Ski-in Ski-Out Chalets — Hotel in Thredbo

Brown tap water and terrible customer service- that’s what we got in our stay at the ski in, ski out chalet “On the Run #3” in Thredbo.

On the first evening of our stay we ran a bath for our child, only to return and find it filled with disgusting brown water. Every tap in the chalet produced the same discolored water, even after running them for a while. Naturally we were uncomfortable bathing our child in that water, showering ourselves, or even using the tap water to brush our teeth or wash our hands not knowing what baterica or contaminants were in that water. The photo speaks for itself.

You’d think the solution would be straightforward- an apology for the inconvenience and immediate relocation to alternative accomodation with clear running water and no health concerns so we could enjoy the remainder of our holiday. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case. When we reported to the property managers, Forbes Stynes, we were absolutely stunned by their complete lack of empathy and understanding. Instead, we got a lecture about water supply in Thredbo (something they’ll likely repeat in their response to this review) and insistence that they would need to “investigate” the issue before anything could be done to ease our anxiety over where our family would be staying for the remainder of our holiday. I’m sorry Forbes Stynes, but that isn’t good enough, even though you proudly pat yourselves on the back for (apprently) resolving the issue the following day and consider yourselves generous because you delivered bottled water to the front door the next morning. The inference that your guests should be content to bathe their child in bottled water- when they’re spending $1,400 per night on accomodation, or at any level of hospitality for that matter- is hardly something to be proud of.

Our daughter had fallen asleep during my futile attempts to resolve the issue that evening so we reluctantly stayed in the chalet the first night, unbathed and unwilling to use tap water to brush our teeth or wash our hands as. The next morning, after Forbes Stynes’ continuing refusal to relocate my family, I terminated the accomodation contract and requested a refund.

Forbes Stynes market these chalets as “5 star AAA rated”, that they are “the ideal choice for a totally hassle free holiday” and that all the chalets offer “all the comforts of home”. I can stay from first hand experience, this was absolutely not the case for us.

Fast forward months later, after being forced to engage a lawyer and to take this issue to court, we were finally awarded a refund for 4 of the 5 nights we had paid for, an order that the first night be discounted, and an order for interest and costs. The Local Court agreed that the chalet was not fit for purpose and upheld our right to terminate the contract the morning after we arrived.

Our experience with "On the Run #3" and in particular dealing with the staff at Forbes Stynes made this, without question, the worst holiday experience we've ever had. We will never book with these...

We had to cancel our planned holiday to Ski In Ski Out Chalets at Thredbo due to Covid restrictions. I would like everyone to be aware of their greedy and incompassionate cancellation policy during these unprecedented times. They retained 20% of the total cost (for our chalet $2000) and also charged an administration fee. I would be interested in what compensation they are also receiving from the government. We have tried to continue to support tourism since the pandemic began and have travelled when and wherever possible. This is the first time we have been met with such greediness. We will never travel to Thredbo again and want to warn everyone before booking at Ski in Ski out Chalets...

The chalets are beautiful but the service is really not good at all. The people in charge of helping the guests are rude and don't really want to help. When we arrived we were sent on a wild goose chase and couldn't find our apartment or parking we had to ask random strangers, I was too scared to call the person in guest relations because he was so rude and wouldn't help anyway. They never told us about cleaning procedures and there's no cleaning procedures listed in the apartment. Our fireplace was not working for the entire stay and nobody in guest services...