Resort Properties of Angel Fire — Local services in Angel Fire

I had the extreme displeasure of booking a stay with Resort Properties of Angel Fire. My wife and I booked a 3 week stay in the Timbers 5 unit, looking to get out of the city for a few weeks as quarantine with a newborn in our small house was wearing on us. Alarm bells should have gone off when I got a call shortly after booking informing me that New Mexico had a statewide mandatory 2 week quarantine for out of state visitors but that we didn’t need to worry because “it isn’t enforced and they really have no way of tracking how long you have been there”. In retrospect, this should have told me everything I needed to know about how this company views the safety of its customers and those within the community they serve, but we were eager to get out of the shoebox we have been trapped in since March, so we booked it. Upon arrival, after a 12 hour drive with a 2 month old and our dog, we were informed that our unit had not been cleaned yet and that it would not be ready for us at the 4:00pm check in time. While frustrated and tired, we did not complain, as we did not want to rush the cleaning process. At 4:30, we were told that we could go to our unit and were given the keys. As we opened the door to the main living area, we were met with a 25+ year old, matted down wall to wall carpet covered in many black stains. Dust coated everything (likely from the adjacent construction ). As my wife opened the blinds to the porch, one of fell off. When I opened screen door, it fell off the track. It is obvious that the owners do not take care of the home. This was all disappointing, and frustrating, but we were exhausted, so we brought our bags up. Within a few minutes, we realized that not only is the place not maintained, it had not been cleaned prior to our arrival (with a group having just departed that morning). Our dog started eating crunchy unidentified items out of the carpet. Crumbs were all over the kitchen counter. This would be unacceptable any time, but in today’s environment, it an egregious safety hazard that shows a total disregard for health and safety. The final straws were when we realized that the glasses in the cabinet had lipstick smudges on them and there was a film of grime in the tub when we went to bathe our son. In today’s covid-19 world, we did not safe being in this home with our newborn child. I immediately called and spoke with the owner, Owen. He offered us three options, a 1 bedroom unit (we rented a 3br), a 5 BR unit that cost ~$1,000 per week more than ours, or they would send a cleaning lady the next day. After consulting with my wife, we called back and spoke to Amber who eventually offered to discount the larger unit substantially, saying it would only cost us $250 more than what we had rented, but couldn’t provide clean accommodations for that night. We tried to explain that this did not solve our problem. Aside from not being able to afford to pay more, we explained that none of their proposed solutions provided us a safe and clean place to stay for that evening. While we were not happy with the upkeep of the unit, the cleanliness and exposure to COVID was our main concern and deciding factor for not being able to stay Amber said they would refund us our rental payment less $700 for taking the property off the market for 2 weeks. She told my wife that “your husband should have read the contract, you do not get a refund for cancellation.” We explained that we were not cancelling, that the unit was unlivable and was not safe to stay in, they did not care. She went on to tell us that if we disputed with our credit card company, she would come after us for the full amount of the rental. This company robbed us of our first vacation with our son, $700, and two full days of travel. I highly recommend that you avoid dealing with this company at all costs. They do not care about your health and safety and do not operate in good faith. My only wish is that I had read the other one star reviews and listened to them. I now see that I am not the only one that has...

As a person that tends to be froogle and conservative with their vacation plans, spending roughly $2,000 on a VRBO for what I would consider a splurge of luxury only to have that money taken, not returned, not rescheduled and no services rendered really hits a person in the gut. I didn’t have the opportunity to stay at Angel Fire Resorts, so I cannot speak to their property itself. I can however, share with you my experience with their management company and lack of care for their renters. I messed up booking here because I booked it 60 days out and realized I double booked myself the next day.

Their policy is that they won’t cancel within 60 days. After talking to the management company and being told flatly, no refund, no other solution was provided. After asking VRBO what we can do, we relayed the suggestion to the management company and they reluctantly agreed to push our reservation to the summer but, of course, for peak pricing. New Mexico has stated that any travelers from out of state must quarantine themselves for 14 days before they can do anything.

We called the property manager up and explained the issue with coming and not being allowed to enjoy the area. They suggested that we come regardless and not only risk the further spread of a pandemic but also break their state’s mandated orders. The management company clearly don’t think they should adhere to the state’s health orders nor do they take it seriously. I even see this on another review left during the state’s health order.

This effectively cancelled the VRBO reservations which didn’t allow us to leave a review on VRBO. We learned that VRBO asked all their hosts to allow guests to move or credit their reservations due to the unprecedented global pandemic. Luckily, the property management company accepted VRBO’s request/recommendation. They flatly said «no refund», we can only cancel and keep your money.

Because like millions of people in America’s shrinking middle class, I’m worried about money. Instead of working with me on allowing my money to provide a future reprieve from a stressful, pandemic then naturally declared disaster, they told us they are only «looking out for the property owner». It seems to conduct business this way is not looking out for the property owner but actively working against them. I have explained to multiple people in my life in-person and on various social media platforms to avoid this place.

It isn’t worth the risk of loosing your money here. I don’t think any company should ever take thousands of dollars from someone and not get anything in return, at the very least empathy. They will likely respond to this review with their canned, we are sorry about your poor experience...then they will try and restate an aspect or two of the content within this review, but this is a continuous concern that the property owner should take action on. They are loosing guest in the long term limiting their potential earnings by having this management company work for them.

They might even respond to their attempt to be negligent their own states health orders even though their conversations and actions don’t match their procedure response. I hope this helps you in making the best decision for you and...

I stayed in the Racquet Club. The room itself is good. Two bedrooms, two baths, a tiny 24" TV with dish network. There is a fireplace but it is just for show, the chimney is sealed.

The first day we were here Thursday Jan 12 the power went out four times for an hour each. Called the manager Sharon and she said that it was because of construction.

We had no WiFi for the entire duration that we were here. The lifts close at 4pm so afterwards there is NOTHING to do in the condo.

Before the power went out, the WiFi strength was only two bars. After the power went out, there was absolutely no WiFi at all. We called the owners Phil and Laurie Johnson and they said that they'll call the groundskeeper to check on it. The next day there still was no WiFi. We called Sharon and told her. She said the clouds and snow were the reason there was no WiFi. I said no it wasn't, we had WiFi before the power went out so all she had to do was check on the 2WIRE unit or modem and reset it. She didn't do it, we still have no internet. She already knew about the WiFi problem because other residents had called her.

If they can't fix a small problem like the WiFi, I wonder how they would handle a much bigger problem, such as no...