Alta's Rustler Lodge — Hotel in Alta

This is one of the greatest ski lodges on the planet, period. Since the St. Bernard Lodge in Taos closed three years ago, they have no peer. Located in the historic soul of America's skiing - Alta - sorry Aspen, Jackson Hole & Sun Valley, my latest visit, during the now historic road closure and ski area's "country club" days, April 2-7, confirms my opinion. In short, when unprecedented snow and wind cuts you off from the rest of civilization, produces historic, massive, tree-laden avalanches that not only close the road but spill across the valley into the ski area, and you continue to serve guests in world-class fashion, without missing a beat, tells the story of Alta's Rustler Lodge. Kate Pollard, along with her husband, and former Mayor of Alta, Tom, guided their guests, the staff, and the ski area to not just endure, but to thrive during two days of Interlodge shutdown and two days of endless deep powder skiing. When no one can travel up or down Little Cottonwood Canyon and no one knows or can say when the road or ski area will open, it was Kate who pointed her young staff to always do the right thing. It was Tom & Kate who made sure that the Rustler has plenty of their famous all-you-want-to-eat menu of American cuisine. Breakfast and dinner are included. Simply put, if you don't love the food, you have ordered something you don't love. At the Rustler, feel free to order something else! If you have skied anywhere in the world you know that staff are young folks looking for a winter (or two) of skiing. At the Rustler, I met engineers, pre-meds, and others who were all smart, respectful, and responsive to guest needs. I observed a sweet and caring babysitter one afternoon only to be greeted by this lovely person as my housekeeper the next morning. I have stayed in every class of room the Rustler offers, except the dorm (but friends have and say it is good!). The Rustler difference is that Tom & Kate and Jeff Anderson, the owner, continually reinvest in the property. On this last trip, I stayed in a recently renovated "Cecret" room (#205). While it is impossible to change the size or structure of a hotel room, if you thoughtfully create a comfortable living space with every imaginable need close at hand, i.e., glove and ski-boot warmers in the closet, easily accessible new coffee maker and humidifier, it feels like an old leather jacket - so comfortable you wonder why you haven't put it on in so long! The spa facilities are world-class. Steam, sauna, indoor and outdoor hot tubs, a pool - everything one could want. After a day of skiing, a wonderful massage, steam, and soak are perfection. So too is the Powder Tools ski shop. Why leave the Rustler when one can get your boots expertly adjusted by a FreeRide Professional skier? I could go on, but you get the picture. If you are lucky enough, book a room next season, and pray to your God for one day of Country...

We stayed five nights at the end of February with our two young kids. While that puts us in the minority (the age demographic seemed to skew much older) it was a great time. The lodge is near the top of the road and has it's own lift so it truly is ski-in and ski-out. The hotel is older but has a warm and cozy feel and modern (though rustic) interior. They even had mellow 70s music playing in the restaurant that made me harken to my youth. So perfect.

The basics: your room gets you breakfast and dinner and access to all the hotel amenities. Breakfast is a full buffet but you can also order from a menu. There is an omelet station every day and eggs, oatmeal and with pancakes or French toast all the time. Lunch is on your own but I just ate a massive breakfast and put a Clif Bar in my jacket. Dinner is a full four course meal with soup, salad, entree and dessert. Beer and wine are billed to your room and reasonably priced. The food was excellent and always came as ordered. Service was very friendly although the kitchen did back up twice during our stay as we ate early since our kids were passing out by 8PM. The waitstaff did a great job of working with us and substitutions were never a problem. This goes for everybody from the bellman to the front desk to the waitstaff to the maid. As an example I had some beers on the counter in the room and when I got in after skiing they were in the ice bucket on ice. Nice.

There is a heated pool (think bath water and steaming) as well as a hot tub and several steam rooms. We didn't use the spa but it's there. I also didn't use the fitness room but it's there too. Ski rentals were through the on site store and basic rentals were $55 a day and decent quality. You get your lift tickets through the front desk and they bill you daily when you use them so no need to purchase ahead of time. Each day you ski the full mountain the price goes down slightly which was convenient.

If you bring a car parking is free and the bellman will valet it and clean it off and put it in the garage when you're ready to leave. There wer happy hours several days where there were appetizers a drinks which was great if you skipped lunch.

All in all I can't recommend this place enough. We'll...

Misleading reviews- overly rated

Hard to understand this restaurant earned #1 restaurant in Alta. If you’re a guest at the lodge where dinner is included, I think the higher rating might go to the hotel, but definitely not the restaurant. Their pricing is advertised $$-$$$ ($15-$70. ) There's no mention of it being a fixed price four course menu at $150.00 per person. You don't realize it's a fixed price menu until you're seated. And you don't know the pricing until you receive the tab. Dinner consists of a cup of soup, a salad, a main course and a dessert. Very average food, small portions. Drinks not included. We had one beer, martini, and one glass of wine. Our dinner for four people was $611 with tax and tip. We had four slices bread with butter delivered with a small prepackaged butter patty, oil and vinegar was on the table, small bowl of tomato soup, small basic salad, main course a chilean sea bass not as tender that falls apart with a side of overly fried mac n cheese - the others had beef stroganoff, and a small dessert. Quality was lacking in all 4 courses and the service was mediocre. $200 would have been fair. The reviews online rating this restaurant as #1 in Alta is highly misleading and the details are inaccurate. After further review, I found a family write up the same experience we had in 2023. I would recommend other restaurants...