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Frequently Asked Questions
Important Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure that the information contained in these Frequently Asked Questions is true and up-to-date. However, sometimes we are not notified about changes to Johns Hopkins’ protocol, and Hospital-related information falls out-of-date without us knowing about it. Please call the Hospital at 410-955-5000 to confirm any of our information, especially if it is particularly important to your stay
What is McElderry House Lodging?
We have 17 individual townhouses, each within two blocks of Johns Hopkins Hospital. We rent these houses out by the bedroom, or as entire units. When you rent a single room, you share the common areas of the house with other guests who are also visiting Hopkins. You can choose a private or shared bath, depending on availability; the price depends on how much of the house you share with other people. You can also choose to rent an entire house. Most bedrooms are on the second floor, so there’s a flight of stairs in the house. Linens, towels, paper products, soap products, coffee, tea, and filtered water are provided. Houses have a fully equipped kitchen complete with pots, pans, and dishes, and have a washer and dryer. Local phone, basic cable, and central heat and air are provided.
Is McElderry House Lodging part of Johns Hopkins Hospital?
No, McElderry House Lodging is privately owned and operated. It was started in 1996 by a nurse whose daughter was treated at Johns Hopkins for bone cancer. We have a long-standing relationship with individual departments at the Hospital.
Does McElderry House Lodging allow children?
Yes, but only when an entire private townhouse is rented. Shared-house environments are adults over age 18 only.
Why doesn’t McElderry House Lodging allow children in shared houses?
The vast majority of our guests are either patients or patients’ families. Since young children are particularly susceptible to cold and flu viruses, their presence can pose a serious threat to a patient whose immune system is already compromised. In addition, medical situations can be very stressful, and we want to make sure that all occupants of a shared house are matured enough to give others quiet and space when needed. We try to provide a comfortable place for both patients and patients’ family members, where patients can undergo treatments without feeling self-conscious of their therapy’s side effects, and where patients’ family members can take a break from sitting in a bedside chair at the hospital. Finally, we do not wish to expose children and teenagers to anything that might distress them unnecessarily; we want to provide an emotionally safe environment where difficult subjects like major illness, surgical effects, and grieving need not be brought up unless the child is directly affected. Again, children are welcome when you reserve an entire private house.
Does McElderry House Lodging allow pets?
No. Because many of our guests are patients with compromised immune systems, and also to guard against possible allergic reaction, we can’t allow pets in most circumstances. Exception will be made to accommodate a service animal, but please give us as much advance notice as possible if a service animal is coming.
Does McElderry House Lodging allow smoking?
No; all of McElderry House Lodging’s houses are smoke-free. If you wish to smoke, you may do so on the front porch or in the backyard area. Please make sure to close the door behind you so that smoke does not come into the house. If evidence of indoor smoking is found after your departure, your credit card will automatically be charged a $100.00/night smoking fee for each night you stayed.
What is the exact address where I’ll be staying?
Unfortunately, we usually cannot tell you the exact address of your accommodations until the day of your arrival. This is because when one of our current guests requests an extension of their stay, we try our hardest to keep them in the same place and “juggle” reservations of future guests.
I only have an estimate of my length of stay. How long should I reserve for?
Most patients and families of patients only have a doctor’s best estimate to go by, and that is okay. Please tell us that number, and we will reserve the outside estimate of your length of stay. If you depart earlier, as long as we receive your keys before check-out time we’ll only charge through the actual number of nights you stay.
I’ve never shared a house with a stranger before. How does that work out?
McElderry House Lodging has been in business since 1996, and 99% of the time shared-house situations have worked out great. In fact, a lot of our repeat guests have reported that they are still in touch with former housemates. Over the years we have discovered that putting people together who are in similarly stressed circumstances tends to lead more to friendship than conflict. That being said, we understand that problems do occasionally occur. If you are unhappy with your housemate, we will make every effort to promptly address the situation and move you if necessary, and if another room is available.
Where should I get my mail sent?
We highly recommend that you get your mail sent to our office: McElderry House Lodging, 2000 McElderry Street, Baltimore MD 21205. Make sure that your name in our files matches the name written on your mail. We wouldn’t recommend getting your mail sent to your accommodations, because of the chance of mail being misplaced by future guests after you check out.
Can I receive packages and/or flowers while at McElderry House Lodging?
You are welcome to get packages sent to our office address, but remember to make sure that your name in our files matches the name written on your package. We ask that you not have flowers delivered to our office, because patients often come to our front desk and sometimes they are not supposed to be around fresh cut flowers. We ask that you not get flowers delivered to your house if you are in a shared environment, for the same reason.
