Elk Creek Resort & Receptions — Hotel in Summerset

Do not reserve the “ luxury duplex” We did extensive research on places to stay during our vacation, I took a chance on this place and suggest that you don’t!

We paid in advance for 5 nights, we didn’t stay here for more than an hour. We made every attempt to allow the owner to remedy the situation in a way that would be fair to both parties but he refused. He didn’t even offer an apology I would expect to be charged for the first night and refunded for the remaining nights, but this is not what happened. Elk Creek Resort Kept every penny!

Overall, Elk Creek Resort has mixed reviews. I did give one star for the location/views, it is beautiful. I believe people who stay in the newer cabins or RV sites have better experiences hence the good reviews, Those staying in the older cabins and the so-called Luxury duplex unfortunately do not share the same positive experiences.

Our reservation was for the upper unit but on arrival we were advised that unit was already given to another individual. We were placed in the lower unit of the duplex (the basement) upon checking we were also advised to be quiet while in the unit as the individual upstairs (in the unit we were supposed to be in) sleeps during the daytime. This was a vacation, they knew we were traveling with children and pets ahead of time. I found the request to be extra quiet a little ridiculous, but was willing to brush it off until we entered the unit and experienced additional issues. Again please don’t stay here. The unit was absolutely unacceptable (dirty, moldy, dusty, run down, broken furniture, linens not cleaned, flies everywhere) not at all what you would expect in a so-called Luxury unit. I have seen low budget motel rooms cleaner than this place. With Covid cleanliness is more important than it has ever has been and this place is greatly lacking in that area. We immediately attempted to remedy the situation with the resort. The Owner left us waiting in the lobby for more than an hour while they assisted others who entered after us. After explaining the situation and doing our best to work with the resort on a resolution he refused to offer alternative accommodations and/or refund. One of the blankets had what appeared to be dried blood on, it it was clear it had not been washed and the owner simply offered to provide a new blanket. No apology. For health concerns we were forced to leave and find last minute rooms for our large group of 6 adults, 4 children, and 4 dogs in a high tourist city 9 hours from home. A vacation planned months in advance to celebrate the end of my mother's cancer treatments was ruined by our experience here and the owners refusal to make it right.

We really wanted to love this place. I don't like leaving bad reviews, but Elk Creek resort left me with no choice we have pursued every avenue available to us in an attempt to reach a fair resolution. The owner is refusing a refund of any kind, refusing to apologize and refusing to acknowledge their error.

FYI: attached Photos have text: images of the Luxury Duplex, 2 Bedrooms, Terrace, Hill View we reserved (paid in full prior to arrival) and images of the accommodations actually provided.

My family will be looking into...

Elk Creek Resort is located in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota with the smells of pine and sound of nature all around you. The resort offers cabins, full hook up, electric and water hook up, and tent camping. There is a pool, a bathhouse, and laundry facilities on site, as well as a small general store. We chose to stay here for an extended visit due to our family relocating to the Rapid City area and needing to search for a new home. When looking online, the pictures looked ideal with a pond, pool, creek, large sites, and beautiful area. Unfortunately the full hook up sites are very small, so small that we are unable to extend our awning or put a picnic table next to the camper. On top of that, the "poop shoots", for lack of a better term, come up out of the ground and are even closer to your site than your neighbors camper, which in August with temps reaching over 90 degrees makes being outside your camper unbearable due to the smell. The bath house features outdoor showers as well as indoor with toilets, and there are sinks outside. I am not sure if they are ever cleaned though due to the smell of them, the dirt on the floors, and the fact that everytime I have been over there the light has not worked. The pool is a nice size and open to the general public for a fee, however it is not heated and even when the temps were above 90 degrees, the pool was freezing. Plus I have swam in lakes that were cleaner with less bugs. The internet service is low speed and spotty, not good when you have papers for your masters program due that week. Cell service in the campground is non-existent and when you do receive a call you walk around like a Verizon commercial saying, "Can you hear me now?" Which would be great if you were trying to get away from life, not make one. I am not sure of where the pond or the creek is, but it is not at this campground, which was disappointing to our little guys as the webpage stated they could go fishing in it. Lastly, I am not sure of how they figure their pricing, when I called to reserve the space I was quoted $550 for the month, but when we checked in we were charged $600. Which at the time we still felt was reasonable, so we paid it. Then we talked with them about extending our stay by an extra week and they told us that due to our kids (two seven year olds) and dogs they would need to charge extra, as we were using more utilities than they expected. I am sorry but my seven year olds shower every other day (which I am lucky to get as they would rather be playing and getting dirty) and are at school during the day, while my husband and I work. We don't use the air conditioning system often, not at all during the night and we, like most responsible adults, clean up after ourselves and our pets. Not worth the $50 extra in utilities, or the extra $25 paperwork fee that they wanted to charge, since everytime we asked a question, once, it meant more work for them. In the end the location is beautiful, but the customer service, sites, and cleaniness are all around...

Beautiful location,easy access. Nice spot but needs improvements, We stayed there in July 2014 Had some problems with the women who ran the front office.She was rude when asked if we could get clean towels. Also they need to update their website BADLY! Most of what they said they had , they did not. For example,, NO HOT TUB, well it is there but not running, we were told it cost to much to upkeep. The restaurant / lounge/ lodge, was not open anymore. I am unsure why They told us on phone that there was Gas grills for you to use at the cabins, well there was 1 , that we were told was for all the duplexes and tri plexes to use. BUT it was old and only half the burners worked on it. There was one free standing fire pit , but you had to pay 3.00 for some firewood. Which the lady at the office said an armload was considered 3 to 5 pieces of wood. Which were small pieces. We waited all day for clean towels and and more toilet paper, and did not get any. After we had asked her several times, finally we caught the owner of resort and told him of her rudeness and lack of help. He right away apologized and got us taken care of and the rest of the time there we had what we needed daily. The rooms were clean , but the mattresses could be replaced on a couple of the beds. Some were sagging badly, We had a whole triplex , ( there was 16 of us) So it worked well with such a large group., They also said there was dishes and such in the middle room where the small kitchen was, there was like 2 coffee cups, a few small plates, a bowl and no utensils, and maybe one saucepan,, all old and crappy. The small refrigerator did not work right, it would freeze our food,and the setting did not work to change it. I just feel they need to do some upgrades with some of the rooms and update website. We were expecting the hot tub, a restaurant and few other things, and were disappointed that what was posted on website, was not available. On their website it says this, ( Lodge with game room and full service bar and food) The building was there, but not open the whole 5 days there. said there was a gift shop, I did not see much of one, The pool was clean and good though. Will we come back probably, but will know better then to think there will be what we needed, and bring our own dishes and pans and such. Because it is in a good location for what we go there for and it works for a large amount of people. BUT , I truly hope they will do some work on rooms and website,, because if not, they will continue to lose people and have unhappy...