Hotel Vermont — Hotel in Burlington

What an exceptional experience. My family and I have traveled many places around the world and stayed in everything from budget hotels to over-the-top exclusive resorts, and Hotel Vermont is easily among our most favorite stays. The ambience, the staff, the location, the cleanliness, the vibe and style of the place -- all 5 stars. Even the maintenance crew and the cleaning staff have been trained to be thoughtful and kind, asking us how our stay was going and whether there was anything we needed.

We stayed for a week on the 6th floor along with the rest of our small but extended family (ten in total) and our rooms had partial but generous views of Lake Champlain. The rooms were clean, tastefully appointed with local art and crafts (most of which was for sale -- very cool), and comfortable. The beds were fabulous (felt like you were sleeping on a firm but soft cloud -- apparently that's possible), the bathtubs were deep and long, and the sitting bench in front of the large window was a really nice touch. The color palette of the rooms and the minimalist design of the room furniture were, thankfully, totally un-hotel-ish (i.e. no multi-colored pastel bedspreads complimented by a reproduced "painting" of a mountain scene).

The turn-down service at night was unobtrusive and classy (the cookies from Hen of the Wood were to die for), and the morning and afternoon pastry/cheese service (only on the 6th floor) at the coffee bar by the elevators were fabulous. The whole hotel was impeccably clean, even the stairwells, which my kids and their cousins put to good use. Occasionally one of the elevators apparently had a gremlin take over operations because it would bypass floors that were selected and stop at floors that weren't (weird). But that only happened twice, and made for a good spook with the kids. The main floor lobby is very tastefully decorated, and sometimes musicians would set up and fill the lobby with music.

Juniper, the hotel's restaurant, is truly first-rate. The adults in the group took one night off from the kids (who stayed upstairs and ate pizza and watched movies) and had a long, leisurely dinner. From soup to nuts -- or more accurately, cheese plate to dessert -- the food was excellent. My brother and his wife are vegans, and all of us have lived around the world and know what good food is. Juniper makes it. The whole farm-to-table vibe of Burlington, in fact, makes for some pretty fabulous gastronomic excursions. I had the fried chicken with potato salad and greens, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that it was the best plate of fried chicken I've ever eaten (my father ordered the same thing and seconds my feelings). The meat was boneless and tender and buttery... really, if they're serving it, avail yourself of it. The service (Amerique was our waiter) was impeccable. I won't tell you what they comped because I don't suspect they do this on a regular basis, but let me just say it was generous (may have had something to do with the $6 grand we dropped in a week's time). Needless to say, it twarn't cheap, but it was worth every penny. You shouldn't stay at HV and not take advantage of Juniper. The bar, too, looks like a pretty popular watering hole for the young, well-heeled crowd (though this is Vermont, so "well-heeled" means something entirely different than what it might mean elsewhere).

And finally, the hotel staff. Sarach was the first to greet us and she set the tone. Cheerful, courteous, knowledgeable, and interested in us as more than simply another round of guests. Then came Misty, Tim (one of the very courteous and helpful managers), Corey (our intrepid special events guide who led us on a few fabulous excursions -- some more memorable than others), Peter, Eric(?)... and I got the chance to introduce myself to Hans van Wees, who manages the hotel, and to thank him in person for the impeccable service we received.

(Reviews like this look like they could be written in-house, but this is not one of those reviews. Hotel Vermont is top-notch and exceeded our expectations. Stay here....

My husband and I had wanted to get married at Hotel Vermont since we first visited in April of 2016. We had originally intended to host a traditional wedding, but in September we decided to scrap those plans and elope. Hotel Vermont offers an elopement package which includes accommodations for one night, a 6 inch cake from a local bakery, a bouquet and boutonnière from a local florist, a bottle of champagne, and the services of an in house officiant. We booked this package because it was amazing value, and we could exchange our vows at our dream venue. We were married on April 10, 2017 and it was the most amazing day.

The staff at the Hotel Vermont is exquisite. Debbie, the reservations manager, is so genuine and so kind. She made booking the elopement package, selecting our cake and flowers, and meeting the in house officiant easy and stress free. Cameron, the in house officiant, was so supportive and accommodating. He was so genuine and kind. Although our ceremony was short and sweet, he performed it flawlessly and it was so special to us. Unfortunately I can only remember the bellmen/valet's names, but everyone at the front desk was extremely kind, genuine, and helpful. Ethan and Nick, the bellmen/valets were extremely professional but also down to earth and kind. We've encountered Nick on all of our visits to Hotel Vermont and he is always so nice and friendly. The staff at Juniper is also out of this world.

