Elk Antler Inn — Hotel in Thermopolis

We booked this hotel well in advance after confirming the age requirement was 18+ on Google (as shown in their own listing). Unfortunately, it turns out the “fine print” said 21, which we only noticed later. When we called to see if they could work with us, they rejected our call and then called back from a different number. The woman who spoke to us was clearly from a call center, extremely rude, and claimed she would “call the owner” and get back to us. She never did.

When we followed up, she told us we could not stay and that they would not refund us. She even made bizarre and threatening comments about “doing something to our credit card.” We then reached out to the booking company, who also tried to contact the owner. The owner never answered them either, leaving us stuck without a room and no refund.

This was by far the worst customer service I have ever experienced. Dishonest listing, rude communication, no accountability, and money essentially stolen from us. Do yourself a favor and avoid the Elk Antler In at all costs. Stay at the Hot Springs Hotel & Spa instead.

UPDATE AFTER OWNERS RESPONSE:

Thank you for replying, but I need to clarify a few things.

Your Google listing showed the minimum age as 18, which is why I booked. The 21+ rule buried on Booking.com was not obvious — that’s misleading.

I never made any “racially-charged” comments. That’s a false and serious accusation, and I don’t appreciate it being used to deflect from my concerns.

You also never addressed the fact that your customer service representative was clearly not on-site and seemed to be working from a call center. She was rude, didn’t call me back as promised, and made the situation worse.

The unclear comments made about my credit card came across as threatening, which is unprofessional.

Most importantly, I was never contacted directly, even though I asked for that. Instead of resolving the issue with me, you only posted a public response.

Overall, I paid in good faith based on the information shown when I booked, and I was denied service, refused a refund, and treated poorly. Your reply does not take responsibility and instead...

I decided to come up to thermopolis for a mini birthday vacation weekend. I stayed one night at Elk Antler Inn. The service was absolutely phenomenal. The lady in the office was so kind and welcoming to both me and my dog. By the end of the visit she said you can call me a second mom.

I booked the room a week in advance and requested a bathtub so I could have a spectacular birthday bubblebath. I have to conserve water where I live so the bath was a must. The gentleman that booked the room for me was super friendly and accommodating. He even told me that the pet deposit was only 10.00! That's the lowest pet deposit I have come across in all of my hotel stays.

When I got to the hotel I was greeted by a wonderful lady and told her my birthday was that day. We talked about how her's,her husband's and my birthday were within a week of one another. She showed me to my room which was the one you see in all the pictures. Room 16. I definitely suggest booking that room if you have a chance.

Upon entering the room it was really clean and inviting. There are two separate rooms with a conjoining bathroom. So even if you came with a friend or family member, you have the most privacy. There's a microwave, a mini fridge, and a small table you can use too, as well as, a TV in both rooms. So you don't even have to share that with your family members. ^_^

This place was overall very welcoming and even though previous customers stole the tub drain plug, the host bent over backwards to try to solve the problem. They are very pet friendly and not to mention inexpensive! I highly, highly suggest for you to stay here anytime you visit...

I have been staying at this motel for over 15 years every summer. The last 4 years it has really declined overall! The price has tripled and quality has declined. The rooms used to be nice and only $50.00! Now they are sub par and after taxes over $140.00.. Specifically the room looked to be half way done. Half of the room had missing trim and was half painted. The ceiling was half painted. The air conditioner did not work correctly. The lighting was very dim. There used to be 2 night stands with 2 lamps. Now there is only 1 nightstand with 1 lamp and a single light on the ceiling. You used to get multiple pillows and now you only get the two comforter pillows. The bed is okay, not great. The bed sheets were not soft either. We had bunk beds in our room as well that had really hard cheap mattresses. My child was not comfortable at all. The bedding overall was cheap and the fleece blanket in-between the comforter and bed sheet appeared very old. The bathroom had been updated however they forgot to finish the tile grout as it was almost gone completely and the caulk in-between the shower walls was also almost gone. The bathroom cabinet is newer and in good condition. The floor was dirty in the bathroom. The lamp shade was dusty. For the price we paid we will not be staying...