How many people can rooms sleep?
Single rooms sleep two people comfortably, usually with two twin beds. Our 2-bedroom, 1-bath, private townhouses sleep four comfortably, with two twin beds in one room and a full-size bed in the other. Air mattresses are available for $10/day.
Are cribs available?
Pack n’ plays (portable cribs) are usually available, free of charge. Advance notice is helpful.
What’s inside the rooms?
Bedrooms are equipped with an alarm clock, a telephone extension, and an extra blanket. Rooms with private baths always have a television in the bedroom. Rooms that share baths (including the bedrooms in our 2-bedroom, 1-bath houses) may or may not have televisions.
Will housekeeping come into my room during my stay?
No. To keep costs low, our housekeepers will enter your room only after you check out. You may see a housekeeper if one of your housemates leaves, however, because we clean all common areas (kitchen, living room, shared baths, etc.) every time a guest checks out. If your housemate is a patient and is unable to clean up after themselves (for example, washing their dishes or cleaning the tub), you can notify McElderry House Lodging and we’ll send in a housekeeper as soon as possible.
Do I need to bring linens and towels from home?
No. There will be a supply of towels and washcloths in your room, and the bed(s) will already be made. There will be a washer, a dryer, and detergent inside the house for your use during your stay. Because we send out our laundry, you do not need to launder anything before you check out.
Can I get extra towels?
To keep costs low, we ask that everyone who is able-bodied do their own laundry and wash their initial supply of towels when needed. However, we can make special arrangements for guests who are not physically able to launder their own towels.
Do you provide internet?
No. We only have phone lines, which you are welcome to use for dial-up access if you are bringing a computer. There is an area set aside for patients and patients’ families in the hospital where you can access the internet; it is in the library in the Carnegie Building, Room 173. There is also a Starbucks within about a mile of the Hospital which has wireless internet.
Why don’t you have internet?
We would have to raise our prices for everyone, including guests who don’t care about having internet access. Since all of our houses are separate, we would have to pay for 17 individual accounts, which would raise prices to an unacceptable level.
Can I purchase high-speed internet or wireless internet while I am at the house?
Unfortunately, no. We ask that you not contact local internet providers in an attempt to negotiate with us regarding this policy. If you want, you can contact Verizon Wireless and look into a wireless broadband PC card for your laptop. It might require a time commitment, but it would get you wireless access.
Is there anything in particular that I should bring?
Yes. We do not have hair dryers in the rooms. We do have several loner hair dryers at the front desk, but they are only available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Where do I eat?
There are a variety of food options inside the Hospital, including a Subway sandwich shop and several coffee/sandwich shops. There are also multiple Hospital cafeterias. In our neighborhood next to the Hospital there are several carry-out Chinese food restaurants. There is also the historic, hundred-year old Northeast Market, where you can get all kinds of fresh and prepared foods. There are many carry-out places inside Northeast Market, providing both breakfast and lunch/dinner options, but you can also walk away with fresh meat, fish, and vegetables to make your own meals. Finally, there are dozens of good restaurants within a mile of the Hospital. You can take a five-minute cab ride to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and have your pick of restaurants like Phillip’s, McCormick & Schmick’s, the Cheesecake Factory, and The California Pizza Kitchen, just to name a few. Cabs usually cluster around the doors of the Hospital’s main entrance, so you don’t even need to call for one.
Is there a grocery store nearby?
Besides the Northeast Market, there is a small grocery store on East Monument Street, across the street from Northeast Market. There is a large Safeway Supermarket within a mile of our office, as well as a Whole Foods. You can easily call a taxi cab from Safeway’s customer service area if you do not have a car. Please ask for directions to Safeway and Whole Foods at our front desk.
Is there a pharmacy nearby?
There are several pharmacies nearby, including one in the Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center.
Is the neighborhood safe?
During the daytime hours, especially weekdays, the neighborhood is bustling with people: doctors, nurses, hospital employees, students, visiting patients, and so on. Hopkins Security is well-represented, and you will be perfectly comfortable walking around alone. In the evening hours, though, the neighborhood empties out somewhat. And as with any large city, you will probably not feel comfortable walking around alone at night. Hopkins, however, provides security guards free of charge to walk with you or drive you in a shuttle, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. If you want to leave your house and go to the Hospital, just call them; we post the phone number in each house. If you want to leave the Hospital and walk to your house, just talk to a Hopkins receptionist. It is a quick and easy process.
Does Hopkins provide shuttle service?