Speaking of Juniper- the food is PHENOMENAL. I had a special roasted root vegetable salad as an entree and it was literally one of the best meals I have ever had. The veggies were cooked to perfection and the two sauces that were served alongside were devine. My husband's favorite dish is the grilled cheese which sounds ridiculous but it is truly an amazing grilled cheese! I will never be able to top it!

The ONLY negative comment I have to say is in regards to the housekeeping staff. Check out is 12:00pm. I had asked for a 1:00pm check out because my husband had a business call at 12:00pm and needed a quiet, private space to take the call. When we got back to our room around 10:30am, I did not put the deadbolt on the door because I didn't see the need to since check out wasn't for another 1.5 hours, and I thought that housekeeping would have been made aware that we had a late check out. At 11:45am, I heard a VERY light tap on the door, and before I could even get up (I was in bed, my husband was in the washroom), the housekeeper opened the door! I take responsibility for not locking the deadbolt at this point, but again- I really didn't think it was necessary. At about 12:20pm, while my husband was in the middle of his business call, we received another knock on the door. And again, before I could even get up, the housekeeper opened the door again! Neither of these times did the housekeepers announce themselves. I'm not upset that we received knocks on the door, as I understand housekeepers do not always know if there are guests in the room or if they have been given late check out. I work for a luxury resort and our housekeepers and maintenance staff do not enter a room until they announce themselves and wait a reasonable amount of time for someone to answer the door, if indeed there was someone in the room. I do not think it was reasonable to barge into a room without even giving me a chance to answer the door. Again, I didn't have the deadbolt locked or the do not disturb on the door, but I should have been given a chance to answer before the housekeepers unlocked the door. All that being said- I encountered the housekeeper named Andrew in the elevator a short time later and he was extremely apologetic for opening the door, and said that he had tried to contact the front desk and did not know we had requested 1:00pm check out. He felt very very bad, and was genuinely apologetic. This is legitimately the only negative thing that happened during our stay, but it is not something that will keep us from coming back because Hotel Vermont truly holds a special place...

Hotel Vermont is without a doubt THE BEST lodging (and dining!) experience in the Greater Burlington area. We have traveled to Vermont for the past 5 summers and stayed at Hotel Vermont for the past 3, and I can unequivocally state that Hotel Vermont is the GOLD standard when it comes to having an authentic, warm, comfortable Vermont experience when you visit. From the moment you walk through the doors, you are greeted by friendly staff that make it clear that your comfort and safety is a top priority. With recent changes due to COVID-19, I appreciated the time and care that Sara took upon our arrival to discuss the new safety measures that Hotel Vermont has taken, particularly as we were traveling with small children. We always felt 100% safe and it was clear that all staff members were providing best-in-class service with respect to overall cleanliness and social distancing measures.

The hotel itself is unique in its design and feel from the common areas to the individual rooms - a welcome change from the cookie-cutter/institutionalized decor of nearby big chain hotels. Hotel Vermont's partnerships with small, locally-owned Vermont business is what makes patronizing this hotel particularly enjoyable in that I know my dollars are supporting members of the community who work tirelessly to make Vermont the special place that it is. From the blankets and robes by Vermont Flannel Company to the locally sourced cuisine at Juniper bar and restaurant (and my daughter's favorite - the bath lotions and soaps from Lunaroma), Hotel Vermont provides an authentically Vermont experience.

If you are traveling with family, do yourself a favor and treat yourself to one of the suites at the hotel. We recently stayed in the Mount Philo suite (named for its amazing view of Mt. Philo in Charlotte) and my son commented that he hoped we could be quarantined in the suite indefinitely. With direct views of Lake Champlain from the jacuzzi tub, I could not have agreed more.

Our family will be staying at Hotel Vermont for as long as we have annual trips to Burlington. As you consider hotel options when visiting Burlington, think about those places with a genuine focus on providing a unique Vermont experience in coordination with local businesses and the community members who work there. Like us, Hotel Vermont will have you smiling the entire time and having you count the day until you return the minute...