The Cliff Lodge — Hotel in Cottonwood Heights

At a glance: Basically an overpriced Holiday Inn Express. Confusing layout, rude staff/ not enough staff, damaged shower, filthy guest drinking glasses, terrible beds, disappointing room service, housekeeping never came, and loud heater in room.

We stayed here off season for an event at the lodge. Upon arrival we found our room to be disappointing with all the issues. The showers had black mold growing in it and the shower ceiling was cracking with pieces filling off.

The glasses provided in the room were filthy. The heater that was in our room wouldn't shut off and made loud crackling noises all night. We were there in Sep. and there was no need for the heater, however it wouldn't shut off.

We ordered the overpriced room service one morning for breakfast. I ordered the Mountaineer Breakfast plate, and my husband ordered the French toast for 16.00. the French Toast meal was only 5 pieces of cold bread with a tiny garnish of berries ( 3 or 4 berries), and they only supplied us with one very small syrup packet- not enough to eat with. My breakfast was very cold and my "toast" that came with the meal was just a piece of bread.

They had one housekeeper for our entire floor and she didn't make it to our room because she was working so hard to go down the line and clean them all by herself as quickly as she could. this of course was not her fault, but whoever is in charge of staffing screwed up big time since there were several large groups staying at the hotel with not enough staff.

The visual appeal of the room was great, the color scheme was very nice as well as the view. The beds were very uncomfortable, they were far too soft for me.

As for the layout of the hotel, it was like trying to get through a maze to find the restaurants, game room, the front desk and to get back to your room. We ended up walking around the outside of the building several times to find the front entrance to get back to our room because it was too hard to find it inside. We also had a group of less mobile people and it was a nightmare for them as well since the elevators are in very inconvenient locations. Not a friendly location for anyone with mobile issues.

The staff at the front desk and concierge were polite and nice. The valet team were a bunch of stuck up dbags. They were rude about our bags and us having to park close to load up our car. there was no other cars in the valet lane and we pulled off out of the way and they had a fit and told us to park down further a ways and we only could park there for 5 minutes. We had our 6month old with us, it would take us .more than 5 min to load all of our stuff, plus the kids gear and get situated.

They also didn't have enough staff to wait on people at any of thier resturants. We went to El Chanate and the hostess advised us that we would have an hour wait as they didn't have enough staff. He said that if they don't have many reservations by 6pm they send half of thier staff home. But yet they said they don't take reservations when we called in to make them. so lots of misinformation and lack of staff.

We ended up leaving a day early because our experience was quite horrible.

We did enjoy the activities down near the alpine slide, Tram ride and many more activities.

The best thing to do was the Tram to the top ( the Tram operator was rude about me taking my stroller on the lift. But the Tram was not full and I had medical equipment with me so there was no way I was leaving my stuff regardless of what he said.) The view was spectacular!!!! We got to experience traditional German horns at the top for the Oktoberfest.Amazing experience.

Overall we won't ever stay at this place or recommend it to anyone ever. The activities were fun so it is worth the drive to come up and do those, but stay away...

I have been going to Snowbird and staying at the Cliff Lodge for 30 years. I think I have stayed 9-10 times, usually for 5-7 days. My last visit, in late January, will be my last. Here is why:

I know the hotel well and the rooms. Somewhat dated (built 50 years ago) but actually not bad and very unique architecture. Big rooms, hooks for ski clothes, absolutely fine. And Snowbird is absolutely one of my favorite mountains in Utah, and the world.

The level of service is below that of many Holiday Inns. From the front desk to the concierge to the restaurants it's as if their people have no training. I understand it is hard to get good people but that does not absolve you of your need to train and monitor them properly. Examples: a. Checking in, I was dealing with the ski concierge (downstairs) Girlfriend (with my credit card) goes to check in and is met with "I'm sorry I can only deal with the cardholder". Well, he's right downstairs, here is his card, he'll be right up in minutes, I understand you might want to verify this before handing me the keys but can't you begin the process? "No". Also, no acknowledgement that I was a recurring guest who had been there many times before (I contrast this to hotels in Europe where the front desk greets you by name and the bartender remembers what you drink). b. Checking out, interrupting girl surfing on her phone, "I'd like to check out, room 714. Girl "OK". No "how was your stay", no " was everything satisfactory, nada. Zilch. Pathetic. c. Asked for a late checkout - "no". Not, "let me look Mr. Shipman, oh, I'm so sorry we have a very large group arriving and we need the room." Just - "no". And the maids were literally instructed to bang on the door at 11! And according to the maid they were 1/3 full and not expecting to be full. Just weird in my book. c. The setup at Snowbird is there are 4 restaurants. The fancy one, at the top of the Cliff Lodge, has food about the equivalent of dining in a hotel restaurant in a Marriott in Omaha. Bland, pre-cooked and uninspiring. Walking to the desk for my reservation 3 people. One on the phone, 2 talking to one another. I stood there, pleasant look on my face, for more than a minute (I checked my watch) before saying "excuse me" at which point the woman on the phone said "just a minute" while the other 2 kept talking to one another. Just acknowledge that I'm there and you see me. Again, no training.

