Our stay at Steamboat Springs Suites exceeded our expectations (3 of 5 stars). The Steamboat Suites 2 bed/bath condo was clean, about 800sq feet. The pictures on their website were [mostly] accurate, though our furnishings were nicer than what were in the pictures. Neutral faux-type finishing covered the main living room quarters, with country-styled [pine type] furniture. The kitchen had newer laminate flooring, and all of the appliances were clean (no crumbs or other remnants). There were decent (Corelle) dishes, cutlery, cooking utensils, and the (moderate gauge aluminum) pots and pans were in good working condition. The property provided all of the necessary dish/washer soap, paper towels, etc.
The unit had looked like it had been updated. There were 3 functioning TV's, a DVD player, and a small type/stereo. One (central) bath had a tub, the other was a shower (off main bedroom) - no mold. The heat worked in all of the rooms; we noticed that there appeared to be an individual water heater for the unit we were in. There is a swamp cooling system, however we did not use it (winter use). The swamp unit appeared to be newer (=no paint decay/rust) and had posted instructions.
Likes:
The property has a clean, free shuttle system (read: leave a tip) which compliments the free public bus system. There are bus stops located directly across (going toward downtown) and 1/4 block down the street (going to the ski hill). The property is located about 5 bus stops from the ski hill (read: 3-4 minute bus ride), and the bus runs every 10 minutes to the hill during prime time.
We had a good experience with the shuttle drivers -- we called the front desk to set our expectations of timing/pick-up and timed our activities accordingly. The shuttle will drive you to/from downtown in the evening hours, if you pre-arrange/call the hotel shuttle phone #. The drivers were extremely nice to us.
Food: Safeway is directly across the street, City Market is a block away (as is Wal Mart). There is a liquor store located near the Safeway. There are a few strip malls within the vicinity, and it is quite centrally located.
Ski Gear: the Ski Haus (ski shop – with prices that beat the hill, really nice staff, and great gear) is also a block away. I had to send my skis in for warranty (purchased in CA), and the ski shop really helped out. The people are nice and without attitude (unlike other places where I tried to get help).
Non-Issues: 1 of the 2 hot-tubs were in working order. To access the pool, one must take the shuttle to the other property (Hilltop). No formal kids programs/conceirge service, etc. (not really a resort, but a condo). We went during President’s week, I suggest you consider making restaurant reservations in advance, if you are going during a busy time. The front desk staff was helpful, we went snowmobiling and had a great time.
After reading many reviews (for various properties) on Trip Advisor, I have come to the conclusion that some of the reviews have lead us to set our expectations very low or we are usually scared sick before we get there -- our realization of the actual properties has always been higher than our initial expectations. Examples of such experiences have included: grand canyon national park properties, san diego 5 star hotels, sedona spa properties, and the like.
For example, we stayed at the best hotel in Whistler at Christmas time, and the room itself was not "functionally" much better than the Celebrity Suites. The only difference with the Whistler hotel was the slopeside location, onsite restaraunts, and the ski valet.
Our expectations of the Celebrity Suites was for a basic, clean, utilitarian condo, where we could cook meals, shower, sleep (uninterrupted) - and it exceeded our expectations. My husband and I concurred that we would recommend this property to our friends, and that when measured against other condo type units we have rented across the country in ski towns (we ski and travel a lot), this was one of the better places to stay. We will return.
