Kohl's Ranch Lodge — Hotel in Four Corners States

Mixed feelings on my recent stay at this lodge. First the good: I thought overall it was a pretty good value for the money as the property was pretty, clean, scenic and peaceful. It is about 10-15 minutes beyond Payson which was fine for us as we like quiet and scenery. The efficiency studio was cozy and we felt comfortable.. however there were more than a few things that missed the mark. One thing is the towels were not clean. It was clear at least one hadn’t been washed due to a fresh stain but was hung neatly folded like it had. The other towels just didn’t feel clean - they felt grimy - but were also neatly hung - but we were brought fresh towels within 5 minutes of asking so we weren’t too upset. The second issue was a cup full of cigarette butts that had been left right outside our sliding door that we had to figure out how to dispose of. The rest of the room was very clean. The other issue was the heat source which was a heater blowing hot air positioned slightly above the bed so it blew directly on the bed which was just uncomfortable. Throughout the night there was a lot of turning it up, down, off, on etc because while we obviously wanted to be warm, no one likes a heater blowing hot air on their face from 4 inches away. We were not impressed with the poor attitude we received upon check in, being rushed through the process and then we were hit with the non refundable $20 resort fee (not disclosed upon making the non refundable reservation) and the completely ridiculous $200 deposit which would be released “once the housekeeper gets in the room and says it’s ok” but between them releasing the hold and my bank releasing it, they advised 5-7 days before it’s refunded so if you are on a tight budget please consider that. On to the morning of check out: the website advertised coffee in the lobby but you’d have better luck at the local gas station. It’s just a lever in the corner with one lukewarm coffee option, no cream and some sugar packets and tiny styrofoam cups. It’s just a small nicety that they could jazz up for a better experience. I don’t know about you but when I think of a “lodge” the best thing that comes to mind is the coziness of the lobby and hanging out there. They’re on the right track with big comfy chairs, games, big fireplace etc but they don’t make any effort to make it a place you’d want to be. It’s dark, mostly unheated so cold and they didn’t have the fireplace going on a Saturday when it was very busy and not even the next day when it was snowing! I can’t think of a better time to have it roaring. Instead it was freezing in there and the front desk person (on Sunday) was actually wearing her coat. They had the wood, and the means but just didn’t make the effort. We wanted to go have breakfast and then come back and relax and walk the property so we asked if we could check out a little bit late but of course the response was we could stay until 10:30 - which was only a 30 minute grace period - (Thats that’s the other thing..the very early check out of 10 instead of 11 like most hotels and the later time of a 4 pm check in time instead of 3) And if we stay any later they’ll charge our card for another night. I mean..really? The attitude like we’re squatters. We had already made the decision to stay another day in Payson due to the snow but we did not choose to stay here. So we left and happily went to another place who accommodated an early check in, great customer service and just an overall better attitude instead of treating us like we were just lucky to be there. I think overall, the type of room you stay in matters, maybe the customer service is better if you’re paying more, staying longer etc but we felt this lodge felt more like a corporate chain hotel experience than a cozy friendly “lodge”..in a small town. While we probably will not be back I wouldn’t say it was a terrible experience- it...

We stayed in cabin 206, a 2 bedroom Rustic Cabin on the property. Each room has 1 bed. Master has a queen size bed, and 2nd room has a full size bed. There is a small sofa in the living room with a pull out bed as well. The kitchen has all the amenities, 4 burner glasstop stove. Oven, toaster, 12 cup coffee maker with everything (i brought my own coffee from home), a very good size fridge/freezer (not a mini fridge), a Microwave, blender, pots & pans, mixing bowls, dishes, silverware, large cooking utensils, Bbq utensils, measuring cup & spoons, dish drainer, dish soap, a sponge, dish towels, paper towels, extra trash bags for indoor trash cans. There is a large back deck that faces the creek that has 2 rocking chairs a 4-chair table and your own gas grill is on the deck. The deck is enclosed to just your cabin and can only be accessed by the back door to your cabin. The sights and sounds of being creekside are AMAZING!

