Blackcomb Lodge — Hotel in Whistler Resort Municipality

I will absolutely NEVER again book a stay at the Blackcomb Lodge. This is the antithesis of “hospitality”.||||I grew up in Metro Vancouver. I’ve stayed in hotels in Whistler over the last 2 decades, probably more than 100 times (several times per year). I’ve stayed in more properties in Whistler than I can easily count, including this one (where I’d previously had a great time!). Every stay in Whistler is remembered for the incredible atmosphere, and a fun, chill getaway - especially with it's proximity to Vancouver.||||My sister and I decided to book a stay. We weren’t sure whether it would be me and her, or if my husband would be in town to join us, or whether to bring our kids, so I booked a suite that could accommodate up to 6 people in case. My husband ended up being away and we decided to bring the kids (ages 8,7,3).||||So when I booked a stay at the Blackcomb Lodge this time around, I was surprised by some major changes. Not on the way that you’d hope - like improvements to the property. The place is immediately unwelcoming. It looks like it has been closed for renovations or something. There are metal fences, plus 2x4s boarding up the walkway that approaches the entrance, with an added touch of caution take with “do not enter” messaging. The parking stalls in front are all blocked off by traffic cones. I assumed there was a reason for this, but when I asked at check in, apparently you can “just move them” if you’re a guest checking in (but how would you know that when it looks like they’re all blocked off?). Then you get to the door (which is tinted black glass) and you are greeted by multiple paper signs all over the door announcing that only registered guest may enter. The door is locked. You have to ring a doorbell and speak to the front desk and speak through the audio doorbell. Again, I think that’s odd (have never once had to do that at a hotel, and certainly not in Whistler).||||It was immediately apparent checking in that the vibe and atmosphere has changed significantly.||||Upon entering, I was asked to register the guests. I told them that they had emailed and texted me the link to this form, which I had already completed before coming. They asked me to do it again. I entered my sister and my name on the somewhat invasive form.||||I probably should have known after making the reservation and receiving multiple emails, as well as texts, hinting at the restrictiveness of their policies. Other than hotels in Thailand, that are rigid about entries (likely due to human trafficking concerns) I have never felt so policed in all my travels.||||Every entry required a swipe of a key card, and hyper vigilant staff monitored all comings and goings. It felt like we were criminals under house arrest, or a child with a tight curfew.||||After I parked, my sister, the kids and I, went to our room from the parkade. We settled in, then went to the pool. We weren’t there more than 10 minutes and the front desk lady came in, conspicuously bringing a couple of towels. Definitely got the sense that she was checking up on us.||||After swimming, we went for a walk around the village. When we returned to the hotel after a walk, the front desk asked me what room we were in and I replied. She immediately said “you only have 2 guests registered”. I was like, yes we have 2 adults registered, and our minor children. She said there’s a $50 + tax fee for additional guests. Although I find it absurd to charge this fee when I know hotels have some discretion around it, ok no big deal, that’s the policy. I said I’d settle up and checkout and then she demanded “no you have to do that now.” I found her tone to be surprisingly inhospitable. I should note that while I was speaking to the front desk, a man had stopped my sister and the children at the elevator. Based on the description of other reviewers, I presume this was the manager/owner. Thankfully (and probably only because I did not argue the additional fee) we did not have the type of confrontation others have described. I went up to the room to get my credit card. I came down to pay the $174 (in addition to the $500+ I already paid for the room). They also made me register the children’s names which made me really uncomfortable. I have never been asked to register children by anything other than age, and this made me very uneasy.||||I asked whether place had changed ownership, because I’d previously stayed there and it was an entirely different experience. She said yes. I told her I’ve never stayed at a place that felt so locked down. And that it was so strange to feel like you can’t come and go freely. She said something that sounded like BS about fire regulations and being required to have every single person’s name registered. I think they don’t have adequate or appropriate insurance so they do this… Also she made comments about how it’s for the safety of guests and that they’ve had drunk people wandering in and causing problems. Ummmm yeah… there are plenty of partiers there, but they’re treating all guests like criminals to be viewed with suspicion because they’ve had problems with others? Why not hire a security firm? Under the guise of “safety” they created an environment that made me and my family feel very ill at ease. ||This hotel is located in such a great spot in the Village, right on the main Village Stroll, within spitting distance of great dining, and SEVERAL long-standing, well-established nightclubs. If you don’t like a party scene (and the nightlife is great in Whistler!), why would you buy and operate a hotel in the very heart of this atmosphere. ||||I spoke to another couple of guests in the elevator who remarked that the hotel staff had “intercepted them” coming up from the parking lot with 1 friend who wasn’t even going to be staying the night, and charged them $50 + tax for entering the hotel. The manager patrolled the hallways, knocking on doors to check occupancy. The hotel was eerily quiet, the parkade quite empty. I’m not sure what goes on at this hotel, because it felt empty and like we’d found ourselves in the wrong kind of place – it did not feel like a hotel at all. It absolutely sucked the very special “Whistler atmosphere” out of our stay. ||||Let me just say, this place is absolutely not even remotely worth the $700+ it ended up costing me for 1 night. ||||On top of this, the room was not well kept. Like questionably “clean”. I never once saw a cleaning cart or other staff. The accommodations themselves are super out of date. Frankly this place hasn’t had any updates in decades and it shows… It’s in desperate need of a facelift… place is not only dated, but in rough condition (mildew/moldy smelling bathroom, stained popcorn ceilings, ratty bedding). Some hotels are dated, not a big deal.||The next day, as we were set to leave, I saw a note taped to a car parked out front. The note was photocopied and taped to several windows. I walked over and read the note and my jaw just dropped… In that moment I realized that the uncomfortable feelings we had about the hotel were not just my imagination, but the exact tone that the management of the hotel seek to create. The nasty, vulgar note shows you just what kind of an atmosphere you may find yourself in if you have any kind of run in with the staff here… I will attach the photos so you can read this filth for yourself.||||With so much choice in Whistler, you should choose ANY OTHER HOTEL. This place feels so gross, with how aggressive they are about in and out. None of the other hotels I’ve stayed at in Whistler have required this level of intense vigilance or scrutiny of guests. I swear they are just watching cameras and trying to bust guests. But it also left me with the uneasy feeling that we were being watched at all times...||||And to the owner, who spews venom to reviewers with criticisms, please save your breath: don’t worry, I WILL be taking my business elsewhere, and I’ve told everyone I know who travels to Whistler regularly to avoid this hotel, lest it ruin their...

