It's hard to believe I'm writing about a poor experience at an expensive, high-profile and Relais & Chateaux-rated property in New York State! But I am. The food and service was at an astonishing and embarrassing low-level. While our room was stunning and nearly perfectly appointed on arrival, that's where it ended. We were underwhelmed with the 'amenities'. The bellman told us the split of wines (red & white) left for us was to be a 'choice of one' for the guest to be considered as complimentary. If we chose both we'd be charged. Let me say the choice was maybe a $10 retail cost (and this is generous). There is no cider, microbrews, seltzer, spirits, etc. None. But if you are into "juice" (filled with a laundry list of nasty ingredients) that you can find in most vending machines, then you are in luck at the Lake Placid Lodge. These nasty libations are sitting above Tootsie Roll minis, jelly beans and a sample of 'sesame stix mix'. Mind you all three of these clearly came in a bulk package that was poured into smaller cellophane bags and labeled Lake Placid Lodge. Not an ingredient list on any package to be seen. Each one was about a one ounce offering. And I'm sure that whomever made these packages up for guests used gloves when re-packaging all. How about curating snacks from the local businesses? And if you imbibe in what is left in the room, don't expect them to be replenished because they won't. Hungry on your arrival? All of the offerings are not from the menu online. But why isn't the current menu posted? We found the quality of the chicken, shrimp and fish to be from highly cost-conscious purveyors. It seemed obvious by the first couple plates that the kitchen staff was lacking in a variety of skills. I since learned that the GM is a former sales employee of a Marriott property. This tells me a lot. Breakfast was interesting to say the least. No host/hostess, a complete misguided bunch of servers literally rushing around in chaos. Almost everything was either undercooked or over-baked. One morning we received a plate of pancakes that obviously were cooked at different times because all three look noticeably different, We noticed some guests received a breakfast treat that not all received. Again, no host and no management on site any of the multiple mornings we suffered through. Want a snack or beverage while outside enjoying the view? Great, walk up the three flights to the restaurant to order something because there is no service on the grounds! Housekeeping? Yes, we had to sign a contract upon arrival (among two other contracts presented in low-light at check-in, jeez) yet it was less-than consistent every day. Imagine 1 shampoo for two people (you know the size) or mouthwash...one tiny travel bottle size for two adults! At 1K a night!!! I won't go into every item not replenished but let's say it's a list. And don't expect turn-down service here either, because there is none. Is this because of COVID still? No excuse at a Relais & Chateaux property. And, to add insult to injury, the afternoon before we checked out some woman tried entering our room while I was inside changing clothes. No knock on the door, just an attempt with keys to enter! How scary and bizarre and distasteful. I had to yell to the woman and ask what was going on. All the person said was, "Oh!" and left. No one at the desk would admit they saw this behavior. Mind you this is long after housekeeping and we hadn't asked for anything to be brought to our room. If we had to guess, I think someone was showing the room to a guest. Whatever it was, bad form! We saw the concierge once on the first day. Never again for the remaining stay. We didn't even know that there was an assistant manager at the property (because there certainly was no sign of the GM) on two of the days until we check out of the property and heard it from another guest. Perhaps your staff should wear name tags and have a distinction in clothing so we know who is who. Better yet, since it's a 30-room property, how about the manager walk around the property and introduce themselves to the guests? We don't expect you to follow us around but make yourself known so we can share what's going on. No one asked how the day was, ever. Nothing distinctive no special for the guest. Coffee left in tiny carafes in a hallway was nearly always empty! How is this possible in a Relais & Chateaux property at 9 or 10 am? No mid-afternoon snack...not even an apple or banana anywhere either. Seriously! Even at a 2-star Hilton property guests are left fresh fruit in the common area. At a recent stay in Maine a hotel left cookies and pastries out for the guests. We were not given a tour of the property - apparently the Lodge was busy prior to our arrival (can't even believe the staff said this to us!) and staff were tired. Ugh. For some reason though outlining the fact that they offer s'mores in the evening was a highlight they just had to mention. Imagine, s'mores to adults at a Relais & Chateaux property! I'm sure kids love it. These two adults don't. We can do this at home, and don't. But mind you, if you wanted to partake....walk up the three flights of stairs to get the supplies because there isn't a staff member outside to offer the experience. The remainder of our dining was spent in town at magnificent restaurants and with many different levels of service. Lucky this is an option at Lake Placid. If you're looking for a beautiful room and lovely grounds the Lake Placid Lodge will not disappoint. If you think the Relais & Chateaux status that you enjoy from other properties is going to be repeated here you will be sadly disappointed as we were.…
