The Christie Lodge - All Suite Property, Vail Valley/Beaver Creek — Hotel in Avon

I have really mixed feelings about the Christie Lodge, but enough negative experiences that we will not return. The staff was friendly and super-helpful over the phone, and when we ran into issues as soon as we checked in, the Front Desk Manager Adam tried his best, given what our situation was, but it fell below service levels I am used to. I came with my mom, my two bff's, and our dog Tucker, a chihuahua pug, the quietest dog you'll ever meet. lol

I used to be a front desk agent at a well regarded Sheraton, and this hotel would have violated so many of our policies, not to mention possible legal issues. Since I have history as front desk, I try to be really understanding during difficult situations. In the end, we just dealt with all the issues, but I was so unhappy with our hotel pick.

The facilities are dated, but they are currently renovating. We were able to enjoy lunch at the Vietnamese restaurant located on the facility. We also used the laundry room, parking, hot tub, and table tennis equipment. The laundry facility is clean and the machines accept credit cards, though they do have a change machine too. The parking was ample (though we came during low season) but far from our room. The table tennis paddles need replacing. Hot tub was fine, and much appreciated for being indoors. We didn't get to enjoy the indoor pool, but it looked of decent size for families with small kids. The water splashed everywhere though when kids were in it, so I'm glad we didn't stay in any of the rooms right in front of the pool.

Our room was located in the very back, in a separate building from the main one, used for guests with pets. Only until we arrived were we told the pet policy (i.e. no pets in the main building ever) even though we called and asked about it before hand. Actually, this was the reason we picked the Christie Lodge. Disappointing when you claim you are "pet-friendly" but you really mean "your dog can stay in only your room". Also, when we came in to do our laundry, we did hear a dog in the main building, so apparently their "firm" no dog policy in the main building wasn't as firm as it seemed. The pet/dog policy needs to really be hashed out, especially in an outdoors centered destination like the Vail Valley.

Secondly, I also called a week before arriving about needing a room easily accessible by my mother in a wheelchair with a roll-in shower (as opposed to a raised-edge tub), and unfortunately that back building is not ADA friendly. There was no ramp to the room (only a half flight of stairs), and we got a tub. Actually, we were completely downgraded from what we booked, which is the opposite of how we were treated in the Marriott Las Vegas hotel with the same requirements just a day before (their pet policy was awesome and they upgraded us to a 2 bedroom suite with a roll-in shower). At the Christie Lodge, we went from two beds to one (for four people), which meant my mom and I had to sleep on the sofa pull out. We dealt with the issue because Adam's only options were to put our dog in a dog hotel or pay for a second hotel room. Neither of those options made sense for us because we brought Tucker to keep my disabled mom company while we were away on our longer outdoor trips. Also, as my mom's caregiver, I wouldn't separate her in case she might fall or get injured.

Finally, to add insult to injury, during our 7 night stay, the housekeeping staff only came by to clean our room once, and only after I called 2 days into our stay asking them to come. Instead they came the next day, and never again while we were there. Needless to say, we won't return. Avon was beautiful, but there are certainly a lot of options for better hotels...

The accommodations are pretty basic, and small, sized for two people. Anymore, you’ll be uncomfortable, with no privacy. They’ve done some updates to the bathrooms and installed a hard surface flooring in the rooms which atfirst glance, I thought were great. The problem is with the flooring. If you’re not on the top floor, you could be in for trouble. The people above us were first chair people. My family and I are not. We were woken up at 7 a.m. every morning to the loud clunking of ski boots and chairs being pushed accrossed the hardwood floors which continued for an hour or more. On a positive note, the bus service picks up in front of the resort, which is nice, especially if your room is located in close proximity. It's also close to shopping and restaurants.

The hot tubs were overcrowded at times, and the workout room was closed. Yes, I’m aware I can ski harder…., but I enjoy this space during my off days. I suspect the space was also missed by nonskiers. Apparently, two of the hot tubs, the inside pool, and the fitness center are located in an area of the facility undergoing renovations.

