Exceptional Stays — Local services in Telluride

Our experience with 'Exceptional Stays' and their property “The Terraces” unit #602 was an all-around regretful experience... so bad that we left the property 3 days early.

We rented the unit for 10 days at ~$1,000/night from 12/29/23 thru 1/7/24. We arrived at the unit on a Friday at 4:15pm in accordance with check in requirements but it had not been cleaned to any degree of acceptability. We contacted the management company to have the cleaning crew return asap (which they did), but that was only the beginning...

While settling in (after waiting for the cleaning crew to finish), we realized the place had hardly been maintained over the years, it was downright awful. It's easy to conclude that this rental unit is simply a revenue stream for the owner who has neglected all necessary maintenance and repairs. The unit is over 20 years old and looks like it. The leather sofas were shot, kitchen lighting fixtures broken, living room lamps trashed, smashed-in drywall in every room, non functioning window blinds, disgusting filthy carpets, and tired paint to match - NOTHING like the pictures they advertise online. No stoppers in the MBR sink or tub, brown rings in the toilet, and a broken MBR TV. In addition, we could not adjust the heat on the thermostat so the only remedy was to open windows once it got too hot.

We contacted the management company regarding all of this and they agreed to send over a handyman. The handyman was not able to ‘repair’ anything, these were long-term maintenance issues. He could only write up a report, which I’m sure he had done many times before on this unit. Clearly the owner of this property is milking the revenue without maintaining the unit and isn't concerned about their paying guests. We were very disappointed with the condition of this unit and felt ripped-off for the price we paid over the Holiday season.

This experience begs the question: Why are maintenance and repairs not required of owners by their Management Company? Poor reviews not only reflect on the owner of the unit, but also on the Management Company and their inability to manage their properties correctly. ‘Exceptional Stays’ professes on their web page that: “Each of our hand-picked homes is exclusively managed by Exceptional Stays, which translates to the top vacation rental experience in Telluride and a five-star experience from start to finish.” Well, not in this case… and I would not recommend them! If you are looking for a nice place to stay in Telluride that offers great service and a quality product, this isn't it. That said, after numerous conversations with a representative at ‘Exceptional Stays’ about our dissatisfaction with the unit, they contacted the owner who verbally agreed to refund 30%, but later only returned 20% to our account out of our ~$10,000 booking. They should have refunded all of it for the condition of the unit and frustration they put us through on vacation, we won't be doing business...

We stayed at Terraces 101 from February 23-27, 2020. The customer service before and during our stay was terrific. The ski passes that we pre-ordered were there when we arrived and so were our groceries. However, the property itself is a 3.5 to 4 star at best. It was great to have 2 bathrooms, however the shower in the master bathroom couldn't get rid of the water fast enough, so you ended up standing in ankle deep water during the shower. The other shower kept on losing hot water during use. The fireplace needs to be fixed as the only way to turn it on is to be on your hands and knees and pressing the on/off switch under the unit, is this 1980? If you aren't careful when turning it off you can possibly burn yourself on the hot metal surrounding the base of the fireplace. This unit is suitable for a family of 3 or 4 maximum as the separate bedroom has bunk beds and a small closet that doesn't enough have a light in it. The kitchen appliances that we used worked fine, however, they need to update the glassware that is there. There was not a glass for mixed drinks, they were either too small or too big, get a few tumblers please. One last item of importance, this is not a true ski-in ski-out property. You have to walk up and down stairs to get to the chondola. It is a very close walk, about 40-50 yards, but when you come off the mountain after skiing all day long and then have to walk uphill all the way back, it is not the most pleasant experience. To recap, we loved the customer service we received from Exceptional Stays, but when we come back to Telluride, we will definitely be staying at...

This place was absolutely beautiful and perfect for my family. Our group consisted of my mom, dad, my brother, his wife, their two kids (3 and 1 year old) my husband and almost 1 year old. *For anyone traveling with young kids please note that this property has a lot of stairs. Our group brought a stairs gate to put on the main level and outlet covers to keep our little ones safe while we were there.

The property had more than enough room to make it feel like we all had our own space and could feel comfortable in the common areas.

Everything was clean and worked great! The showers were amazing, the hot tub was perfect. The beds and couches were very comfortable. I’m a chef and the kitchen was a dream! Lots of cookware to use, a large fridge and freezer, and there was even a grill on the porch! Overall a good setup!

Getting in and out of the property was easy. We were able to be in contact with the property manager at all times if we had any questions. They were able to get back to us ASAP and we’re willing to come out and help us in person if we needed.

This location is perfect to get to the gondola to go over to telluride. It was maybe a 10 minute walk to get to it. The location made it easy to get around without having to take our car.

We really enjoyed ourselves. But remember this is a mountain town so be prepared for bugs, the weather changing constantly, and having to walk up stairs and hills when you’re not used to...