Hotel Scandi — Hotel in Poulsbo

I urge you not to stay here.

This is a long review so be ready!

We had just flown in from NYC and check in is after 4pm, so we’d had a 14 hour day already. I had just realized that 2 rooms share a bathroom, which is across the lobby, not inside the room as one would assume.

Room is nice. The hotel is very chic. There’s laminated instructions and a bathroom key. They all say “Room 214. Bathroom is “Skipper.” We go to Skipper, but the key doesn’t work. The key doesn’t turn ANY of the bathrooms. One bathroom, though, “Pirates” has been broken into bc the door shows signs of it and it’s been used (the shower is wet) and there’s a sign from management that says they know the bathroom is broken.

We call Vacasa, who isn’t local and so they attempt to reach a local operations person. I wait an hour and call back for an update. They’re still “trying” to contact the local person.

I hear someone outside so I go outside and it’s 2 women also staying there in separate rooms. They are to share the “Mermaids” bathroom. Guess what? They have the key to my bathroom, Skipper, and have no key for their Mermaids bathroom. Also they have used Skipper already since it’s the only one that opened. So obviously I’m not going to be using that bathroom since I did not plan on sharing with strangers for hygiene purposes. The 2 women have also called the local operations person, Heather, 2 hours prior and not heard back. I call Heather, leave a voicemail and text as well. Nothing.

Still don’t have a bathroom 2 hours later. The room has ants and ant traps. Their room’s coffee station has been recently used and there’s a used cup in their kitchenette. My room smells funky. There’s a motorized ceiling opening that won’t close. Their rooms are the same price but vary hugely in size. One of their rooms is freezing and the thermostat won’t work. One of the lights in our room, the bedside table lamp, doesn’t work.

I’ve now had a very long day. There’s been no answer from customer services in approx 4 hours (remember, the 2 women called customer services 2 hours before me). We aren’t getting bathroom access and the rooms have been recently used it seems. I message Vacasa on the Airbnb app just to have the issues in writing. They say my bathroom is “Pirates.” This is a straight lie. The laminated instructions and keys for my 214 room say “room 214, bathroom is Skipper.” So no, it’s not Pirates. Not to mention management put a sign on Pirates saying they’re aware it’s broken.

I call Vacasa again and ask for a full refund. No bathroom and no response from this local team after 4 hours is beyond unacceptable. After about 40 mins Vacasa approves my full refund and I book a hotel in Silverdale since the others in Poulsbo were sold out.

Truly a shame. This hotel is gorgeous inside. But the local staff doesn’t respond and honestly, that’s unacceptable. New management is required. And also someone who’s there in person… I appreciate the idea of having everything handled remotely, but stuff happens and you need a human. Also, please figure out the key situation, Hotel Scandi! A huge mess. Can’t believe it happened. It’s beyond unacceptable and frankly I don’t know how the hotel is...

We recently stayed at the Scandi from Saturday afternoon to Tuesday morning and found the rooms to be generally clean, peaceful, and comfortable. Its location close to Poulsbo's shops and activities is definitely a wonderful perk.

That said, I thought it would be helpful to share some thoughts about our experience, especially regarding certain aspects of the hotel.

One thing to note upfront is that this hotel does not have private bathrooms in the rooms. Instead, there are four shared bathrooms available to guests. While the hotel mentions shared bathrooms in the room descriptions, it’s not mentioned on the booking page, which might lead guests to expect private facilities. This wasn’t an issue for me personally, as I’m used to shared facilities from my time in the Peace Corps and sharing a pit latrine, but it did come as a surprise.

Considering the room rates, I think the shared bathroom situation could be improved. During our weekend stay, which coincided with the hotel being at full capacity, the bathrooms weren’t cleaned on Saturday or Sunday. Trash bins were full, and linens weren’t refreshed, which was disappointing.

Additionally, one of the bathrooms was locked and unavailable throughout the weekend. There was no indication that it was out of service, which made sharing the remaining bathrooms a little more crowded.