My wife and I spent 5 nights at the Lake Placid Lodge in a lake front cabin at a rate of over $1000USD a night. Having stayed at other expensive, never this expensive, places, and at Relais and Chateau properties in the US and Europe, we were expecting another level of service and attention to detail than was provided at a 5 star resort at this price point. The good! The cabin was spectacular: it was spacious, well appointed and right on the lake with a view of whiteface mountain. It was joyful to sit with morning coffee and watch the light change over the landscape. The not so good, the service and attention to detail. This is going to be very picky and many are going to say, "you are one spoiled individual." If I was spending 350-500 a night on this cabin I would agree, but at $1000+ you should have expectations. Check in: There was really no greeting, no orientation to the property and where we could find the different amenities. Simply take the credit card, check in and as we were walking back to the car, "oh can we get you something to drink." As I said the cabin was spectacular, but the mini bar was lacking. There was wine, but no beer or other alcohol, basic juice, soda water, and pretty lame snacks, Small bag of honey peanuts, and tootsie rolls. Snacks were not replenished everyday. General attention to customer service was lacking. We left the do not disturb sign on the door one day to go out for a morning walk and breakfast. We came back and the cleaning people were in the room. Strike one. When we entered and they saw us, instead of saying oh sorry, we can come back later, which should have been the correct thing, the cleaning person said I have to keep cleaning. Strike 2. Never should staff enter a room when the do not disturb sign is on the door. What if I / we were in the shower? A couple of other times the cleaning service knocked on the door to see if we were home, with the sign on the door. This is simply poor training. The hotel has a lovely fire pit and nightly smores. You arrive at an unattended fire pit, which was fine as I like to build a good bonfire, but there are no smores fixings, No directions where to find them, Turns out you have to head up the three flights of stairs to reception. Again I am being very picky, but sitting by that fire I would have loved a cup of coffee, a bourbon, and having service out there would have been a nice touch. Room service, nothing special. Efficient, but you can bring salt and pepper, and maybe do better than condiments in little take out plastic containers I get from my local Deli, again this is supposed to be a five star luxury resort, for $1000+ dollars a night. I would highly suggest that the people at the Lake Placid Lodge take a trip to the Castle Hill Inn, Newport and see what true 5 star service is all about. They can show you how to attend to the small details that enhance a visit.…
Stay away! I cancelled my reservation on July 18th for a reservation in October. My confirmation states a full refund less a $100 fee. My cancellation is due to medical reasons. The GM I spoke with was very nice but never indicated they would keep the full $1770. When I called back a few days later, a very nasty employee, Rachael said I would not receive my refund. Now they will re-book the room for October and have the room paid for 2X. Not a classy way for a four star resort to handle an issue
The pros: room is cozy and charming with 2 fireplaces and spacious bathroom. Artisans restaurant and service were great. The view of the lake and mountains from our suite were magnificent. The cons: signage to the hotel is almost none existent, you pull up to the main entrance and there is no one there to greet you, after a 4+ hours of driving we arrived at 3pm to find our room was not ready. I asked if there were other check ins and was told we were the only ones checking in on that day ( then why if checkout is 11am would our room not be ready at 3pm). I understand check in is at 4pm but do you really have to stretch it the last minute. Here’s the big negative……. Dinner at the lodge restaurants can only accommodate 5 tables at a time even though there are at least 30 tables between inside and outside. We were not told about this little detail when we called ahead of time for a dinner reservation. We were told that they only had availability at 8:30pm so guess what, by 9pm we were the only table in the entire restaurant. In room breakfast dining is delivered via a hot/cold thermal bag which obviously didn’t work because my hot food was cold. The essence of the issue lies with poor management and inadequate staffing and training. Covid can no longer be your excuse.…
