Tahoe Sands Resort — Hotel in Incline Village-Crystal Bay

DO NOT BOOK HERE - CANCELED OUR RESERVATION LAST MINUTE AND THEY ARE S-H-A-D-Y

Back on March 4 I booked two nights at Tahoe Sands for June 29-July 1. A few days before our arrival date (June 24), I see an email that our room has suddenly been canceled "due to a gas pipe repair" and a phone number I can call for more details.

So I did. But what I got was the run-around, and blatant lies. The first thing they told me was "yes, we have to repair a gas line, so we've had to cancel all reservations." To this I replied "So if I show up on June 29, nobody will be there?" Then they changed their answer: "No, some people will be here. There are still SOME reservations, but only for members." (this completely contradicts what they had just said) So I said "So you have a dangerous gas leak -- and it's not going to be fixed for another week? And you are still going to allow people to be there during this time?" And they said "Look, there's nothing I can do, it's county orders that we cancel reservations."

I hung up, but the more I thought about it, none of it made sense. So I decided to call back and ask for more information about this "county order" to cancel our reservation. When I got through, I said "I'd like to inquire about the gas leak" and they said "What's the name on the reservation?" I said "Why do you need my reservation info to guide me to the county department that forced you to cancel reservations?"

They wouldn't tell me anything until they looked up my reservation info. Now... why would this be? Why demand my name and reservation info before giving me information about the gasline status?

I said "I'd like the name of the county department that made this order, and their phone number." The line got quiet for a while, as the woman on the other end went somewhere and spoke to somebody. Then she came back and simply gave me the main number for Placer County (no department, no additional info.) I said "Thank you. I'm going to look into this, and may be contacting some news reporters about this."

"What? Are you a journalist or investigative reporter?" Her voice suddenly sounded nervous for the first time. I told her I was not, but that I will be looking into things and reporting the situation to the BBB (which I have now done) and leaving bad reviews.

Well, I have contacted Placer County and have not heard anything about this so-called "mandate" to "cancel all reservations" (which they did not even do, so that right there was a lie.)

Due to their last-minute cancellation, we had to book a place all the way on the other side of the lake (about an hour away, which is the only reason I didn't actually drive there on the 29th and take photos/videos to document the situation), and it cost us an additional $179.

Think this is just a freak occurrence? Nope... a Yelp review by Chrissy D. on 5/22 shows that they did the exact same thing to her. And a review on Google by Debbie Brown says they did a similar thing to her a month ago. A TripAdvisor review in May 2019 said theirs was canceled because "room 215 burned down."

This is not a one-time thing. It's a pattern. Each time, they claim there is some sort of "emergency" that has occurred or needs to be dealt with. If this place is falling apart that badly, perhaps it needs to be redflagged/condemned.

But it's something I'm going to get to the bottom of. Perhaps a court-ordered subpoena of their bookings and accounts would do the trick?

AVOID THIS ESTABLISHMENT...

I needed to find accommodations for what would be my first return to the Tahoe Film Fest since before the pandemic. This was also my very first time staying at non-chain hotel when visiting for the festival, and the first room I've stayed at here that has a lakeside view.

Check-in at the front desk was quick, easy and welcoming. They provide a map of the premises and a sheet with complete info including a number that you text in case you need anything. You also text that same number for easy check out.

I booked a second-floor studio that has a simple 3-digit combination lock. The room itself was a perfect size for me, with a spacious mirrored closet at the entryway, a sofa and coffee table, dining table and a very comfortable Murphy bed. There's also a good-sized TV, which I didn't use all that much since I spend more time online. The balcony had a couple of chairs and a table where you can enjoy the view of the lake with a nice drink. On one of my afternoons, I had the pleasure of watching a flock of geese grazing in the central yard down below.