NOTE : They do have larger 2 bedroom cabins (creekside) that have 2 beds in 1 room and I believe a king bed in the master bedroom. The floorplan is larger. Those cabins have larger kitchens, more cabinets and countertops, they are assigned 300, 301, 302, etc, and will cost more than the cabin we stayed in.. They also have studio rooms, those rooms are not creekside. They also have Larger cabins, creekside, that accommodate larger groups.

There is a restaurant onsight. The food was pretty good & the staff was friendly. We had dinner there and the prices seemed comparable to the price we paid for dinner the 2nd night at nearby Payson (about a 20 minute drive). We stopped in Payson before we checked in and picked up breakfast & lunch groceries, along with snacks, Drinking water, etc.

There is a large playground onsight for children with swings, a slide, basketball court, large chess pieces area, horseshoe, corn hole area, miniature golf area, picnic tables, etc.

Throughout the property you will find A-frame swings and walking paths that are creekside. The property is kept pretty clean.

There is always room for improvement, so here goes...

Check-in is 4pm sharp. If you arrive early you can check in and are welcome to walk the property, use the playground, etc, but you will NOT get your assigned cabin & key until 4pm. No ifs, ands, or buts! I think staff should ease up that rule a bit. If you arrive early and there is a clean cabin available, they should assign a cabin to you and give you your key. The Front Desk staff was pretty nice, but should of given a better explanation of why we had to wait until 4pm. I also think the sight should offer a Military discount.

I think the cabins should have a screendoor on the back door, to prevent bugs from entering the cabin. I kept all my cabin windows open but kept my doors closed because no screendoor.

Just so happened that on our second day there... groundskeepers were either doing some repairs to the septic systems or just cleaning the septic systems and it happened to be right outside my front door (across the dirt road from my cabin) so the afternoon breezes from the front of my cabin were very unpleasant.

In order to keep the cabins and the decks more dust free, maybe the roads leading to the cabins should be paved, along with the parking areas.

Regardless, we had a very nice time at this location and we...

My family and I have stayed here twice now. The first time was in December and we had a great stay. The lodge was decorated beautifully for the holidays, the staff was super friendly, and they had lots of activities for kids. I especially liked how all of the staff took extra time with my then 2 and a half year old. They knew him by name, stopped and chatted for a minute, and even let him see the office. It was because of the great experience that we booked another stay for July. The issues started before we even arrived unfortunately. In my reservation I had listed the room number we stayed in the first time and asked for that room again if it was available. I called a week before check in to confirm our request was in the notes. (I fully understand it is only a request). Two days before check in the staff calls to confirm check in. I again ask about the room thinking it might be close enough to check in to confirm. I was told it was only a request but they would put us in a similar room near the one we wanted. After getting off the phone, I thought I should clarify that I didn’t just want a room “near” the room we wanted, but rather was concerned about having a room that opened out to the parking lot. The room we had before opened to the interior of the property and was safer for our now three year old. This time, I spoke to another person and was told for the first time that being put in the room we requested was not possible as I had booked a different room type. That was my mistake, I clicked the wrong room type when I booked. However, why was I not told that during the first two calls? I asked to change the reservation to the room type I wanted, but by then the hotel was full. At check in, the staff was no where near as friendly. The lady never even acknowledged my husband or our son (even after he said “hi” to her at least twice). The room was fine, we managed no problem, but it wasn’t anything much better than a Best Western. We were there four days and the friendliness of the staff never improved. Our other main complaint was that there isn’t anything for breakfast through the week. There is a restaurant on property, but it is only open for breakfast on the weekends. I asked the front desk person what the guests did for food and was told that they “sell eggs and things for guests who have kitchens in their rooms, Payson is only about 20 minutes away, or you can go to Christopher Creek about 4 miles up the road. I have been told they have a small store and maybe a restaurant that serves breakfast.” Really? Your lodge is in the middle of nothing with a restaurant on property and you don’t offer anything for the guests? Since I booked the wrong type of room, we did not have a kitchen so we went to Christopher Creek. They do in fact have places to get breakfast. So overall, not an impressive stay. We could have at least had breakfast had we actually stayed at the Best Western! I’m not sure it is worth the price to...