Crater Lake Lodge — Hotel in Klamath Falls

It's not about the hotel, is it? Crater Lake is a wild place, with dark history and dark legends of mysterious forces. I don't believe in any of that, but there was a weird vibe this whole weekend. In all fairness, it snowed overnight on July 10th (approx 3 inches), and they cancelled a lot of tours. It likely impacted the entire operations of the hotel in ways I cannot begin to conceive, but it was an annoying madhouse, and not very "National Park-y". But the issue here is, after staying in multiple Xanterra properties all within a string of 3 weeks, this one stands out as an outlier to the experience of hospitality that Xanterra is trying to accomplish. Even an experience with management was antithetical and far more awkward than it should have been, but it just seems to be a local staffing issue. I am the first to defer to the complexity of running a seasonal spot, where capital improvements are likely a scheduling, budgeting, and planning nightmare... or where hiring people for a 3-5 month season has got to be insanely difficult. But Glacier and Yellowstone were operating at a different level, from product to service, and that's just fine. But just adjust your expectations. You would hear staff mingling at the desk and chatting at volume about guests, issues, casual conversation, etc. The main lobby is wildly impacted, and they do their best to service the MASSIVE influx of random tourists that come in to visit. The issue is likely identifying guests who are enjoying the place, waiting to check in, or just wanting to relax in the public areas (because the rooms are the definition of paired down) vs tourists passing through, and it might make the employees jaded. The lobby servers are inundated from the morning rush on the complimentary coffee, to the irish coffees and wine being ordered throughout the day. It's likely an issue of space, vs staffing. The staff was friendly, and eager, but not very well trained. The dining room staff had some Xanterra veterans, who stood out and truly made our dining experiences, vs some seasonal locals who were poorly trained and disconcerting. The hotel felt dark and somewhat run down, but again, I need to defer to the odd weather. The view room was fine, but even on the 2nd level people could peer in and observe us from the path that was right out the door. The rocking chairs, outside, are fantastic, but service is a bit slow. The hiking trails will undoubtedly bring out your vertigo, and I have to say this place WAS INSANE. I would search the history of deaths in the park. From the natives who say there's weird energy in the area, to the bizarre stories, it will make for some wonderfully sleepless nights. I have nothing but respect for them, but the seasonal staffs lack of training and general awkwardness alters this national park experience. I am being FAR too critical, because of the respect I have for what they do... but just alter your expectations a bit if you've been to other Xanterra or National Park properties, and go out and...

I would NEVER chose to stay here again unless there were no other options. In fact, there are no other options other than camping. We had reserved a deluxe room. We were put in a standard room. We were so late upon arrival that I didn’t notice until the morning. Our room could have been the model for their standard room on their website. When I complained, the front desk person in the morning shrugged his shoulders. I waited for his manager. She told me that all rooms facing the lake were deluxe. I showed her the website on my phone. “Oh” was all she could muster. She said the room categories were based on size. I think the only smaller room I have ever been in was in Fukuoka in Japan. She relented, said she would talk to the website developer (that will never happen) and offered a 10% discount. The standard room was far less than just 10% but I let up be. In fact, she only gave us a 5% discount!||The room was tiny. Sink in the bedroom. There was a small desk but it had so much stuff on it that it was almost unusable. There was about 18 inches between the side of the bed and the wall. No dresser. 4 hooks at the door to hang clothes but no closet. One chair stuffed into a corner. You could sit in the chair (we couldn’t because we used it for clothes) and put your feet up on the bed. The aisle between bed and chair was almost non-existent. No place for luggage. The room had a nice view over the lake but it was right above the terrace. The noise level was LOUD until about 11PM. The door did not close properly. There was no maid service (they said they would if we requested. We did but it never happened).||The dining room is a joke. We did eat there the first night at 9:15PM (had a reservation for 7PM but our plane was badly delayed and they said they were full for the remainder of the evening when we called). The restaurant did empty out. Not sure why they wouldn’t let us know that to allay our stress. We tried to eat there the second night but it was “full.” We were supposed to eat at Annie Creek but it was about 15 min away by car and was no better. We put our name on the list to eat in the dining room. After about 1/2 hour, we just ordered from the VERY limited bar menu. We were ultimately told they had a table for us at 9:35PM (4 hours after we put our name in). There are no other options for food. The gift shop “cafe” close at 5PM. The restaurant was also understaffed. Breakfast is supposed to open at 7AM. One morning we were told it wouldn’t open until at least 7:30AM (if we were lucky) due to staffing issues.||Parking is a major issue. The traffic in and out is abysmal. It is at the end of the road through the Rim Village. It can take 1/2 hour to go the 1/2 mile from the turn off to the hotel. And then insufficient parking. ||In short, this is the only hotel in the park or even near the park. If you can't make Crater Lake a day trip from Medford,...

We paid $277 for a room “with a lake view” and it was a tiny window that looked at some trees. The shower curtain was covered in disgusting pink and black mold, the towels had stains on them, the bed linens are rough and it was a queen bed. The room was small. The carpet is dingy and gross, the lamp shade looked like a Goodwill reject in tatters. There is nowhere to eat but the restaurant in the lodge and the small walk up counter in the gift shop that sells hot dogs and nachos. No one told us you should make reservations for the dining room so we arrived at 9pm starving after a day of exploring to find they told us they wouldn’t seat us till 9:45pm. No problem we’ll order in the lounge seats. Nope. At dinner a mouse ran around under the tables, the entrees cost $36- $48 (?!?!) and the lighting and decor in the dining room is awful. I repeat a mouse was running around under our feet the entire meal. (?!?!) Everyone saw and freaked out. Every table around us was upset. My partner hates rodents and we kind of think they should not be where we eat. I know. Asking too much.

The bed is hard as a rock and the sheets are super scratchy. The pillows are tiny. There is an old fan in the corner and I guess that is our A/C? Because for some reason the room was hot even though the air outside is cold and the window was wide open, thermostat turned to cold.

Do not waste your money. Choose literally anywhere else. Bring food. Heck, cook on a camp stove. Sleep in a camper van and you’d have better amenities. The room has no mini fridge, no microwave, and tiny cheap toiletries. The decor in the room looks like it hasn’t been updated since 1995 and not in a good way. There isn’t a phone in the room so calling the main number on my cell meant 1) listening through 9 options till the last one is front desk. 2) If you need room service, too bad! No cell service + no phone = walk down or don’t ask for what you need. In my case it was pillows. The ones they have are truly awful. Lumpy, flat, small, and honestly so uncomfortable. How can something so small be so hard and unsupportive?

We chose to stay on the mountain for our anniversary and we had fun despite all this. It is absolutely insane the prices they charge for an extremely mismanaged below mediocre hotel. Whoever is in charge should be fired immediately. Will not be back to stay. The lake itself is beautiful. But the lodge is disgusting. Don’t waste your money. You will not get what you pay for.

I will say this though, everyone who worked there was nice. This is NOT their fault. Whomever is in charge of the purse strings and the commercial buying is at fault here. Our server was extra polite and kind, front desk guys were super nice, and the staff try really hard. It’s the people who own the place that need a swift kick in the butt. If you want to operate like a Motel 6, charge Motel 6 prices. If you want to charge luxury prices? Provide luxury service...