The Lodge at Spruce Peak, a Destination by Hyatt Hotel — Hotel in Stowe

Absurdly expensive considering what is offered

We payed a small fortune to stay 2 days in this hotel in November (15th to 17th). Something about 359 dollars per night (taxes not included), if I’m not mistaken.

The check in is at 4pm and the check out is at 11am. There were no breakfast included.

There is a 35$ fee per day for valet parking. Otherwise you have to self-park in a place very far away from your room. For me it was like 10 minutes walking. In this same trip we stayed in other - cheaper and way better - hotel where this kind of service was complimentary and very effective.

The structure of the resort is huge. But the only difference for us in that matter was that we had to walk like half a mile to arrive at our room, because everything was closed during the off season.

We were aware that it was off season. But still there was absolutely nothing to do in the hotel. No activity whatsoever was offered by the resort included in the almost 400 dollar price you pay per night.

If you want to go for a walk with a guide it would be 30 dollar per person. Still we tried to book one of these hikes and it wasn’t available for that day. If you want to participate in a yoga class (or something like that) there would be another absurd fee like 30 or 40 dollars.

We asked for materials to hike by ourselves (like walking sticks) and it wasn’t provided by the hotel neither, even if we wanted to rent.

To withdraw at the ATM there is a 3 dollar fee. To do your laundry, there is a 1,5 dollar fee to wash, and another 1,5 dollar fee to dry. Also a 1,25 price for soap and more 1,25 for softener.

It was my birthday during our stay in the hotel. I told the attendant the moment we checked in hoping to get something special (like a room upgrade, a restaurant offer, something like that commonly offered by any hotels in special occasions) but nothing was arranged.

The cherry on top: there is a 45$ dollar resort fee per day for the amenities and activities supposedly offered by the hotel.

When checking out we told about our disappointment to the attendant. We explained that we thought we shouldn’t pay this fee while we weren’t able to enjoy the resort facilities at all. She told us this fee was charged for the availability of the pool and the gym and for complimentary coffee (something that is usually already included in practically all good hotels everywhere in the world, for no extra fee), among other things that were out of order these days.

So we still had to pay this extra 95$ with taxes for absolutely nothing att all.

It was probably the most frustrating situation I ever passed regarding a hotel. Especially considering the very expensive price payed.

The rooms were clean and the staff were...

A picture of this hotel is worth 1000 words. Some of them include that the location and the outside of the hotel is beautiful. What it will also include is that the inside of the room itself is not at all what is portrayed on the photo.

Room For one of the best and expensive hotels in the area we received an old, dusty, small room.  Right away - dissapointing. It had a coffee maker, standard - however if you wanted to make tea you would get the old coffee taste that was built up over time.

Television The television situation - we were told when we arrived that they were replacing the tv services in each rooms. Again - for the price you are paying have at least a TV guide that works - we are in 2021 to have access to a list of channels or maybe Netflix, Hulu, etc.

Sleep The mattress topper on the best was made of fluff, which was wildly uncomfortable and dusty. I had to take out all of the down pillows and asked them to be replaced.

Food There is only one real place to get breakfast on the grounds of the hotel. First you have to make reservations ahead of time otherwise they will not allow you to sit and eat. Second - don’t waste your time. At a whopping $28 dollars per person you get a small little buffet of choices to pick from. There are plenty of delicious bakeries around and better breakfast spots for a lot cheaper. Avoid if you can. There is a small little cafe you can go into for your daily snacks etc. Or get your “complimentary” morning coffee that is not free btw - will get to that in the fees. Whistle Pig Pavilion - food looked okay - we did not eat there but wanted to stop in to see the famous VT whiskey prices. No change in price - which is sad.

Grounds Hot-tub at the main pool by the gym was broken and would not turn on. Well maintained on the outside. New part of the hotel was being built while we were there Outstanding valet staff

Fees BE AWARE! When we checked in at reception - the lady told us that there was free coffee every morning. Not true. After checking out of the hotel YOU will be charged $40 dollars per day…wait for it: the wifi, parking services, “Free” coffee, water, coffee and team in each room, THE USE OF the pavilion grounds, pool, gym, etc. Guys - we live in 2021…again who still at such nice hotels charges for things like this. Do better. And also one reason we are not returning is these hidden fees.

Summary For a hotel this expensive and this classy it was not worth it. The fees, the lack of amenities really drove out stay into the negative. We unfortunately had to leave the hotel a couple of days early as I got sick from a bad allergy I developed in the room. Worse - they wanted to also charge an early check out...

We spent a few days at Spruce Peak Lodge in March for some spring skiing. || They have really worked to make this experience like stying in a resort out wet. We pulled up to the hotel and the valets had our car emptied and skis on their way to the ski valet within minutes. I cannot say enough about how the the staff was extremely helpful and accommodating. From the the car valet, the front desk, ski valet and housekeeping. Everyone was very friendly and efficient. The common areas were kept very clean. ||||The outdoor hot tub - I enjoy outdoor hot tubs and only book places that have them for ski trips. The changing area for the pool was a little musty but I suppose that's to be expected in a wet environment, and I'mm being picky. It might be helpful to have signs regarding children in the pool area though. A few times there were a few times we saw kids there with no one watching them and overall it seemed kids were more in the hot tub than the heated pool. It would be nice if one of the 2 hot tubs was for adults only but I'm sure this place gets crazy during weekends and holidays (we stayed Sun-Wed) There was a child in diapers in the hot tub one afternoon which usually isn't allowed, so we decided to leave. My navy bathing suit bleached grayish so I guess there were chemicals put in to counteract such things. That was a negative.||||The only somewhat alarming incident was that the power went out around sunset one afternoon (which I know happens in Vermont). When it didn't seem to be going back on right away, my husband and I requested our car to leave the property and go for a bite to eat someplace that had power (again I'm not faulting the hotel for the power outage). However, when we exited the room and got into the hallway it was pitch black. The exit signs were not illuminated at all. I know VT is a bit lax on their building codes but I would think there should have been battery back up for people to evacuate safely. ||Spruce Peak is the smaller ski hill just outside the hotel. Otherwise you take the little gondola to Mansfield mountain which is the main ski area. ||During the day there is regular "ski hill" food at both sides of the ski areas At night, there are two restaraunts which had a decent selection if a litlte on the pricey side, but this is a high end resort. There's also a taco place which is very casual if you just want a quick bite. You'll need a car though to get to town where there are more selections. ||Once we were ready to leave, the valet came for our luggage and even packed the car for us. All in all, we had a very enjoyable stay at a very nice resort. We would definitely stay again and the kids/chemicals/exit sign should be...