Yellowstone Basin Inn — Hotel in Big Sky

We stayed 8/22 and departed 2/27/2023. I booked this place based on both of my children and their spouses having stayed previously, though they had stayed several years ago. Little did I know they are under different ownership now. While overall the place was nice there were a few issues that need improving. I asked my family about their experience and it was somewhat different. This is a bed and breakfast and I had high hopes for breakfast based on my family's previous experience, but we were disappointed. Blueberry pancakes and sausage were on the menu 3 of our 5 mornings. Instant oatmeal could be made and one type of cold cereal was available. While I don't drink decaf there was none available for those who may have wanted it. Also, no options for a sugar free sweetener for the coffee. While I realize this is a small operation there a few things that the owners should take into consideration when offering breakfast. A protein offering is perhaps needed for those who don't eat such a heavy carb breakfast. Coffee cake, pancakes, french toast, etc. are too much for my system. We opted to buy some pre-made hard boiled eggs at the ONE grocery store in town. We also bought sugar free sweetener and creamer. In addition, I was surprised that no small shampoo or body wash was provided. One bar of soap was at the sink in the bathroom. I purchased body wash (even the cheapest one was pricey) at the grocery. However, those items appeared on the 2nd day, so perhaps it was an oversight on the part of the staff for our first day. Since we flew to Montana I didn't carry those items with me on the plane. We were supposedly in an ADA room, but the shower head had NO adjustments. There was a bar with the sliding adjustment for a handheld shower head, but there was no such head. There was only a non-movable shower head. If you put the shower chair down the water splashed all over the chair and spilled into the room making the floor slippery. The ADA room needs to be re-evaluated. I asked about the heat in both the bathroom and the main room. She said she checked it and that it was working, but I put it at 80 degrees and the bathroom never got warm. While most days we had warm weather it went down into the low 50s at night and the bathroom became somewhat chilly. I have some muscle issues and don't like to take a shower in a cold room. Even with the door closed and running the heater in the main room we never had much heat. I wouldn't recommend relying on those heaters in really cold weather. Jeannette was helpful about some of the issues, but I frankly did not think it was appropriate to address the food problems because I believe she simply was unaware that some people might have diabetes or other health issues where she could have easily provided alternatives without one having to ask for them. We only had regular sugar in our room with the coffee provided. Perhaps this seems picky, but some of these things are simple fixes and I hope that the owner takes notes. The room and bed were basically comfortable and the TV and internet worked well, though we were usually gone most of the day exploring...

Yellowstone Basin Inn did Not Honor our 3rd party booking company (Booking.com) price. This is about a booking conflict so we haven't traveled yet...I planned our October 2020 trip the last part of June, to 5 states with 6 stays at various lodgings. I did it through booking.com (not calling lodgings directly). I researched many different websites looking for the best deals, and also checked for pricing on the lodgings websites and surprisingly all were within a few dollars between the sites. And of course in these trying times I chose them not for the cheapest but safest and for Covid cleanliness. I ended up going with the booking site to keep all the reservations easy and in one handy place. I contacted Yellowstone Basin Inn with an email last week to ask a question about the room I had booked. They replied stating that my booking company had charged me the wrong amount and that it would be double to have the same Deluxe King Suite. She also went on to tell me she had the same problem with the same room in the same month of October and that she had to call the people and explain the problem. I replied that it would have been nice to have received a call from her because if I hadn't contacted her with my question I would have been shocked when I had arrived. She repeatedly blamed the third party booking company and said the best she could do for the money was a 2 queen bed room. That is a HUGE difference between the two rooms. I asked her if the room we had booked was available and what the price would be, she never answered that question just offering me the standard 2 bed room, making me wonder if the room wasn't available. Now it is over a month from the time I had originally booked everything for our October trip. I looked back online for another place and everything has skyrocketed in prices. This leads me to think that people are becoming willing to travel (more than when I booked in June) and the Inn knows they are in more demand. Also, Gardiner in October is Elk Rutting Heaven and lodging is in high demand, hence why I booked so early. I also need to add that I called every other place we booked through the same third party booking website and ALL except Yellowstone Basin Inn was happy with our reservation. We eventually declined the offer of Yellowstone Basin Inn because at this time with the discord between us we did not feel welcome and we chose a lovely place in town on the river. I love Gardiner, MT in fact my deceased husband and I were married there and I chose YBI because it was near where we were married. I wanted to share the area and the memories with my friends. Lesson; ALWAYS check with each lodging to make sure you don’t have any nasty surprises when you arrive. Also, I expect to see a remark from YBI about this review because if you write a negative review she likes to bring up the Montana law about slandering a business. When I read those reviews I should...

I wasn't sure where to start my Yellowstone adventure, but I knew that I would be entering from the northern gate of Montana. After doing some research, I ended up deciding on staying at the Yellowstone Basin Inn. And I must say, I'm glad that I did! Danny and Jeanette are some of the most decent, kind, honest and hard-working people I've ever met. My room was immaculately kept. Cozy and rustic, it exceeded my expectations for what a country inn could be. Nestled in the Montana mountains, each morning I awoke to the view of a lifetime. The location itself was such a rejuvenating experience that at one point I found myself contemplating how I could live there permanently. Breakfast was held in a common-room-style cafeteria trimmed with cedar and rustic tables and chairs where all the other guests could mingle and enjoy a FANTASTIC breakfast cooked by Danny himself. Eggs, sausage, mountain chips (his own invention of thinly-sliced, specially seasoned fried potatoes) coffee cakes (and excellent country coffee to go with them) and other goodies. It was one of the best Inn breakfasts I've had in a long time, and I'm quite the seasoned traveler. At one point, during the last night of my stay, a traveler looking for lodging was hard-up for finding a place to stay for the night, and though the Yellowstone Basin Inn was full, Danny went out of his way to not only call ahead to several other inns to inquire for vacancy, but, when it became apparent that there was no way to find lodging, they ended up letting him stay in the back courtyard of the inn in a tent that the guy was planning on using once he got into the park. I was truly impressed with the generous and considerate character that Danny and Jeanette showed that man and their actions spoke volumes as to the quality of their values and concern for being truly hospitable innkeepers. They were always available at a moment's notice to address any questions or concerns that I had. I'll never forget my time spent at the Yellowstone Basin Inn, and I look forward to the next time I am able to visit and see their smiling faces once more, and that amazing view of the mountains to which their wonderful inn sits, perfectly nestled, in the middle of a view that needs to be seen to be believed, and even then you'll question if you're not in heaven. If you're considering the Yellowstone Basin Inn, do yourself a favor and reserve a room. You'll be...