HORRIBLE Experience! Never had bad time in whistler but this guy totally ruined my trip as soon as I entered at the property.

I booked a room with balcony. when I reached at reception, he said room is not ready reason behind which he gave that only one janitor available (Whistler always at peak in Dec & he had guests coming in & out). I was still ok with that by thinking sometimes it happens.

He offered me another room (after waiting at reception area almost 35-40 mins) & it was ok until realised room has no balcony. The room I booked, was with balcony and I thought he would offer me another room with the same requirements which he clearly didn’t.

I came back downstairs and politely asked SIR, this is not what I booked because I’m looking room with balcony not without it. Believe me, right at that point he started yelling at me by saying I was nice towards you but you don’t deserve & now you going back to the same room blah blah blah. He kept shouting at me even the other staff was looking at his face. He was acting like it’s all my fault & I’m the one who asked for another room not him.

Least he could do is didn’t release my security deposit $250. I called many times at reception and he said it’s been released from our side so all I have to do is wait for the next 28 days. It was more than 28 days & I did receive nothing. I had to make a few calls to get my security deposit back and finally almost after 35-40 days, I got the same.

At the end, he’s nice towards you only when you’re saying YES/OK in whatsoever situation you’re talking to him. But as soon as you’re going to say NO or disagree to any statement, he will show you his real face. I have seen other people reviews about this guy & can’t believe still property management is not taking any action against him. Keep up the bad work & harassing people while they coming at beautiful place to enjoy their trip.

A BIG SHAME TO ALL OF YOU!

Sorry to all readers, I am writing down again about this guy because unable to find reply option after I received a notification. OR, I might not be aware how to do that! Apologise in advance.

SECOND REPLY: Here he comes with another bunch of LIES!!! I didn’t receive any keys on time. On your own, you putting in system that keys have been handover to the customer but truth is I never got any keys.

Even though, I was giving you respect by saying “SIR” & you saying I was rude when came back downstairs what a “LIAR” you’re. If you want me to upload your video about the conversation we had, please free to tell where do you want me to upload it? May be afterwards, you would realise who were ANGRY or CALM at the time of incident.