The restaurant on the ground level, Seventy One, is inferior to an Applebees and serves frozen pizza with the cheese unmelted even after asking for it to be reheated. It's not that hard to make good pizza. It's really easy. Nothing was fresh nothing was good. Whoever is managing these restaurants may have "experience" from a fast-casual type establishment but for crying out loud hire a real chef. Let a pizza guy from SLC open a second location with a break on the rent. Anything but this.

The Steak Pit is my favorite, but even there the meat was not even close to a prime steakhouse and the baked potato, on both visits, was lukewarm to cold.

The online reviews for the Wildflower were so bad my girlfriend wouldn't go so I don't know.

In the years before this, I would get a great rate - $400 or $500 with two free lift tickets bringing the price down to $200 or $300 which is right for what it is. This time I paid $750 a night with no lift tickets. Maybe I just missed the deal but absolutely overpriced, and the fact that the hotel was 1/3 full the day we checked out tells me others have figured it out. Because this is ski in and ski out at SNOWBIRD for crying out loud. This place, well managed, shouldn't have an empty room January-March. Oh...

I recently had the opportunity to stay at The Cliff Lodge at Snowbird Ski Resort, a property that was originally built in the 70s and has enjoyed some updates over the years. However, despite these renovations, it falls short when compared to other hotels in terms of amenities and value for money.

Let's start with the service, which was a major letdown. From the moment we arrived, we encountered staff who seemed poorly informed about the resort's offerings. Simple inquiries about the restaurant schedules were met with vague responses, and it was clear that the staff lacked comprehensive knowledge. This was frustrating, especially given the resort's reputation and pricing. At this price point, I expected a level of customer service that just wasn't there.

The room itself was one of the more expensive and upgraded options available, but it lacked several basic amenities that you would expect. There was no pen or paper for writing notes, which is a small detail that goes a long way in creating a hospitable environment. Additionally, the room was equipped with an outdated basic cable television setup, limiting our viewing options. In this day and age, having access to streaming services like Netflix or Amazon Prime is almost a standard expectation. We found ourselves needing an HDMI cable to connect our own devices, and even then, the concierge did not have any available for borrowing. This added to the feeling that the room was overpriced for what we received.

While the physical aspects of the resort were somewhat lacking, the surroundings were undeniably beautiful. The Snowbird area is stunning, and the views from the hotel are breathtaking. However, as picturesque as the location is, it doesn't quite make up for the inadequacies found inside the hotel.

Dining options at the resort were another point of contention. We attempted to dine at several of the on-site restaurants, only to find them closed or operating on limited hours without prior notice. This was incredibly frustrating, and when we inquired with staff, the responses were often confused and unhelpful. For a resort of this caliber, a more organized and informative approach to dining should be standard.

In terms of pricing, The Cliff Lodge is significantly more expensive than many other hotels in the area, which further highlights its shortcomings. For the price paid, I anticipated a higher level of hospitality and a more modern room equipped with the latest amenities. Instead, I found myself feeling like I wasn't getting my money's worth.

Overall, The Cliff Lodge at Snowbird Ski Resort provides a mediocre experience masked behind a luxurious facade. The lackluster service, outdated room amenities, and overpriced nature of the resort made my stay less enjoyable than I hoped. While the location is beautiful and ideal for ski enthusiasts, the hotel itself leaves much to be desired. If you're considering staying here, just be prepared for a level of service and amenities that do not quite align with the pricing. I would recommend exploring other accommodation options in the area unless proximity to Snowbird's slopes is your...