Desolation Hotel — Hotel in South Lake Tahoe

The Desolation hotel is more than a hotel, it’s a home away from home even for your fur babies! From the moment you drive up, you can tell they took the time to carefully choose the details, but also to build around nature, which is so important in Tahoe. Once we went to check in, we were greeted by friendly faces and that was just the first of many friendly interactions. The staff at the Desolation hotel truly cares about their guests. You can tell the staff treats each other like family (came to learn a lot of them are family), but they treat their guest like family too! This was an important factor when thinking about a review. When on vacation, it elevates the experience when you’re made to feel truly welcomed and cared for. Now let’s talk about the two story suits. The shock and awe you get at every turn starts as soon as you walk up the first flight of stairs into the living room. The “wow that’s nice” begins with seeing the washer and drawer in the first closet, the half bath, and the spacious living room with a kitchenette. Your excitement grows when you realize the kitchenette is fully functioning with dishes, spices and more extravagant items a phone call away. Once you make your way passed the flat screen tv and couch, you find yourself on the first patio that is equipped with a fun swing chair, 4 person table, heaters and a fire place that is also a window for the living room. Already stunned and not knowing how things could get better you walk up the second set of stairs into the hallway of the bed and bath. The bathroom takes your breath away! The walk in rain shower with a handheld shower head as well, for those who like an extra way to rinse off. The massive bath tub for two with jets, and the true “oh wow” moment, discovering the Dyson hair dryer that comes in every suit. Once you get over the shock of the bathroom you are brought to the bedroom where there are sunroof panels, another window fire place, wireless charging stations for your devices (phones/watches), and a safe in the closet. As you move onto the second patio you find a really cool feature of a soaking tub, another table that seats 4 and yes this patio also has heaters. This suit could have been where I spent my entire vacation with all the luxury aspects, but luckily I did venture over to their restaurant, Maggie’s. Maggie’s has some of the best food I have experienced. I am a picky eater and sometimes can be hung up on food items that are unfamiliar to me, but I’m so glad I got out of my own head. From the New York steak that was perfectly cooked to my liking with the potatoes and asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, the venison accompanied with potatoes and vegetables, the various appetizers that were ordered and devoured (many of which I had no clue what they were I just ate them and my taste buds were happy), to the very delicate and delicious hand crafted desserts. I’m a huge sweets person so knowing they had many desserts to choose from was the icing on the cake (no pun intended). They had a chocolate option with a touch of marshmallow, a feel good but tart options in the blueberry cake, and an option I normally wouldn’t have gone for but so glad I did with a warm carmel pear served on a pastry with a side of ice cream. It was hard to choose which was more my favorite. The menu had so many other amazing options, and the best part is the menu changes, I think seasonally, so if you go in summer your options will be different by the time you return in winter. The hotel is also in walking distance to the main strip of Tahoe and the casinos, if you like to walk or a quick little drive if you prefer. I could go on and on about the Desolation hotel, but I want you to truly experience just how amazing it is for yourself. You will not be...

Update Jan 2025: I stayed at the hotel for the first time in two years and while it’s still very nice, it definitely looks and feels like it’s been used. It no longer exudes the brand new, captivating and enticing feel. The electrical components of the oven / stove caused sparking issues and my AC unit in the bedroom didn’t work. The walls seemed to get more thin, because I could hear every slam, stomp, thud from the neighboring townhome. I don’t recall it being that bad last time I stayed. The outdoor heater didn’t seem to get as warm as last time (and last time I was there in below freezing temps). Lastly, I didn’t see a gate at the head and foot of the stairs during my stay like last time, so I’m unsure if they still have them. The property still is beautiful, accommodating and wonderful to stay at, but I’m not sure if the price is worth it to me. The price has significantly increased over the years, but it no longer has a new feel, instead it has a used feel. ——————————————————— Detailed Review (TL;DR at the end):

