Fair Hills Resort — Hotel in Detroit Lakes

While there is wifi, there's no TV. Wise parents who collect cell phones and electronic games are giving their children an extraordinary experience: Fair Hills will take them and all of us back to a simpler time where you communicate and enjoy life on a level not possible back home in the world of constant electronic noise. My husband and I were children in the 1950's and last week we felt we were able to reach back in time and not only visit those simple pleasures again but also share it with our grandchildren. Fair Hills has captured the magic of that 1950's "going off to summer camp" feeling -- boating around the shore, swimming in the lake, the sweet feeling of morning grass wet with dew on bare feet, the evening stars and call of the loons, it's all there for the taking. We (our troop of grandparents, parents, nieces, nephews, lots of young cousins) just got back from a week's stay yesterday. The Minnesota weather was cool and pleasant and Fair Hills, since it's beginning in 1926, is dependably wholesome offering many dollops throughout each day of old fashioned pleasures and camp activities -- from group activities for young children (4 to 8) to pre-teens to teens there's something interesting going on (arts & crafts, tennis, golf, boating, lots of etc). And moms, No cooking! The bell ringing at the dining hall signals another bountiful feast is ready -- usually a little menu is presented at each sitting for individual selections but there are also good surprises like a fantastic grilled picnic outside one day, a smorgasbord another day -- always fresh fruits, soups, lots of breads to go along with the entrees and Fair HIll's famous cinnamon buns (don't get me started on how melt in your mouth those are!). The lake is beautiful and inviting, there's lot of watercraft to use, some to rent (can be reserved ahead) -- there's just so much to do (or not, just relax and read by the lake, listen to the chirping of many birds, rabbits coming out early morning and evening, chipmunks skittering, red squirrels hopping) -- the staff is phenomenal, they are from different countries as well as nearby, multi-talented -- the cellist at happy hour you might encounter running the lobby desk, that marvellous singer at the Hootenanny, wow today he's cleaning your room! There's a lovely playground for little ones, a sparkling swimming pool, a meadow where our grandchildren made new friends throwing a frisbee (they ran til their sides hurt with joy). I hope I've painted the picture I intended -- the only thing that's keeping me from being sad about leaving is the reservation we made...

So this isn't exactly about a stay but about the wedding planning I attempted to do with Fair Hills.

Back in November 2019 when I began looking at venues, it seemed that I struck gold when I found sister resorts Five Lakes and Fair Hills. They were affordable, in the right location, and SUPER accomodating! My coordinator, Rebecca, was the absolute best and I was thrilled. The contract was signed and plans were underway.

Then about two months ago, I received an email from Rebecca telling me that she was moving on and there would be a new coordinator taking her place. From there, things started going downhill. The new coordinator, Liz, was almost impossible to get ahold of and when I finally did, she seemed to have no clue going on. With increasing frustration, I turned to the Five Lakes liaison, Marlette, who seemed to know more about our plans. It initially seemed just like your usual bumpy transition between personnel until I received an email from Marlette stating that it would easier for the resort if I moved my ceremony to a different site. I immediately scheduled a time to go view the other ceremony sites and realized right away that none of them were comparable to the site that I had already chosen (and paid for!) I let Liz and Marlette know that I would still like to stay at that location. About a week later I received an email stating that Marlette had gone ahead and rented out my ceremony site to a different party. I immediately reached out, sure that there was just some sort of confusion but they confirmed that they had done exactly that. If I still wanted to get married at the resort I would not be able to do it in the location that I had reserved and paid for. When I brought up the contract, they claimed they had never received it. (I have a copy)

After much ado, and involving my mother in law (bless her heart) the resort, while they would not admit fault or that they broke contract, agreed to refund our deposit. Mind you- this all took place about a MONTH AND A HALF before my wedding.

Due to COVID-19 this is an already stressful time to plan a wedding. I thankfully was able to find a venue to fill my needs and am expecting have a beautiful day despite these hurdles. That being said, I wouldn't want another bride or groom to experience this sort of stress, hence this post. Best of luck to all you and...

My family has been coming to Fair Hills for decades, and it has long been one of our only shared traditions. I returned this year after a few years away, hoping to reconnect with something special from my childhood. Sadly, the experience was frustrating and disappointing.

When we arrived, our cabin was dirty. Used towels were on the floor, trash from previous guests was left outside the door, and there were no clean towels or soap. We did not receive basic supplies until more than a day later. The cabin also had a carpenter ant infestation, these ants were crawling all over my bed biting me.

Housekeeping has been cut back to once a week. Daily housekeeping was unnecessary, but cutting another thing added to the overall feeling that services across the resort have declined. Meals were another letdown. Breakfast and lunch are now buffets with stale or low-quality options. Even the cinnamon rolls were hard and dry. Dinner is still a sit-down meal, but we routinely waited 15 minutes or more before anyone came to our table. One night we waited 45 minutes with no service and were simply told, “We’re short-staffed.”

It is clear that a lot of corners are being cut, and unfortunately, those cuts seem to affect staff and guests the most. Meanwhile, the owner and her extended family appeared to enjoy the full resort experience without any of the downsides. We even heard that staff members, who already pay for room and board, were being charged extra to eat a simple meal with visiting family.

It is heartbreaking to see how much this place has changed. Fair Hills used to feel like a thoughtful, community-oriented place. Now it feels like a business that is coasting on nostalgia while quietly removing the very things that once made it meaningful.

I hope things improve, but based on this visit, I cannot recommend it. That is something I never thought...