In the bathrooms themselves, guests need to bring a hand towel from their room or use the paper towels provided. The paper towels are just sitting on the vanity, so everyone ends up touching the same roll with wet or dirty hands. It would be more convenient if there was a mounted paper towel holder.

Guests are instructed to place dirty linens in the hamper in the bathroom, yet, after three nights in the hotel, dirty linens had not been collected from the bathroom we were using.

The guest rooms are quite simple. Some amenities commonly found in hotels, like USB-A or USB-C charging ports, are missing—something even budget-friendly places like Motel 6 offer. There’s a Keurig coffee maker, but when we arrived, only five coffee capsules were available, and they weren’t restocked during our stay. And since there is no staff at the hotel, there is no one to ask for additional capsules.

The in-room microwave did not work.

I tend to notice small details when I stay in hotels because they can sometimes reflect the overall level of care. In our room, I quickly fixed a loose lampshade and a non-working floor lamp. Later, I addressed a leaking shower head and a toilet that wouldn’t flush. I also noticed loose bathroom hardware in several spots, which could easily be tightened with a Allen wrench. If the hotel cannot get these little things corrected, how are they doing on big stuff such as sanitation and electrical and fire safety?

Given the cost of a room at the Scandi ($200-$250 minimum) and the complete lack of staff or management oversight, you’d be better at the Fairfield or Poulsbo Inn or the Oxford Suites or Best Western in Silverdale if location is not a factor. The Hotel Scandi will not be the first choice for us when visiting family...

We recently stayed at the Scandi from Saturday afternoon to Tuesday morning and found the rooms to be generally clean, peaceful, and comfortable. Its location close to Poulsbo's shops and activities is definitely a wonderful perk.|That said, I thought it would be helpful to share some thoughts about our experience, especially regarding certain aspects of the hotel.|One thing to note upfront is that this hotel does not have private bathrooms in the rooms. Instead, there are four shared bathrooms available to guests. While the hotel mentions shared bathrooms in the room descriptions, it’s not mentioned on the booking page, which might lead guests to expect private facilities. This wasn’t an issue for me personally, as I’m used to shared facilities from my time in the Peace Corps and sharing a pit latrine, but it did come as a surprise.|Considering the room rates, I think the shared bathroom situation could be improved. During our weekend stay, which coincided with the hotel being at full capacity, the bathrooms weren’t cleaned on Saturday or Sunday. Trash bins were full, and linens weren’t refreshed, which was disappointing.|Additionally, one of the bathrooms was locked and unavailable throughout the weekend. There was no indication that it was out of service, which made sharing the remaining bathrooms a little more crowded.|In the bathrooms themselves, guests need to bring a hand towel from their room or use the paper towels provided. The paper towels are just sitting on the vanity, so everyone ends up touching the same roll with wet or dirty hands. It would be more convenient if there was a mounted paper towel holder.|Guests are instructed to place dirty linens in the hamper in the bathroom, yet, after three nights in the hotel, dirty linens had not been collected from the bathroom we were using.|The guest rooms are quite simple. Some amenities commonly found in hotels, like USB-A or USB-C charging ports, are missing—something even budget-friendly places like Motel 6 offer. There’s a Keurig coffee maker, but when we arrived, only five coffee capsules were available, and they weren’t restocked during our stay. And since there is no staff at the hotel, there is no one to ask for additional capsules.|The in-room microwave did not work.|I tend to notice small details when I stay in hotels because they can sometimes reflect the overall level of care. In our room, I quickly fixed a loose lampshade and a non-working floor lamp. Later, I addressed a leaking shower head and a toilet that wouldn’t flush. I also noticed loose bathroom hardware in several spots, which could easily be tightened with a Allen wrench. If the hotel cannot get these little things corrected, how are they doing on big stuff such as sanitation and electrical and fire safety?|Given the cost of a room at the Scandi ($200-$250 minimum) and the complete lack of staff or management oversight, you’d be better at the Fairfield or Poulsbo Inn or the Oxford Suites or Best Western in Silverdale if location is not a factor. The Hotel Scandi will not be the first choice for us when visiting family...