The Pines Inn — Hotel in Town of North Elba

We came to Lake Placid on our 30th anniversary. We had a lovely dinner and decided to spend the night before continuing our travel. We chose this place because the bedroom photos made it look charming. Paid online and drove to the hotel. My husband always goes to check in while I wait in the car. No one was there. He had to call a number for someone to drive to the hotel and give him keys. At 8 pm. It wasn’t late. In fact, once we got our things from the car, there was another poor soul standing at the counter trying to get someone. The elevator didn’t work, and even though we were on the 1st floor, it’s up quite a few steps, especially carrying a heavy suitcase and the other things we were bringing from the car. The room was clean and that’s the best I can say. Well, the bed was comfortable. There’s a little card that says they have “free cable tv through the Hulu app”, but we couldn’t get it to work because you need a log in. The WiFi is terrible (and only works on the 1st floor and lobby, apparently), there’s no refrigerator and no ice anywhere so the leftovers from our lovely dinner? Wasted. Our 30th anniversary meal. There’s plenty of room for a fridge too, they just didn’t include one. No ice for anything cold to drink. It does say it’s available upon request but since no one works down there, there was really no way to request it. They left some soap and some packets that say “shampoo and bodywash” on them. There’s NO ROOM in the bathroom to sit any of your toiletries, just a thin short shelf with the soap and a couple of plastic cups on it (for your lukewarm water, I guess). The shower leaks when you turn the tub on and by the time you get the water the right temp, you’re standing in ankle deep water because it doesn’t drain quickly and still comes out of the tub faucet while the shower part is on. The absolute WORST part was that the sink was so close to the wall at the end of the tub that you had to suck in your stomach to get through to the toilet. There’s no way that’s code. It’s only slightly wider than the length of my hairbrush. That was fun in the middle of the night. So, no tv, no ice, no real internet, and a terrible bathroom. I had higher hopes for a 30th anniversary stay. And since we paid online there didn’t appear to be any way for a...

I cannot believe the outrageous state of the accommodations I had the displeasure of staying in. The room was a nightmare straight out of a horror movie. The carpet was filthy, with a clothes iron burn etched into it as an unpleasant reminder of neglect. The wallpaper peeling off the walls screamed abandonment, looking like it had not been updated since the '60s.

And let's not forget the ancient, musty window air conditioner that required washing its filter in the bathtub. The elevator, or shall I say the relic that used to be an elevator, was apparently out of order for so long that they turned it into a storage area, placing decorations and tables in front of it.

But oh, the stairs! With my injured tendons and crutches, climbing those stairs felt like a punishment. It is simply unacceptable that a supposedly accommodating establishment lacks basic accessibility features, like functioning elevators or alternative access routes for individuals with disabilities.

The lack of an on-site hotel attendant added another layer of frustration. Leaving room keys unattended on a desk is a security disaster waiting to happen. What if someone unauthorized snagged a key and occupied a room undetected? The sheer negligence is astounding.

As if these conditions weren't appalling enough, the service was abysmal. Waiting for hours just to receive toiletries because the rooms were inadequately stocked is beyond comprehension. Trash in table drawers, empty soda bottles, and a malfunctioning TV only added insult to injury.

To top it off, the exorbitant price of over $350 for a two night's stay is a bit much. Paying a premium for a substandard experience is downright infuriating. It's beyond me how they have the audacity to charge such an exorbitant amount for a room that barely qualifies as habitable.

In conclusion, the disregard for basic hygiene, safety, and customer service standards at this establishment is nothing short of disgraceful. To subject guests to such deplorable conditions and inefficiencies while charging a small fortune is not only disrespectful but also a clear demonstration of their utter lack of regard for customer well-being. This experience was nothing short of a travesty, and I will not stand for such blatant disregard for basic standards of...

Don't be fooled by the beautiful entrance, great porch, antique reception desk... with nobody behind it. The price is very reasonable, but this place isn't worth the discount. The much ballyhooed restaurant was not open, and I found this out with a sticky note written in sharpie with "sorry closed :( ". The room is smaller than the room I had in high school. It is so small, the bed is jammed against the windows so the headboard prevents you from opening the windows if you needed to. We stayed here for a hockey tournament and the outdoor temps were in the teens. The latches on the windows are broken so the cold air streams in, and your head is under a shower of cold air because the headboard is jammed against the window. The heat in the room is a 2 foot electric baseboard unit. It is nowhere near adequate for the room. It was so cold, my wife needed my down ski coat as a blanket. The room didn't even have a cube fridge. The rug had so many stains on it I lost count, and one so big it appeared a gallon of something liquid was dumped on the rug. There is a broken old wardrobe closet for storage, and the coat hanging closet is next to the other broken window with a 1960's end table in front of it. So you have to move the end table and thrift store lamp to get to the curtain rod, but you don't have much room before the table hits the bed. Unreal. The TV is so small it's kind of comical, and there is no local channel selection, no cable tv or sat tv. There is a Roku with no subscriptions to anything but pluto! NCAA Tourney games all over the weekend on the air...not here. Also, there is no human contact here, and when you call the answering service although pleasant is no help at all. This place is decorated with leftovers from estate sales. We were placed in a room right next to the 5 flights of stairs that people stomp up all night. This place isn't adequate to be used as student housing. There are other options at this price level in LP, take them. I thought I would give this place a try. Never...