I found this property from a very random google search for my mother’s birthday. Immediately loved the description of Japanese tranquility mixed with Scandinavian design. I found out this a new property just recently opened in August 2022. As a new property, this hotel absolutely knows how to capture and retain customers, as I have every intention of visiting again during my next Tahoe trip. First of all, the hotel has some of the best customer service that I have experienced. When I initially called and mentioned it was my mother’s birthday, the staff offered a bottle of wine for our room to celebrate. When we arrived on the property, everything was immaculate, and if it was not, the staff immediately opted to go above and beyond to make it right. Secondly, this property has stunning minimalist design and lighting throughout, creating a luxury cabin aesthetic that makes you never want to leave.

There are three types of rooms (to my knowledge): a studio size, a 3-story townhouse with an attached garage, and the Granite Suite which is their largest sized room. The photos below are from the townhouse.

I love how pet-friendly this hotel is! They offer pet amenities, such as a dog bed, dog bowls, etc. The townhouse has gates on all the stairs, which are probably meant for children but add as a great help for pets too!

Additionally, for those who want to WFT (work-from-tahoe), the owners of this hotel partner with Untethered, a co-working space approximately 3-4 minutes around the corner. Untethered is a beautiful office space, managed by the kindest people (thank you Jamie and David). The space has options for a day pass or membership.

Due to a snowstorm during our trip, we didn’t venture out too much. However, I am thankful once again to the staff for their generosity in letting us check in early and check out late due to safety concerns of being on the road during this storm. My favorite part of this stay was soaking in the outdoor tub during the storm, relaxing by the fireplace (indoor and outdoor), and making dinners in the full kitchenette.

Huge thank you to all front desk staff and the hotel manager, Richard for creating a memorable stay! I look forward to returning :)

TL;DR- stunning, luxury cabin property. Pet-friendly. Amazing customer service. Co-working space approximately 3-4 minutes around the corner. This property goes above and beyond expectations. Definitely worth it and...

Pros - three story condo room, brand new, lots of detail, designed well, built well, restaurant on premises, pool with bar and hot tub, ev charging station, walking distance to Stateline and heavenly ski resort, extremely courteous staff, small kitchen on second floor fully stocked in condo with most items needed to make small meals, outdoor bath tub on top floor, gas fireplaces, flat-screen, down comforters, Japanese soaking tub best to shower, skylights in bedroom, outdoor eating area on deck adjacent t to kitchen second floor, so tons of amenities for the guest.

Cons - due to staffing shortage rooms not cleaned well (dog hair on bedroom floor, potted plants in room all dead and had not been watered, dirty kitchen instruments (spatula had remnants of previous use and had not been washed) The disappointment was we were staying midweek and the hotel only had three other guests per the front desk. My wife discovered that that the shower had not been cleaned thoroughly after hoping in the shower to take one (bodily fluid and public hair attached to the shower wand - we assume- and no not our own) This naturally grossed my wife out like it would anybody and she went to the front desk with pictures from her phone. The front desk and on duty manager concurred that the shower Indeed was dirty with the above description. They said the would send somebody to clean immediately after we left our room. We left for the day only to come back to a still dirty shower. My wife asked again after we went out that evening. We were assured the shower would be cleaned. Came hone that evening shower still not cleaned. Finally, the third time and the next day the shower was finally cleaned! Third tine was a charm. The hotel front desk and management did apologize up and down and offer compensation which was appreciated. At this price point the hotel/inns main hurdle will be quality control and housekeeping. The rooms are decorated over the top. To keep up with deep cleaning and all the decorations in the room presents a challenge. The three floor condo units in my humble opinion are best for a couple. We were traveling with a small infant and the ergonomics of the floors were not that great when negotiating with an infant. The long rant comes from my background working for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Chain in the US and Asia. So, I would like to say I appreciate the stay at the Desolation Inn but see a definitive challenge to getting the place to run smoothly....