My wife and I were looking for a vacation out West this summer. Neither of us had ever been to Yellowstone National Park and we decided to give it a try. We choose to stay at the Spring Creek Ranch primarily because of its many advertised resort amenities and proximity to various attractions, including Yellowstone.

We booked directly with the hotel. Since we were traveling at peak summer vacation season, we paid top dollar for a deluxe room - $350/night.

The property is located about 10 or 15 miles from the Jackson Hole airport in a nice hilltop area overlooking the valley below and the Grand Tetons off in the distance. After arriving around noon, we were promptly told that our rooms would not be available until 4 pm. We thought this was a kind of late for a check-in, but came back later as requested. Front desk personnel were courteous, but seemed flustered and inexperienced, especially during busy times.

When we finally got in the room, things really started going downhill. First of all, there was no air-conditioning. Normally, this would not be a problem in Wyoming even in the summer. But, with record temperatures all over the state, the room was uncomfortable - even with a ceiling fan going at full blast. We expected more from a higher end hotel like this. Even the Days Inn we stayed at the night before in Jackson Hole (for less than half the price of Spring Creek Ranch) had air conditioning.

As non-smokers, we requested and received a non-smoking room. But, the hotel policy for some strange reason allows anyone to smoke on the balconies. We, unfortunately, had a room on an upper floor next to a couple who decided to have a cigar party out on the balcony of their room. So, as soon as you open the door - the stench of cigar smoke hit you right in the face. In our opinion, with an adjoining room design like that, the balcony is an extension of the room and if you can't smoke in the room, you should not be able to smoke on the balcony with other non-smoking rooms in such close proximity.

As for the room, it was small and dark. In the bathroom, it was so dark when you closed the shower curtain, you almost could not see at all - which struck me as a safety hazard. We asked the front desk to have maintenance put in a brighter bulb. They agreed to, but noone ever came. The room did have a nice fireplace and was nicely decorated. But, rustic charm can only go so far with some of the other problems we experienced.

Some of these problems included:

1. Maids on THREE occasions left the door to our hotel room completely open after cleaning the room. We brought this to the attention of the front desk managers on duty - but it kept happening again and again. Totally unacceptable.

2. We had a breakfast package included with our stay. As we had booked a photo safari one morning that departed around 6 am, we made arrangements in advance with the concierge and the restaurant management to have a box breakfast delivered to our door before we left that morning. It never was delivered. Had it not been for the resourceful photographer we spent the morning with who happened to bring a few light snacks, we would have had nothing to eat. The hotel did reimburse us $20 for the trouble, but it was just another inconvenience we had to put up with.

Maid service was also spotty - they appeared to only make the beds and bring new towels. When we arrived, there was one small piece of soap on the sink and nothing for the shower. I could go on, but suffice to say we were not impressed. What disturbed us the most was how several problems - even though reported to management - continued to happen over and over again. In our opinion this is a sign of poor, apathetic management and is disgraceful for a facility priding itself as a so-called resort property. The property offers some very nice services (tours, guided trips, activities, etc.). However, they fall woefully short in providing basic services that any decent motel can supply these days - a comfortable, bright, secure room and reliable room service.

In summary, if you are looking for an upscale resort in the Jackson area, spending top dollar at Spring Creek Ranch will not guarantee you the kind of experience that you would expect from a top-notch resort property. It certainly did not in our stay there.