Only one of my friend who was already there for SKI, came in for max. 1 hour. So means TOTAL 3 were there only for few minutes not 4 which is another “LIE”. Instead of going out in cold, thought why not ask him to come inside (I know customer has to pay extra $50 only if they stay) & still you say it’s hotel policy then it’s too bad charging too much and not allowing to let someone visit you for even a short period of time. Still as per your hotel policy SIR, I apologise that I asked someone to visit me inside the premises only for an hour. SORRY for that. LIKE ME START ACCEPTING YOUR MISTAKES.

Reason, I booked through EXPEDIA & when I dialled their customer no. was taking forever to get the respond back because of the busy lines. After driving 2 hours straight from Vancouver to Whistler, I was bit tired too so hanged up the call. I went back to front desk to get my same room back & that was the time I got the keys of the room, I booked online. And this guy is saying, I got the keys at 15:58 according to their system “LOL”. I called EXPEDIA & waited at reception area & you think this whole process didn’t take any time? GREAT!

Would I book your place ever again? It’s a big “NO”. It’s totally reflecting how unprofessional & bad you’re deep inside. I’m not the only one putting light on your actions, there are many people like me who had bad experiences at your place. Feeling sorry...

Response to Guest Services Your staff takes advantage of people in unfortunate situations. I refuse to believe our rooms weren’t rebooked by people stuck in Whistler, people were stranded on BOTH sides. Quote from Daily Hive article posted Dec. 16th, 2024 at 9:21 “The mudslide happened Saturday morning and closed the highway for nearly 24 hours. Folks on the road had to turn back to Squamish or Whistler, where hotel rooms quickly filled up.” If you truly want to make it up to us then issue a refund!

THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER! I worked in customer service & tourism in B.C. for 18 years, even dealt with many properties & vendors in Whistler over my 18 years, never, ever came across such terrible people & interactions. We decided to take our family from Europe to Whistler for a night, we booked 2 rooms at the Blackcomb Lodge. The number of people in our group increased, called the Blackcomb Lodge asked if they could accommodate, which they did & would charge us the $116.00 for the upgrade upon check-in. Sadly a large landslide between Lions Bay & Brunswick Beach Rd which caused the Sea To Sky Highway to close in both directions. Radio stations, social media platforms, Drive B.C. & news outlets all advised the road Whistler was closed. The Sea To Sky, the only road to/from Whistler was estimated to be closed until midnight. The highway needed to be cleared of all debris & assessed by engineers prior to it being deemed safe for travel. I called the property to inform them unfortunately due to the events that occurred we’re unable to make it to Whistler & check in for our 2 reservations. Joe (front desk staff) suggested we go to Horseshoe Bay, have a meal as they were advised by an unknown source the highway will open in 4-5 hours. I responded we’re locals, travelling with family from Europe, every source we’re searching said the highway was reopening the earliest at midnight. Joe told me I would need to call the third party booking agent as there was nothing that they could do. I chatted with an agent for Hotels.ca, who advised they need confirmation from the property that they could waive the fee. The Hotels.ca agent told me he was told the same thing, the highway will open in 5 hours & nothing can be done. I waited the 5 hours, sure enough the highway hadn’t reopened. I got back on with a Hotels.ca agent, again they had to contact the property & again the Blackcomb Lodge refused to waive any fees! No refund, no partial refund, no credit, NOTHING. Hotels.ca explained they would waive the charges; however, the property was going to invoice them, therefore could not refund me. Next, I called the Blackcomb Lodge directly, spoke with front desk agent, Anna, she apologized about a million times which was nice & all, but still couldn’t do anything to help, I asked to speak with a supervisor or manager, no surprise, they had just left for the night. I was told they would hold our rooms & we could check in at any time, but check out was at 10:00 am, even though I repeated again, the highway was closed to all commuters & we would not be able to get to Whistler to check in. I got back online with Hotels.ca, they were way more sympathetic/understanding, after speaking with a supervisor I was able to get a partial refund. Fast forward to the next day, I check my visa statement & notice a charge of $116.00 from the Blackcomb Lodge for the upgrade to the room we NEVER checked into due to the landslide, which opened at 5AM, 5 hours before our “check out time” of 10:00 am. Dreadfully I called the terrible staff at the Blackcomb Lodge AGAIN asking them to refund that $116.00, the front desk agent Anna & the reservation manager (Ian or Yuan, I didn't get the spelling of her name), refused to refund the $116.00 after the Blackcomb Lodge already kept the money for bookings we were never able to check in for. Be very weary of ever making a booking at this place! Costumer Service is beyond terrible. We were hung up on numerous times. Can’t handle dealing with difficult situations. I highly recommend the staff go...