The Woodshed Lodge — Hotel in Jay

We called and booked a room several months in advance. We paid in full upfront. Got an email today saying they cancelled our reservation because they double booked us. They aren’t answering our phone calls so that we can clarify what happened or if there’s another room. It’s a small town with no where else to stay really so this is really disappointing.

Editing to add update: we were originally sent an email stating we were double booked due to errors with the online system. (We booked by phone.) they offered to give us a 25% discount if we come another night. Our travel dates aren’t flexible so that won’t work for us. I wrote this review where I made no false claims whatsoever, simply gave people a heads up that it may not be the most reliable with booking.

The business owner then emailed my husband asking him to take the review down because they need to maintain their 5 star rating. The business owner also responded to this review as you can see. He is accusing me of being someone who gives negative reviews of small business for fun. Anyone who looks at my reviews can see I simply share my own experience with a fair mix of good and bad. The business owner(s) then stated that it was actually canceled because of the storm that came through and attempted to make me look like a jerk for holding storm damage out of their control. But that was never communicated until after I wrote a public review. My husband and I did not respond to this email because we felt there was no positive way forward and it was a bit aggressive.

So a couple hours later one of the business owners found us both on our personal Facebooks and sent us a longer message even angrier where they used curse words and explained it’s been a hard year and they feel entitled to us removing the review so they can maintain 5 stars. Owner explained that I am “nasty and hurtful” that I “ruined their business reputation”, “kicked them in the gut when they were already down”, and that I did it all over one night being canceled that “didn’t ruin my winter” so there’s no reason for me to “exact revenge.” Their property looks beautiful and is in a place with steady winter sports tourism - so I’m sure that one bad review couldn’t possibly ruin a business reputation for a business that is so well loved, so I do not know why they feel they need to bully us into removing my review.

I’m continuing to not respond to them further at this point because I feel the way they are acting is very unprofessional and inappropriate. There’s a right way to reach out to people to ask them to reconsider a review and a wrong way. I have changed or updated reviews when asked respectfully to do so and if an update in the customer service led me to feel it was merited. But instead we have been getting sent multiple angry and unprofessional messages/emails in the middle of a work day simply because I dared to share that we had our booking canceled on Google reviews. At this point I am thankful we are not staying here because how quickly they spiraled and started calling me names does not sound like an environment I would find welcoming. Best of luck in your...

Oh man, where to begin?!

We chose The Woodshed to host the reception for our baby’s baptism, about 25 people, including kids and babies. My husband and I live Jay and have passed the Woodshed sign countless times, not knowing what a gem it was until my father-in-law stayed there last month. The Woodshed has the charming, rustic, down-home vibe you’d come to expect from a BnB in an old (and small) ski town. The decor boasts many cool artifacts and Knick knacks, old ski boots used as planters, real art on the walls, beautifully maintained old wood and the like. It’s really such a treasure!

From the very beginning, Stephanie and Vero (the live-in innkeepers) were just wonderful. They handled all of the catering, and the food was raved about for weeks by all our guests. They sourced everything locally and prioritized supporting local farmers and businesses, which was really important to us. And as such (of course) the meal was exceptional. Vero built a custom outdoor wood-and-brick grill to grill the meat that came fresh from the farm down the road, made homemade tarts from berries picked in the property just great stuff.

The outdoor space is gorgeous and well-maintained while still preserving its wild charm - eye-popping greenery and old growth forest all around. Exactly what people travel that far north for.

We have heard rumors (it’s a small town after all), that the new owner wants to renovate and make it more modern, even has plans to develop the surrounding land and has cut old trees already. This seems like a HUGE mistake, the only thing lacking at The Woodshed is a good marketing campaign to get the word out about this hidden gem! I know my local friends who attended my party are already hoping to books events of their own now that they know about it. And, as someone who lives here, I know the idea of more failed development and degradation of the land will definitely not go over well with locals. Hoping the owner just decides to sell it to someone who can cater to the needs of our small community (while still being viable as a tourist spot of course) and respect the land. People from small towns know, local buy-in will make...

Left on March 18 after a fabulous 6 night stay. The Woodshed is well-kept Vermont nostalgia. The furnishings are so relaxed and cozy - I felt transported to the vintage era of an authentic Vermont inn. Ed and Sharon are exceptional hosts - quiet and smiley, but great conversationalists if you want to chat. My routine was perfect - in the morning, I wandered to the breakfast room to sit in front of the well-stoked pot belly stove with a fresh cup of local roasted coffee. The baking was incredible - everyday there was a new fresh baked creation - maple scones, triple berry muffins, blueberry crumble and fresh fruit. There was a constant restocking of the cookie jar too - spice cookies, butterscotch, chocolate chip. My husband and daughter would wander down a little bit later for their hot breakfast - they had every item on the menu and loved each of them. We based ourselves out of Stateside Lodge at Jay Peak - easy parking, lots of cubbie storage for extra gear and zero line-ups. Given that Jay is a spread out resort, driving the 6 minutes from the Woodshed was not inconvenient and we reached the lifts faster than our friends who stayed in on mountain condos. At the end of the ski day there was endless hot water for a shower. We usually had a relaxing evening - sitting in the hot tub, reading in the loft, watching Netflix in the living room or playing cards in the breakfast room. Because we ate a big breakfast and a late lunch on the mountain and ate Ed's cookies - I wasn't really hungry for a large meal in the evening, so we ate our favourite grocery store items - cheese & crackers, prepared salads or chips and salsa. I absolutely recommend...