Minnewaska Lodge

I'm submitting an updated review with a lower score because the innkeeper replied to me with insulting language and honestly really strange lies (eg, accused me of climbing past caution tape to take the attached pictures; this would not have been possible as there WAS no caution tape. The staircase shown connects to the hallway where our rooms were and the door in was usually propped open even when no crew was present). One of the points in the innkeeper's response was that we were complimentary of the inn for most of our stay. That's true and it's because good hospitality compensates for a lot and far outweighs issues like somewhat grody glassware. But our parting impression was one of very poor hospitality, because of the innkeeper's choice to go on an emotional rant about us to our faces on the morning of our check out. Bottom lines: the inn is fine, not amazing, apart from several safety issues, but the innkeeper seems prone to some bizarre and hostile behavior towards guests and I would not recommend that folks risk it if you're also looking at other options in the area. --- Original review: Overall a very mixed experience. The good: beautiful views, the rooms were basically comfortable, and a nice location. I took a lovely free yoga class Sunday morning with a great and very friendly teacher. Most of the staff seemed young and inexperienced but were very friendly. The meh: breakfast is extensive but not very high quality or fresh. Pic included (bagels, bread, frozen/reheated pastries, frozen/reheated mini quiche and omelets, hard-boiled eggs, one flavor each of Chobani and Yoplait, a couple cereals, some fruit, sometimes waffle batter). Milk was spoiled one day, etc. The dishes provided were worn (lots of chips) and not always clean, especially the glasses and silverware. The temperature control in the room was not great, with the (loud) AC seeming to struggle overnight despite moderate temperatures. The bad: this hotel is not safe or welcoming especially for the baby/toddler crowd. The innkeeper made this clear to us by describing our two, including our 10-month-old baby (who is not especially fussy), "intolerable". If this inn is not interested in hosting young children that's totally fine but it was definitely not made clear ahead of time. In addition there were several safety issues -- I was stung by a wasp while sitting on the front porch and when I brought this to the innkeeper's attention he said this should be expected in "nature". Finally, the inn was under active construction while we were staying and while of course that's fine and all businesses do updates from time to time, there was no "pardon our mess" signage and instead construction debris was left unattended and un-barricaded at a side entrance for our entire stay (see pictures).

Overall a very mixed experience. The good: beautiful views, the rooms were basically comfortable, and a nice location. I took a lovely free yoga class Sunday morning with a great and very friendly teacher. Most of the staff seemed young and inexperienced but were very friendly. The meh: breakfast is extensive but not very high quality or fresh. Milk was spoiled one day, etc. The dishes provided were worn (lots of chips) and not always clean, especially the glasses and silverware. The temperature control in the room was not great, with the (loud) AC seeming to struggle overnight despite moderate temperatures. The bad: this hotel is not safe or welcoming especially for the baby/toddler crowd. The innkeeper made this clear to us by describing our two, including our 10-month-old baby (who is not especially fussy), as "intolerable". If this inn is not interested in hosting young children that's totally fine but it was definitely not made clear ahead of time. In addition there were several safety issues -- I was stung by a wasp while sitting on the front porch and when I brought this to the innkeeper's attention he said this should be expected in "nature". Finally, the inn was under active construction while we were staying and while of course that's fine and all businesses do updates from time to time, there was no "pardon our mess" signage and instead construction debris was left unattended and un-barricaded at a side entrance for our entire stay (see pictures). Perhaps a better fit for older couples without kids? Regardless, we won't be back with or without ours.

Our large family stayed at Minnewaska for a family reunion. We came from all over the country for our nephew's wedding and gathered at the Lodge for a week. We could not have been more pleased with the hospitality we received. Eric and his staff went above and beyond daily to make our time comfortable and enjoyable. He provided suggestions for activities, supplies like extra towels and sun screen for swimming adventures & bug spray for hikes we took. When he saw us involved in our traditional Family Olympics, he brought out cold water to keep us cool. Their staff was always one step ahead of our needs. The breakfasts also went above and beyond. They had quite a spread for us to enjoy each morning: along with delicious bakery goods, there were eggs, quiche, sausage, fruit, and waffle makings available. And, lots of coffee. The best part was the main living area that we were able to use for our family of 25+ to gather for conversation and games. We even had pizza delivered one evening and Eric and his staff set us up with all that was needed to make it feel like a relaxing dinner. He even insisted on treating us to his favorite flavored pizza (and refused us paying him back), and... bought us several pints of ice cream to enjoy after the meal. I would recommend this lodge to anyone who wants to enjoy a place to gather with family and to be treated like family.

