We recently had a reservation to stay a night in June at the Summit Mountain Lodge Hotel. This was a very disappointing experience... so much so that our stay on that property literally lasted no longer than 30 minutes.
The website pictures of Summit Mountain Lodge are lovely and I was initially very impressed by the good reviews on Trip Advisor. I felt it would suit our needs and wants quite well.
Upon our arrival, I wondered if we were in the right place. There wasn't a car in site and the grounds weren't quite as expected from the website pictures. We went into the building and were greeted by a nice young man who checked us in. He did say we were lucky to be in cabin 1 as it was close enough to the main building to get WiFi..., my first red flag. We drove to our cabin. The inside was quite dark, not like the website pictures portray. The two beds were very close together, which is fine, it's a cabin, but the beds were so hard. There was no TV, no WiFi, no deck of cards, no puzzle, no games, nothing to do at all. As we were standing on the porch having a discussion, we noted the trains were very close to the property. From our previous stay at a different location the night before (which was wonderful), we knew those trains run all night, which again is fine except we were so close to the tracks. At that moment, a train fired up and headed out. It was so loud, we could not hear what the other was saying.
Guests should be aware that this property is on a very active train track. Be prepared for 6-7 trains screeching, grinding, hissing at night. It sounds like an air brake compressor workshop. It is seriously loud.
I decided we would not stay, we would take the loss and that I would talk to the manager about the reasons for our departure. I did not feel the website adequately portrayed Summit Mountain Lodge properly/fairly. Their website should notify guests of the extreme noise, the fact that there is no WiFi in the cabin or TVs. I was met with a manager/owner who had well rehearsed comebacks for every issue I spoke of. He told me they embraced the history of the trains, that most people embraced disconnecting from their phones, WiFi and TV. He said all these points are well documented on the website. He said there are 3 family cabins with TVs and that if I wanted a TV, I should have done my research better in order to make a proper reservation.
After I returned home, I went back to the website to try to understand how I could have been so far off on this establishment. The first thing that pops up when you click on the website is a box that says free WiFi included. There is mention of trains and the history but it isn't highlighted in the manner he claims. I would also mention the reviews are mixed with the restaurant reviews. I honestly had to wonder if someone was implementing 5 star reviews for his benefit as I can't imagine so many 5 stars. Of note as well is the owner's response to the more negative reviews is one that is quite rude, that criticizes and slams the guest making the review. I fully expect the same type response with this review.
At any rate, this is not a business or establishment that I would ever support or recommend to anyone. As a person who works in hospitality, I
am appalled at what I experienced here. read more