Prior to purchasing my stay at the Christie from a third party, I called the Christie and verified the reservation was in my name as instructed to do so by the seller. I also asked Christie staff about additional fees for this reservation, and were told that were none. To be clear, I am vigilant about this process as I frequently buy from third parties. Upon check in, to my surprise, I was told by a Christie staff member, that I would in fact be responsible for a $110.00 "RCI" property fee. I questioned this, as the information contradicted what I was told by my seller and the Christie staff member I spoke to several weeks earlier. The staff member again looked at her computer screen..., then corrected herself and apologized. She stated that she was INCORRECT, and I WOULD NOT be assessed the additional fees. I continued my stay. Two days after checkout I noted that the Christie assessed me the $110.00 fee. I called and spoke to a manager. She was quick to argue the fee was due with no evidence other than her word. She explained the fee is a property fee assessed to every "exchange”, and that the policy started five years ago. Though notable is that apparently, few if any of the front desk staff are aware of this 5-year-old policy or at least don't understand it. Not being a timeshare owner, I admit, I was confused by her explaination and lingo... I believed her explanation to be dismissive of my concerns, and I was left even more confused. I shared with the manager that I have stayed at the Christie several times in the past, some of the stays I recall occurring in the last five years and yet, I have never paid this fee. The manager again very vague, stated that at least "one" of my other stays was different with no meaningful explanation as to why.

Obviously, this is discouraging to me, whether intentional or not, the staff at the Christie told me on two separate occasions there were no additional fees and now that I've left, they've issued the very fees they assured me would not be issued. To be clear, I never trusted my third party seller. I did trust the staff at the Christie, and I am sorry I put my faith in them. To put it in perspective it’s only $110...and yet I’m still left feeling ripped off. This experience definitely will cause me to take pause before considering the Christie in the future or recommending it to others. Bottomline, if in doubt, expect to pay an additional $15.75 per day above the listed price at the Christie and you won’t feel misled, and only stay here if the pricepoint is low and you won't be...

COME WITH LOW EXPECTATIONS.

Three friends and I went up to Avon, CO (from NM) for the Tough Mudder event. We initially booked two rooms online since none of the three-bedroom units were available. I emailed the lodge and asked them to contact me if any large units opened up. I received an email within an hour that they'd accomodate us, which I really appreciated. However- after that it was all down hill.

I was told to call the reservations desk to book the room, and after trying a half-dozen times over three hours (even requesting a manager), I finally got a call back to book the room. The email confirmation was messed up and honestly we weren't even sure we'd have a place to stay when we showed up. Cancelling the initial reservation was equally bad and we figured we'd get charged for both and have to argue with them about the cancellation.

When we arrived, we were told we couldn't check in because their computers crashed. So we went into the sports shop and chatted with a guy who lovingly dubbed his place of employment "The Crusty". We laughed at his comment but we later found out why he gave it that name.

We entered our room to find it over 80 degrees with no AC running. We turned on the one portable unit in the fireplace and called to ask for another and this is what happened - the front desk asked, "do you have an a/c unit in the fireplace area?" - we said yes, and then they hung up on us! The back rooms never dropped below 80 even with the loud box fans running constantly and the sliding door opened in the morning to let the cool air in.

We also requested a relocation since our room was overwhelmed with the smell of the Subway restaurant that we were right above. We figured the room might be that hot because it's above the ovens. The smell of bread got old real quick, so we walked across the street to Walgreens to buy some air fresheners. Three of them didn't even affect the overall smell.

The kitchen was decent, although there weren't any coffee filters in the cabinet. The TV in the back room didn't work. When we checked the plug, the lights in the room began to flicker so we decided to stop touching it so we didn't inadvertantly start a fire or burn up the outlet. The shower heads were terrible, then internal doorway blocked the kitchen, the hot tubs were in a weird location that made you feel like you were "on-display" to everyone walking back and forth from their rooms. The pools were small, the overall layout of the lodge was ridiculous - a plethora of stairways (some that lead to nothing), elevated walkways that didn't have safety rails, walls of doors that were three-stories tall - we joked that David Bowie was going to pop out of a corner somewhere (if you've seen the movie Labyrinth).

There were only a few upsides- the indoor fireplace areas (little social areas) looked inviting, there was ping pong and fooseball, and there was a gas firepit by the outdoor pool. I appreciated having a balcony to get some fresh air too.

When we went to check out, we each wanted to pay our portion of the room but apparently my card was already charged before we checked out, so they had to figure out how to refund part of the room to my card and then charge the other people who shared the room.

If you come in with low expectations, you'll be fine. I assume the nicer lodges in the area are significantly...