The lodge is grossly overpriced for what they provide. The walls are paper thin and the adjacent room had a crying baby with stressed parents. We heard everything as if they were in our room! We were woken multiple times and couldn’t sleep. The towels provided were not even as good as a commercial gym locker room - rough and threadbare. The breakfast was really what I would expect from a cheap hotel chain. I asked for a to-go cup for coffee and they told me they didn’t provide them. The maid didn’t even make the bed each day. I didn’t expect new sheets but usually hotels remake the bed. Not at all a full service lodge especially for the price. The pluses were the location and the grounds but all and all not worth it.

In mid August, 7 days after our mother passed way, the family made a reservation at Minnewaska Lodge (for their most expensive suite!) as a home base for a ceremony of scattering mom's ashes. She had a special love of the area and we wanted to honor her in the way, when the family reconvened after Thanksgiving. We knew we needed to plan ahead to be sure to have a location to gather for the memorial. Carlos, Director of reservation, confirmed our date months ago. This morning, October 22nd, he notified us that to accommodate a private party the hotel decided to cancel our reservation. I asked that Carlos use his contacts in the area to find us another hotel, and shockingly, he refused. This is the worst customer relations I have seen in quite a while. Prospective visitors take note. Marilyn Davidson, NYC

First, the hotel is nice, greet fire pits, marshmallows provided for smores, desk staff is friendly and helpful. Breakfast is completely underwhelming. The experience which l want to share is the reason for the low rating. About 10 minutes after we left the hotel, got a call on my private cell from an incoherent and belligerent housekeeper raving about something. Hung up the call, two major issues with this situation. One is that my personal information and data was shared with someone who had no need or rights to access it, which constitutes at gross invasion of privacy and is not justified by any means. Second, as for customer service, the call was completely inappropriate, unacceptable and just plain rude. Please take note of this behavior if you are planning to stay here.

Nice location and from the outside looks good. First off, their higher priced "Cliff Rooms" are not worth the extra money. In our rooms you could hardly see the cliffs. We arrived in our "Cliff Room" in the morning and immediately went out for the day. When we returned later to our room it was so hot. We tried to turn on the air conditioner and not only did it not work but it was pumping out more hot air. We called the front desk and they came in to see if they could fix it but it could not be fixed. They said we would have to move to another room. We really didn't want to do that because we were trying to get ready to go out for dinner but there was nothing else that could be done. They told us they gave us a credit for the inconvenience of having to move and having been uncomfortable in the room but we found out later that was not true. When we returned home we saw that they never credited us. After several phone calls and each time someone saying that they are crediting us, they still have not. I finally had to contact the credit card company to have them deal with it. That is a horrible way to do business. It is not really the money that is at issue here. Just don't tell us you are going to issue us a credit, note it in the file, not do it and then ignore us later on. That is unacceptable. To us it shows that you just don't care about your customers. As far as the hotel, the rooms and bathrooms are old, small, and the furniture in rooms is all scratched up. There are also unclean carpets in hallways, etc. We found a blanket in the closet that looked like it was used by the previous occupants, crumpled up and just thrown up on the shelf. Sorry to say that we would not recommend this place to anyone.

Had to cancel last minute due to medical family emergency for Labor Day weekend and after 2 phone calls to the manager Tammy to try and appeal to her good nature and consideration no concession was made ...found her to be rude and unreasonable...they charged me for the full weekend ! bad business!

I recently stayed here Aug 2-4 2019. Arrived early, they wouldn't let us check in even though they didn't appear busy. Very unfriendly staff! Over priced and Lodge needs a very much needed remodeling.