My favorite feature was arguably the most well-equipped kitchenette I've seen in a hotel room. It had a spacious refrigerator-freezer, 2-burner induction stove and oven, a relatively new over-the-range Whirlpool microwave, automatic dishwasher, sink, coffee maker, and all the pots, pans, glasses of all types, dinnerware and utentils that you'll need. There's a Safeway conveniently located less than a mile-and-a-half down the road, so I stocked up for my stay.

The bathroom was nice and clean, with ample counter space adjacent to the sink. The oil rubbed bronze fixtures added a nice touch. The shower booth has one of those single handles which, unlike others that can be confusing when trying to figure out what position is hot or cold, turned a little less than 180 degrees. So the right temperature was very easy to find, and there was plenty of hot water. I should warn, however, that the booth itself is relatively small and could feel cramped for those who might be on the larger size or who are over 6 ft. tall. Larger ones are probably available in the one-bedroom or condo.

There were only a couple of other items that needed to be addressed. The room's heater was old and didn't function that well, but their friendly maintenance guy promptly brought over a portable that heated the entire room nicely. The window to the bathroom had some spider webs in the corner, so it apparently hadn't been cleaned in a while.

As I previously mentioned, I followed the instructions on the sheet when texting to check out. No need to go to the front desk. I just loaded my luggage into the rental car and headed back to the Reno airport. Easy peasy.

While my stays at most of the other hotels here were positive and had friendly staffs and clean rooms, something about Tahoe Sands Resort made the experience feel more personable. Not to mention, the rates were fairly reasonable. Some of the features such as the heater could use an upgrade, but those minor issues won't keep me from staying here again...

Location The resort is ideally situated right next to Lake Tahoe, offering a fantastic location if you're looking for easy access to the lake. It's a beautiful spot, and the area is serene. It’s also conveniently located for winter activities. If you're into skiing, the resort is a good driving distance from Diamond Peak, which is a lovely ski area that I highly recommend.

Staff and Service The staff at Tahoe Sands Resort are genuinely friendly and welcoming. From the moment I arrived, they greeted me with warm smiles and were always eager to help. I can't say enough about how nice and accommodating they were.

The Room Unfortunately, the room left much to be desired. The size was very small and outdated, which was a bit of a disappointment. There was no mat or rug by the entrance to catch snow or dirt, which made the floor get dirty quickly. The room felt cramped, and it could use some modernization and a thorough deep clean.

The dishwasher had visible debris inside, which was concerning. I ended up having to run it a couple of times just to get it clean.

Kitchen and Amenities The kitchen area had an electric stove, but no oven. Although I knew about this in advance, I hadn’t fully anticipated how difficult it would be to cook without an oven, so I would recommend other guests to be aware of that if they plan on doing any substantial cooking during their stay.

The fridge also had missing inner parts, which made it hard to organize food and drinks properly. It was a bit inconvenient and didn’t feel like a well-maintained appliance.

Convenience There’s a Safeway nearby, which made grocery shopping easy. There’s even a Starbucks inside the Safeway, which was a nice touch for those who want a quick caffeine fix.

The Resort Fee The biggest downside to my stay was the resort fee. It’s about $26 per day, which I found unreasonable given the state of the resort. For such a small, outdated place with limited amenities, this fee felt excessive. To give some perspective, I’ve stayed at places like the Grand View Hotel in Las Vegas and Pagosa Springs Resort, both of which charge much lower resort fees (around $50 per week) but offer far better and more modern amenities. The fact that Tahoe Sands is charging a daily resort fee (over $200 for the week) for what feels like a budget motel experience really soured the value proposition.

Room Placement Another gripe I had was being placed in the condo-style rooms rather than the individual cabins. From what I could tell, the place wasn’t packed, so I don’t understand why I wasn’t given a cabin. This was a little frustrating, especially since the condo-style rooms were so cramped and outdated.

If you're looking for a budget-friendly, no-frills place to stay near the lake and ski areas, it could work, but I wouldn’t call it a "resort" experience by any means. I would probably not stay here again, especially considering the high resort fees and the lack of value compared to other places...