Holiday Inn Club Vacations Mount Ascutney Resort, an IHG Hotel — Hotel in West Windsor

My wife and I booked our stay here at Mt. Ascutney as we called around in search of open pools as an amenity. The person who answered my questions via phone call was wonderful and advised, yes, it was open, and we would need to schedule time in the pool due to restrictions. PERFECT. We booked, immediately. We live just under 2 hours away in Northern VT, we have a 5 and 8yo who needed a break from the COVID shut in. We booked on a Sunday and scheduled our arrival for the next Saturday.

We got to the hotel, were greeted by a lovely front desk individual -- I completed the paperwork and asked "So, can I schedule time for the pool now or later?" -- she advised "I'm sorry, the pool boiler had a fire, and its closed" -- I noted to her we had booked DUE TO THE POOL, and it was a very "customer service" like, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience". While I was completing the paperwork, another worker was on the phone with a customer who appeared to be having the same issue as myself, and she got off the phone and said to the worker at the desk "well, I told them they could either stay here or not stay here, that was their choice". (Yes, I work in customer service, I get it... but that's something you discuss in private after someone checking in is standing there listening to you.).

The room, beautiful, the views, beautiful. It was hot as anything in the rooms, I don't blame the hotel for that, heat rises, we were on the 2nd floor, it is what it is. I opened the door to our deck, and a window and let cooler air circulate in. So - with that being said "Insulation" -- these are more like Condo's, so we didn't get the "amazing silence" like you would get in most hotels; but the individual above us, (at no fault of their own other than just walking around) sounded like an elephant starting at 5am both mornings we woke up. This woke up my children, it was not something I would bring up to the staff -- its clearly a structural issue and if I stay again, I will book the 3rd floor to avoid this.

The RESTAURANT -- oh my lord -- I can't rave about this enough. The Maple Kitchen. The waiter, Herman, he was phenomenal, my girls loved him, so personable and just genuinely cared about our well being -- the food was 10/10, 2 thumbs up, 5 stars, whatever I can give. The Chef came out and asked about the quality, stood and talked to us (was not a busy night) and I loved that!

So -- with the pool being closed -- they opened the Pool/Chess/Game room, and the Arcade -- GREAT, the kids will love that. Both quarter machines were out of quarters with a sign that showed as such. I asked the front desk for some quarters and they had $2.25, which they needed for other uses. It was late into our 2nd day there that a manager finally had someone come in and fill the quarter machines up - on a Sunday.

Like my title says -- I want to LOVE this place so much... but I feel as if an email or a phone call should have been made to individuals that booked for any days AFTER the boiler had the fire. We would have probably delayed our stay as this was the main reason to book. I have written to Customer Care, 7 days ago to address this before writing here -- but,...

We stayed here three nights. Check in was easy. We were advised at the outset, that it was an IHG site in name only, implying that we wouldn’t be entitled to the points and privileges of a Gold Elite IHG member. So be it. It was what it was! It must be recorded that front desk staff were generally helpful. Miles deserves special mention for being cheerful and helpful. ||We were so grateful that at our prior request, we had accommodation allotted in the main block, being the only one equipped with a lift| ( = elevator, in US speak). That was a blessing. ||The basic concept of the establishment is self- catering. So breakfast is not provided. The kitchen in the suite had a fridge-freezer, cooker, microwave, dish washer and washing machine as also a mixer-blender. There was a coffee machine as well as a packet each of ground coffee and decaffeinated coffee but they were unusable as no filter paper was provided for the said coffee machine. Enough cutlery and crockery as also glassware was available in the kitchen cupboards. Consumables and bin bags were left under the kitchen sink.||A kettle would have been a thoughtful, handy addition. We learnt that during the morning till 1030 AM we could obtain free supply of coffee from the machine in the Market Place downstairs. Tea bags were available from the front desk. Milk was said to be available to buy in the Market Place. But we could not find any. ||There is no daily housekeeping provision. Towels and sheets are left in the cupboard |Together with loo rolls and face tissues. Pool towels are placed in the wardrobe with the dire warning that missing pool towels will each incur a charge of $25 to your account, if they go missing! ||The suite has a balcony leading from the drawing room with nice scenic views. The bedrooms were reasonably sized with good lighting and electric sockets and USB points. The beds themselves were comfortable with a profusion of pillows. ||The bathroom had a shower over the tub and ample running hot water. ||The basement of the main building housed the fitness suite with a couple of treadmills, a stationary bicycle, bench press and weights including kettlebell. ||At 7 PM there is a children’s movie screened in the basement theatre. Popcorn is available. ||Their dining room is called The Maple Kitchen and is open for dinner Thursday through Monday. It is a small space and it is advisable to book a table in advance. ||There is ample car parking spaces. WiFi is available and it is free. Since the place is miles from civilisation, it is a good idea to be self sufficient for cooking/ food supplies before arrival because the corner shop does not exist. ||The indoor swimming pool was heated and good sized. There were prominent warnings that a life guard was not available. You were warned also not to dive and to be sensible and look after oneself. The swimming pool was located a short way from the main buildings. Paint was flaking on the walls and one was warned by other guests that the floor was slippery. There were signs announcing that a new outdoor pool was to be installed in 2025. ||In summary, it can be likened to the proverbial curate’s egg. It was...

Yet another IHG "Club Vacation" property that is less than what was promised. Tonight is our last night - we have been here for 14 days. We booked the vacation a few months ago, knowing the area is beautiful, and also knowing the ski resort that had been so close, has been closed. We arrived, went to the "main building" and were very impressed by the cleanliness, decorations for Christmas, and friendly staff. Great, we thought. From that point forward it was downhill. Our villa was in another building, down Hotel Road from the main building. Our building was called the "Essex". The building itself looks very nice from the outside. Inside, the hallways were a mess. What I mean is, there has been food on the floors in the hallway on our floor, the entire 14 days we have been here. I requested on four separate occasions that perhaps someone would want to bring a vacuum to our floor and clean up. There are vacuums that magically move from floor to floor, that I believe are used for the rooms, but no one seems to be tending to the floor hallways themselves. Given the snow and weather, I would hope that these would be tended to on a regular basis. The person at the front desk told me she had "no idea" how often the hallways were vacuumed, but assured me that someone would be to our building to take care of this. 14 days later, no one has showed up. The villas themselves are quite spacious in terms of the living and dining areas. The kitchen is small, but well appointed. The bathrooms (there were 2) are very small. Our villa appears to be what was once a hotel room, joined to another room. There are doors that illustrate this. The building is made of wood. What does this mean? Noise. A lot of noise. We can hear people walking, running, closing kitchen cabinets, making noise, etc., upstairs at all hours of the day and night. On some nights sleep was very difficult. Again, no help from the front desk in terms of noise after midnight. There is a workout area that is not joined to any of the buildings. It is actually quite large, with some very nice machines. The problem I had with this place was the brown water (mould?) stains that were running down the walls of the exercise room. They had towels jammed into the window ledges to catch the humidity. The paint was peeling and you could see what appeared to be black mold. My advice? Stay somewhere else. I barely give this place 2 stars. The area is beautiful, there are trails, hiking, etc. Vermont is a wonderful state and there are plenty of other choices in terms of...