Waterville Valley Resort — Hotel in Waterville Valley

First of all I would just like to thank everyone that I spoke with and dealt with today from the nice lady in rentals to Karen and Katie at guest services and the folks running the lifts. The reason I am leaving a bad review is because we purchased tickets to ski today at 11:54am with the understanding the mountain would be open until 4:30. That is what I was told at guest services when I purchased the tickets. That is what the rental manager told me when we needed to have our skis back and that is what I was told when I asked the rental manager what the hours of the mountain were when I returned my skis.

We first registered on a lift at 12:17 up until 12:40 (2 short runs on the Valley lift to the left of the main lift) when we spent a lot of time in the cafeteria/marketplace area buying food and drinks and hanging out, budgeting time for the mountain to be open until 4:30. We then registered back on a lift again at 2:30 until 3:17. That is 23 minutes plus 47 minutes we were registered active on the mountain through the readers according to Karen in Guest Services. When I tried to access the green Valley lift at 3:31 it was gated and closed. So I thought, ok, they've shut this one down let's access the big one one more time. We got 55 minutes till they close we're not the goofballs expecting to hold everyone up from going home by trying to access the lifts last minute. As I pulled up to the lift at 3:35 I was told they were done. I asked the gentleman who was standing there with the younger female employee if all the lifts were closed and he said yes. He said the lower part was still open but all lifts were closed. I confirmed this. A little frustrated I went and started returning our gear. I asked the return manager, a very nice lady, "what were the hours today" and she said "I don't know what time it is now but 8 (coulda been 8:30) to 4:30". I asked her who I could speak to and she said guest services. Having spent $240 for tickets for 3, 2 at a $6 discount for military, $38 in the ski shop, $60 at the marketplace (to include $8.59 for a Dr. Pepper and a cup of ice), and $120 for rentals, totaling $460 I felt a little shorted. I expressed my concerns to Karen, and then Jatie hoping they might offer sine sort of voucher for the experience and numerous miscommunications from extremely nice employees, they offered me nothing and told me there was nothing they could do. I wasn't expecting a refund. I wasn't expecting free tickets ti the next day. I spoke to everybody I encountered about as nice as they've ever been spoken to when dealing with somebody feeling a little cheated out of the experience they had paid for their family to have. A $60 voucher would have been a nice gesture. So I said to those lovely ladies, who wouldn't do anything to help my experience "Merry Christmas and I hope you have a good evening. I am however going to have to leave a bad review". So here we are.

So, for such a small and easily offered solution for a displeased guest and his family we will go to Loon from here on out. And $1,000s upon $1,000s will be lost over the course of my families lifetime. And sine say, many years from now, when they gave to let a beloved employee go due to cuts they can think back on this experience, and all of the others like them, and see where they could of dive things just a little bit differently to appease the families that keep them in business. Cause it's just not my thousands lost, but also the thousands upon thousands lost due to the recommendation to go to Loon when asked between the 2 in the future. So a simple $60ish gesture has now turned into $50,000. Seems like bad business to me. I truly wish all of the employees who came into work today to make the mountain a very Merry...

Hey, any place is great when the snow is this good and the lift lines are fast, best snow in December east coast in a long time. Actual powder runs. Waterville Valley seemed like it had been graced with the most snow of all the NH mountains we were choosing from based on weather reports. We'd never been before so we went for it. Lift tickets were 10 bucks cheaper the night before online and you skip the line to pick them up. They have started using an easy pass/fast lane style tag reader for the lifts, they give you a card to put in your pocket, and you must return it to get your 5 bucks deposit back. It honestly felt like a prank and we could have come to the mountain without paying... There were no beeps or visible gear to make you think your trip on the lift was being recorded... But it was nice to have no paper tag or sticker to dangle for a hand held scanner... The mountain itself is kinda small and outdated but that may make it nice and keep the crowds away. The most snow you'll ever see in December east coast NH and they had one side of the mountain closed probably because they didn't expect having the volume of customers to justify opening? Who knows why but still good for us... day after Xmas lines were not bad all day. We'd been bracing for crowds and were surprised at the short lines at first.(later we realized why)...Heavy powder up top and no ice the whole way down until after lunch. After lunch some ice started poking through here and there. Pretty easy mountain, nothing challenging, not overridden or over trodden with humans. Polite staff nice people. Food was terrible, and the lodge has an unrenovated 80's feel (which was kinda fun, the lodge part not the food). Pack your lunch! The fried food was soaked in oil (oil temp in the fryer was probably set too low). Bathrooms stank tremendously of piss at 9am! The lift chairs are ancient and rusty, one buddy couldn't get his safety bar to come down on the upper summit run. Overall we wouldn't go here again unless our careful assessment of snow conditions determined WV to have been blessed with the most snow and we felt like avoiding the crowds and going to a vintage mountain, and even then we'd put it's name in a hat with the other mountains near by... But who know, maybe it will be crowded when you go. PS, we snowboard (skiing has no stoke, it's transportation), and there were lots of ski people, mostly ski people, and some ski schools blocking and slowing things down on the...

WEDDING VENUE REVIEW: Waterville Valley Resort was absolutely stunning and truly exceeded our expectations in so many ways! Our ceremony among the mountains and by the pond was exactly what we had dreamed of, the scenery was breathtaking and made for such a memorable moment. The reception space under the tent was gorgeous, and the food was fantastic.

We were so grateful to have a bridal suite to get ready in, and the venue was able to accommodate us by letting us in an hour early, which made getting ready so much more relaxed and enjoyable. The location itself was perfect for a weekend getaway, everything was walking distance, and there was so much for our guests to do. They loved riding the chair lift up the mountain, hiking to waterfalls, swimming, and enjoying all the other activities the resort offers. It really created a fun and memorable experience for everyone.

While the venue was gorgeous and everything went smoothly on the day, we did experience some communication issues leading up to the wedding, which is why I’m giving 4 stars instead of 5. That said, everything ended up working out, and having a day-of coordinator was super helpful in navigating any small hiccups.

Overall, I would highly recommend Waterville Valley Resort for couples looking for a stunning mountain wedding with plenty of activities for guests. Just plan ahead for communication and consider having a coordinator to help the day run as smoothly...