Anvil Hotel — Hotel in Jackson

I previously stayed at the Anvil in 2020 and enjoyed my visit so I decided to book again for a three night stay last week. My experience this time around was vastly different. Upon arrival, check in was quick, easy and friendly. Afterwards, I grabbed my bags and made my way through the lobby toward room 109. Upon opening the door I immediately searched for a light switch to illuminate the dark, depressing, small space that I would avoid for the next few days, using it only for showers and sleeping.

After flipping the light switch, the fixture on the ceiling began to flicker and hum, barely adding any light to the dark room. I tried adjusting the dimmer switch only to find that it could be made darker but not brighter. Of course the only way to make the flickering stop was to dim down the light. Not good. I found another light over the headboard and turned it on. No change in the overall lighting in the room. I opened the curtains thinking the midday sun would help. It did not. As it turns out room 109 is in an outdoor hallway (no view, no sun). I requested a room change and was told there were no more single queen rooms available and all that were available were double queens - for an extra $100 per night. Given that I was already paying $220/night I decided to pass.

Fortunately I had brought a small flashlight with me and used it frequently, each night, throughout my stay. While using it during first night it occurred to me that perhaps they keep the lights so dim so as to obscure the stained and dirty bedspreads. It was late and the office was closed at this point so I ignored this figuring housekeeping would attend to it the next day.

Upon returning to my room the next day it was clear housekeeping had come and gone. The bed was made - with the same bedspread. There was a fresh towel provided. However, the old towel remained where it was left, the shower had dripped all day and the entire bathroom floor was wet. Dirty glasses were still on the sink counter, the trashcan was full, and the ice bucket contained water. Again, it was late, the office was closed why complain, I'm sure it was an oversight and the room would look better upon my return the next day. NOPE! The following evening I returned to my room exactly as I had left it, bed unmade, wet towels on a wet floor, trash overflowing in the trash can, dirty glasses remained stacked by sink.

I spent my days in the National Park and got up before sunrise and returned long after dark. I didn't visit Jackson for the hotel room experience and it is a good thing. The bed while soft and unsupportive, was comfortable enough to get some sleep in, the shower was hot in the morning, and the location is excellent. I'm undecided about staying here again in the future given the inconsistencies and would likely only recommend the hotel to someone looking for a relatively inexpensive (for the area) option near downtown Jackson where you can walk to just about any restaurant, bar, or shop you'd...

THIS REVIEW IS A GUIDE! I'll try my very best to not let it turn into hatemail. Keep these things I'm about to list in mind to help you with your stay in this hotel.

-There is a tray full of items such as chocolate bars, crackers, etc in the room -- Do not eat from it!! It is not free. You will be charged what I have heard is a hefty fee for it later if you do.

-You may need to book a room with two queens for your family.. don't. The rooms are not large enough to accommodate two queen sized beds. While getting out of bed in the morning, I cut my shoulder on the sharp wainscot trim they line the wall with, while squeezing between the second bed and the wall corner.

-In addition to the fee for the room, they will charge you a 100$ deposit which they will refund back to you if the room is undamaged. Bearing that in mind, The rooms themselves are very very fragile... If you have a toddler, you will likely lose that deposit. For example, below each bathroom sink, there are twin cupboard doors lined with a brass mesh screen. If you brush your knee against it, it will likely come loose. I had to DIY my way out of that situation and remount the mesh screen into the insufficient plastic wedges on the door.

-Their pricing system needs some adjustments. You will discover that their rooms charge $100 more than the neighboring hotel. If the Lexington is charging $120, The Anvil is charging $220 (With additional hidden fees). The Lexington has a nicer lobby, and from what I hear bigger rooms.

-That reservation is non-refundable. If you talk with them about the quality of the stay or the pricing system or a refund, they will talk in circles using corporate customer service psychology. Do not argue with them. You will lose and be depleted for your trouble.

-And finally, the quality of the stay. Once you look beyond the fresh green paint and the brass fixtures, you will realize that this is actually a normal older motel. From what I think I see, they didn't use proper mortar to tile the bathroom shower walls, they used stuck on tile. (The bathroom floor had real tile though) They also didn't use proper wainscoting trim, they used some kind of sharp 1x2 wood boards at 5' level, likely milled from a table saw from pine 2x4's, which is how I managed to cut my shoulder on it. They gave this place a cost-effective remodeling to help attract people who are willing to spend a little more money for a stylish stay in a busy, fun town.

-Another thing: if you give them your email address, they will send you emails with offers about their hotel. Try not to give them your email.

Let's all take our money elsewhere. We need to give them space to think. Other hotels need to be rewarded for ethical business practices. This hotel was likely some property developer's dream and has a lot of pride wrapped up in it. I had to let go of a lot of anger and forgive these people...

My husband has been staying at the Anvil every 3-4 years for about the last 35 years, and I have been coming for 23. It changed ownership some years ago and was “upgraded” to more modern look. The price has also increased by a lot, but we still stayed here for the nostalgia and the great location. This time when we checked in we found that another smaller motel behind the original had been acquired by the owner and our room would be in that building. That was fine. The room was significantly smaller than what we were expecting and the window air conditioner was very loud, but those are minor inconveniences that you encounter when you travel.

What was a major issue though was parking. Anyone who has been to this area knows it can be challenging to get a spot, but we were given a parking pass when we checked into the hotel and were told that if we had any trouble finding a spot at the hotel due to non-guests parking there to let them know and they would do all they could to help. There are signs in the parking lots saying parking is for hotel guests only and others would be towed. When we returned to the hotel from dinner we did in fact have that exact issue.

The first thing I did was go to the Glorietta restaurant which is right across the small parking lot from our room because we were told at check in that they are owned by the same person and were closely tied. The manager there was extremely rude saying, “That’s not us, talk to the Anvil” I explained that I had been told they were owned and operated by the same person. He said “same owner, different managers, that’s not our problem. Talk to them”. So I did. At the hotel desk the young lady was at least nicer about it but said “yeah… I’m sorry, parking is an issue, there’s nothing we can do” I told her we had been told at check in that if this happened they would do all they could to help, but she just said “I’m sorry, but I get off at 11pm and when I leave there are almost always spots so you should be able to park by then” I reminded her that we were paying over $500 a night in part so that we didn’t have this problem.

We have been staying at the Anvil for years for nostalgia and convenience, but on this trip I’m afraid both took a major hit and we won’t be staying there again.

On a more positive note, if you are in Jackson Hole be sure to eat at The Blue Lion! The food is excellent, the atmosphere is lovely and the...