maine - one of the charities my friend who passed requested donations be directed to.

I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone who is staying in the Bangor/Orono area. It is very conveniently located directly off the Stillwater Ave, Old Town exit of I-295 and is an easy drive to Bangor and the surrounding area.

I will be back to stay for a happier occasion - thank you to the staff for the amazing service. My only note is that I wish the restaurant were open past 8 PM (at least until 10) so that when I got back from visiting hours at 9 I could have had dinner or a drink in the restaurant instead of having to drive into town. I did have a great dinner at Pat's Pizza (the original!) that night in Orono...which was a real treat...so it all worked out.

We stayed in 7 different hotels throughout our Main trip and the Black Bear was the most pleasing. The rooms were roomy, clean and beautifully decorated with a rustic lodge theme that was cozy and pleasing to the eye. (I thought it might me "hokey", but no!) With all that expected comfort, we were also pleased to be invited to a wine and cheese reception in the main lobby. That was a nice way to mingle with other guests and lighten-up after a long drive. This is a non-smoking hotel as was expected, but for my die-hard smoking friends, the lodge offers a clean, covered patio with ashtrays placed far from the possiblility of offending other guests. That's thoughtful!
The staff was very warm and welcoming and ready to offer help and information on the area. Great breakfast too. Orono is close to all the places one might be looking for without the very high prices of being right on the coast.

I stayed here in May for two nights and was so disappointed on cleanliness. It's an older hotel; however, the age of hotel should not be an excuse for being dirty. The floor was not vacuumed; there was brown and red splatter marks on the wall and door; the sheets did not fit and there were stains on the bedspread; dust on the furniture; and dirt in the bathroom (floor, tub and counter). I know most the reviews were good for this hotel, so maybe this was a fluke... if so I hope these problems were resolved! The other thing was the man at the front desk was very sarcastic when we requested extra sheets (it was like pulling teeth to get some that actually fit!). Not at all what I had expected.