Snowy Owl Inn — Hotel in Waterville Valley

Go anywhere else. ||||We stayed at the Snowy Owl during a hockey tournament with three other teams, as it was required lodging for the event. Unfortunately, the experience was terrible from start to finish.||||The hotel was dirty, dated, and smelled awful throughout. The staff were incredibly rude and unaccommodating, making an already what we thought would be a fun trip, stressful and disappointing. Basic amenities like towels and toilet paper were hard to come by, we had to fight just to get those. Although we were offered daily housekeeping, they never once cleaned our room, and our trash bins were overflowing.||||The conference room, which their website refers to as a “knee hockey room,” was dirty, uncomfortably hot, and overpriced for use. Despite advertising the space, they refused to let anyone use it and didn’t allow knee hockey in any part of the hotel.||||Quiet hours began at 10 PM, even on weekends, which seems extreme for a family-oriented hotel hosting youth sports teams. We were repeatedly kicked out of common areas for simply chatting or having kids use iPads. The front desk even called the police on guests multiple times, creating an unwelcoming and tense environment.||||During our stay, we lost power, and there was no emergency lighting in the rooms, including those with lofts and steep stairs. Navigating in total darkness was dangerous, and the lack of functioning emergency exits was a serious safety hazard. The one elevator was out of service for most of our four-day stay, with an expired inspection certificate to boot.||||Breakfast was a joke. For the $1,000 we paid for four nights, we were offered a waffle maker that couldn’t cook properly, Hostess cupcakes, and dirty water from a gross communal Keurig. Rooms lacked coffee makers, and even if they had them, there were hardly any outlets to plug anything in.||||The showers were broken, and everything about this hotel felt neglected and poorly maintained.||||I strongly recommend that any teams or travelers avoid the Snowy Owl at all costs. For the price, there are undoubtedly far better options in the area. Save yourself the frustration, and...

I completed my 6th stay here on Labor Day weekend 2024. I have been staying here twice a year around Memorial Day and Labor day for the past 3 years. I use the hotel as a base for my White Mountains day hiking. It is very convenient to all the trailheads in the Sandwich Range Wilderness area along Highway 49 and Sandwich Notch Rd and the Waterville Valley trailheads along Tripoli Rd. Its also somewhat convenient to the Pemigewasset Wilderness, whether you enter it from the south side on the Kancamagus at the Lincoln Woods trailhead, or the north side at Zealand Notch with travel time being around 30 minutes and 45 minutes.||The close proximity of the hotel and its parking to the Town Square is a huge bonus. After a long 8-11 hours of hiking from sunrise to early evening, it's nice to park, get some takeout at the pizza place and walk back to the room without having to make an extra stop.||As others have said, the hotel is a bit worn and dated, but that's fine with me. I don't need magazine cover worthy rooms with the latest modern decor and accessories. If this is what you want, look elsewhere. If you want a clean comfortable room, then yes, give this hotel a try. Improvements have been made over time, but since its business is largely seasonal and not owned by a billion dollar corporation with unlimited cash flow, it won't happen overnight. ||I have stayed in both the classic and premium queen rooms. I am a light sleeper, so I prefer the premium rooms since they are on a wing of the hotel made with thick concrete floors, so activity in rooms above cannot be heard at night. The classics are in a wood framed section, so sometimes people moving around in rooms above can be heard.||After 6 stays now, I only have 2 suggestions for future improvements. Replace the worn out blinds with blackout curtains, and put brighter lighting in the rooms. ||Overall, I have not been disappointed with any of my stays. I am looking forward to returning next year for Memorial...

I gave the Snowy Owl three stars mainly because the staff was extremely helpful. If they hadn't been then I would have dropped it to two stars. The place has some charm and is clean. Not sparkling but clean.

The room we rented had two double beds and a fold out couch. For that we paid $190 a night. I thought that was a bit pricey but it was a holiday weekend. The place is very dated and in need of an update. I understand that a complete overhaul would be extremely expensive but some simple things could be corrected. We had two lightbulbs out in our room and a lamp with a broken switch that didn't work. We also had a tiny old analog TV with static on most channels. It's time for them a some flat screen TVs. Someone mentioned bedbugs in another review but rest assured that problem has been corrected, if it ever even existed.

It's not all negative. They have two fireplaces. Unfortunately they put a gas cast iron fireplace in the one near the entrance. The fireplace in the basement wasn't on but those two simple things (lighting both fireplaces) would add some ambience to the place. There is also a gym that I didn't get a chance to use. They have a restaurant but I also didn't get a chance to eat there. The Snowy Owl is located in a complex with shopping, a sports pub and a Mexican restaurant. I'm sure there are other things to do in the complex but we were too busy to find out. We ate and had a couple of drinks at the sports pub and I recommend you do the same. The inn is located very close to Waterville Valley so if you ski I would definitely consider staying here. There are numerous hiking trails nearby too. If you are a hiker Mount Tecumseh is a ten minute drive away (this is not for beginners).

The owner and staff genuinely tried to make our stay a pleasant one and there's something to be said for that. I would stay at the Snowy Owl again but would not pay...