Yes! You may request the “Special” shuttle at the Hospital, and you will be picked up and taken to your accommodations, free of charge. You may also call the shuttle service from your house (again, we post the phone number in the houses) and be driven to the Hospital free of charge. You might have to wait up to an hour during “rush-hour” times.
Where do I park?
McElderry House Lodging doesn’t have parking. We recommend that all guests park in one of the Johns Hopkins parking garages. We usually advise the Washington Street Parking Garage because it is closest to our housing, although the Weinberg Garage and Outpatient (McElderry) Garage are also available for patient and family use. Garages are monitored by Johns Hopkins security, and you can request that a security guard walk you to your lodging if it’s after dark. To get into the garage, you just pull in and take a time-stamped ticket from the ticket machine; you only need to pay upon exiting.
The Hopkins web site says that the Washington Street Garage is only for staff. Is it?
No. As of this writing, we have been reassured by the Hospital Parking Office that the Washington Street Garage is for patient parking, too. It is a misprint.
How long can I park in a Hopkins garage?
To our knowledge, there is no upper limit on length of stay. You can stay parked in a garage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but you might be limited regarding the time of day, or the day of the week, you wish to exit the garage. Please make sure to take note of the entrance and exit hours posted in whichever garage you choose.
How much will garage parking cost?
The standard rate is $10/day. However, if you are a patient or a family member of a patient, you can buy discount parking coupons at the Hospital admitting office at Wolfe Street Entrance (ask to speak to the cashier). Coupon books are $20 for a book of 5 and $40 for a book of 10. Each coupon will get you a full 24-hour period, provided that you don’t remove your car; you will end up paying more if you come and go. These coupons do not have expiration dates, so you could use them on future visits to the Hospital.
Can I sell my unused parking coupons back to the Hospital?
No, but McElderry House Lodging will buy back, at cost, any coupons you don’t want. But you’ll need to come by the office in person to sell them to us, because McElderry House Lodging can’t guarantee receipt of mailed coupons or coupons left through our mailslot.
Do I have to buy a full book of parking coupons even if I’m only staying a night?
If you buy from the Hospital, the answer is yes, so it might make more sense to pay the standard rate and forget the coupons. However, McElderry House Lodging may have extra coupons available from previous guests, so if you’re only going to stay 1-2 nights, ask us when you check in to save yourself some trouble. We will sell extras to you at $4 each, at cost.
Why can’t I park on the street?
On-street parking is highly restricted and highly ticketed. The whole area is under a 2-hour limit from 7am to 7pm, and there are lots of street-cleaning zones where you’ll be automatically ticketed if you park there on the wrong day at the wrong time.
Is there a place to park while I check in?
We do have a 15-minute spot directly in front of our office at 2000 McElderry Street. It is not available, though, on Mondays between 11:30am and 2:30pm because of street-cleaning. Your accommodations are not at 2000 McElderry Street, and might be two doors away or one-two blocks away. After you check in, we can certainly direct you to the house in your car, but you may have to double-park and leave one person in your party with the vehicle (to avoid ticketing) while someone else gets shown to accommodations. Doing this during the daytime is a bit of an effort, so we only really recommend it if someone in your party has limited mobility. Parking becomes less of a problem in the neighborhood on weekends, and after 4:30pm on weekdays.
What time can I check in?
Monday through Friday, our regular check-in time is 2:30pm-5:30pm. On weekends, our regular check-in time is 2pm-5pm. Late check-ins must be pre-arranged so that we can arrange staff to stay late, and cannot be after 9pm.
Where do I check in?
You check in at our office, located on the northeast corner of McElderry Street and North Washington Street. Mondays through Fridays we staff the office from 8:30am until 5:30pm, and Saturdays and Sundays were are open from 12:00pm (noon) until 5:00pm.
Why can’t you check me in after 9pm?
We simply don’t have staff to stay after 9pm. For shared house accommodations, a late check-in would also disturb the guests already in the house.
What can I expect when I check in?
You’ll need to check in at our office at 2000 McElderry Street. We will ask you to sign your paperwork, imprint your credit card, and then we will personally escort you to your accommodations and give you your keys. The accommodations are not at the office location, so we might have to walk a block or two to your house.
How do I unload my luggage at my accommodations?
This depends on what time you check in and how much luggage you have. Some guests park in a Hopkins garage first and walk to our office, with or without luggage, during check-in time. If luggage is left in your car, you can unload at your accommodations later in the evening when parking in the neighborhood becomes less of a problem. Some guests double-park or park in our 15-minute spot in front of our office during check-in time, then drive to the accommodations and unload their luggage; this option can be difficult, depending on how busy our office is on your check-in day, so we only really recommend it when someone in your party has limited mobility. We can store luggage in our office as soon as we open, 8:30am on weekdays and 12pm on weekends, even if your accommodations are not yet ready. Guests who have pre-arranged an after-hours check-in can park directly in front of our office because there won’t be a parking problem.
How do I pay?
Our usual procedure is to imprint your credit card upon check-in, and pre-authorize either your total anticipated stay or the first two weeks of your stay, whichever is less. If you leave on the day you expect, we will charge only the amount preauthorized, plus any incidental charges. If you are a patient or family/friend of a patient and able to leave earlier than you anticipated, you will only be charged for the nights you actually stay as long as you check-out before 12 noon. If you need to extend your stay, we will still need to charge your card on the day you originally planned to check out – then we will preauthorize again for two weeks or the remainder of your stay, whichever is less.
Can I pay with a checkcard?
Yes, but it works differently than a credit card. Pre-authorizations will tie up your available funds immediately and appear as if we have charged your card. In reality, the money is in limbo, not in your account and not in our bank. When we process the charge, the transaction is finalized and the correct amount of money goes to our bank.
Can I pay with a personal check?
No, we do not accept personal checks during your stay or after you check out. McElderry House Lodging can only accept checks from pre-approved third-party payers such as Johns Hopkins Hospital, local, state, or federal government, or another medical institution.
Can I pre-pay with a personal check?
Yes. If your check arrives at our office ten days or more prior to your arrival date, we will accept it as payment and apply it as a deposit on your account.
Can I pay with a money order, travelers checks, or cash?
Yes. But if you want to pay at the end of your stay, we will still need to imprint and preauthorize your credit card upon checking in. If you imprint your credit card, you can pay at the beginning of your stay for the nights you expect to stay and avoid us having to preauthorize your credit card. If you don’t have a credit card at all, you will need to pay your whole anticipated stay in advance, plus a one night security deposit.
What happens to the credit card pre-authorization if I pay cash at the end of my stay?
The credit card pre-authorization usually goes away in several days and frees up your money again. This process is totally dependent upon your individual bank.
What if a third party wants to pay toward my stay?
Third parties who want to pay with a credit card will need to fax us a McElderry House Lodging credit card authorization form, which we can fax, email, or mail to the payer. If the third party payer is an organization or governmental agency, pre-approved by McElderry House Lodging, that has to be invoiced at the end of your stay, we must receive a written billing authorization prior to your stay to avoid asking you for a credit card and/or up-front payment. Billing authorizations need to be on the organization’s letterhead, and need to include: a statement indicating that the organization is committing to pay, your name, the agreed-upon price, the length of stay, the exact address where the invoice must be mailed, the name and phone number of the person to contact if the bill is not paid, and the signature of an authorized representative. Authorizations can be faxed to the McElderry House Lodging office at 410-534-3996.
Do you offer any discounts?
The only discount we have is the long-term discount for the 2-bedroom, 1-bath house. The Social Work department at Johns Hopkins often helps families financially with lodging; call the Hospital operator at 410-955-5000 and ask for Social Work.
When must I check out?
Check-out time is 12:00pm (noon) seven days a week. We know that you’ve checked out only when we receive your keys, so be sure to hand-deliver them to our office, put them through our office door’s mailslot, or pre-arrange leaving keys in your accommodations. Whatever you do, do NOT leave your keys in the house or with a housemate without getting McElderry House Lodging’s prior approval, to avoid being charged for another night.
What happens if I have to leave outside of office hours?
You simply need to call our office front desk at 410-732-5464, Extension 5, regardless of the time of day or night. Leave a voice mail message including your name, which house you are staying at, and the time. Please don’t use the emergency pager for a check-out notification. Then leave your keys on the kitchen table, and make sure that you leave your accommodations with the knob lock engaged on the front door.
What if I need to leave earlier than I initially scheduled? Will I be charged?
For patients and family members of patients, if you give us your keys any given day before check-out time, you will only be charged for the nights you have actually stayed with us. For those visiting the Hospital for other reasons, we cannot issue refunds except in the case of documented medical emergency.
What if I need to extend my stay?
If you need to extend your stay, you should call the office as soon as you can to let us know, even if you’re not 100% sure. If we don’t have the space for you, we will put you on our waiting list so you will be first in line for any unexpected openings. If nothing becomes available, we can refer you to a Baltimore hotel.