My wife and I were looking for a comfortable lakeside inn for our vacation, planning to take day hikes, relax with a book on a patio, have a good restaurant on premises not to travel far for food, and to generally enjoy the peace and quiet and the views the place has to offer. Lake Placid Lodge, as advertised, fit all the requirements perfectly, and we were looking forward to our stay there. During our stay, however, we found ourselves in the middle of a sanding and staining operation involving both the main building (with the breakfast/dining patio) and the building where our suite was located. Our breakfasts were accompanied by the noise of the cherry picker operating right in front us. Our attempts to spend quiet time on our otherwise beautiful patio failed due to noise of the machinery, crackling of walkie-talkies, and the persistent smell of stain which penetrated not only the patio, but our suite as well. Had we known that the lodge would be undergoing this work, we would have chosen a different place for our vacation. But there was no mention of any of this on the lodge's website when we made reservations. Nor was it mentioned by various (otherwise very helpful) people who communicated with us via email prior to our arrival. This lack of disclosure is deeply troubling and hardly compatible with the image and operation of a luxury resort - which Lake Placid Lodge clearly aspires to be. Upon raising this issue to hotel's management, we were offered (and accepted) a roughly 20% discount on our final bill. We appreciated this gesture, but, hoping for a comfortable week in an idyllic location, we were not looking for a discounted stay in the middle of a noisy and dusty refurbishing project. In other details: - Excellent accommodations, beautiful fireplaces, wonderful patio part of our suite with a beautiful view of the lake and surrounding mountains. - Dinners were excellent: good food, and the cherry picker was quiet in the evenings :-)). - Breakfasts were consistently subpar, we had 5 of them during our stay, hoping for an improvement, but it did not come. Cold weak coffee every morning, undercooked omelets, pancakes with strange aftertaste. - Room cleaning services needed serious improvement as measured against 5-star standards (dirty glasses and garbage bags left in the room, empty tissue boxes not replaced despite our attempts to prominently display them, coffee capsules for the Nespresso maker not replenished). - One of the bathroom sinks was clogged, we reported it right away, it was never fixed. If we did not have to endure the refurbishing operation on premises, the overall experience would be good, but not excellent.…
From the moment you walk through the charming red door, you are greeted by the welcoming scent of the hotel’s signature candle. You immediately want to curl up with a glass of wine, good book and relax in front of the roaring fire. My parents and I stayed at the lodge in March of 2022. We stayed in the Treetop and Whiteface Rooms. It was great to have the whole floor to ourselves. From the moment we arrived, the service at the hotel was top notch. Check in was a breeze and Michael at the front desk was very friendly and knowledgeable. The welcome glass of champagne was a nice treat. Michael did a great job explaining the amenities of each room and helping us to get settled in. Michael kept in touch with us during our stay. He constantly made sure that we were enjoying the hotel and that there was nothing else that we needed. Our rooms were both beautiful and had so many unique features. We really enjoyed many of the custom furniture pieces. Both rooms were spotless and well maintained by housekeeping. We enjoyed eating in all of the restaurants and relaxing by the many outdoor fires. Our stay was exactly what we needed...a time of relaxation in luxurious and yet very cozy accommodations. Our next trip will be to visit in the summer time. We can’t wait!!!…
I am a retired chef (75 years) along with my husband from Philadelphia, we took the journey North to Lake Placid Lodge to restore our cellular selves from "all of life's demanding issues" > Lake Placid Lodge gave us shelter in a cabin on the Lake, fed us with culinary delights that was reminiscent of Paris; staff/management was at our every shout out; linens/towels/cleanliness superb (10 stars). If you need a necessary refresh of life or just a true get a way to magnificent natural beauty each day, Lake Placid Lodge will accomplish your goal!!!
A sprawling, charming Lake Placid Lodge (LPL) teeters on the edge of Lake Placid, smack dab in the middle of the Adirondacks. Amenities include luxury lodge-style accommodations, post-card perfect lake scenes, mountain views from any perspective and fine dining venues. This jewel of the Adirondack capitalizes on the some 6 million acres of wilderness that awaits exploration. The main mountain lodge is adorned with beams shaved by hand, countless fireplace-laden enclaves, a soaring wooden staircase with 'roughing it' themed decor pegged on the wall as well as assorted antiques strewn about for good measure. This same vibe spills over into the lodge accommodations and although the property is monstrous, the LPL houses only 30 residences. My cabin was a spacious, luxurious affair, with warm colours, dramatic wood beams, topped up with plaid and animal prints, extravagant stonework and all with a rustic Adirondack theme that oozed throughout, a huge stone fireplace with soaring fire and objets d'art. The balcony revealed stunning views from the comfort of the Adirondack chairs . I was delighted to dive into a luxury bed carved by a local artisan which provided an extremely cozy siesta. The bathroom was roomy with a classic soaking tub and the usual upscale toiletries. The Lodge features 2 restaurants, a casual pub, Maggie's Pub is a hit with the guests as it serves up inventive cocktails and terrific gourmet pub fare. In a high-end dining room is the Artisan restaurant with a menu of American dishes. Based on a farm-to-table concept here, food fare is couched on seasonal ingredients which elevates the Artisan's bevy of menu entree's to excel in the tasty and fresh area. This restaurant, with its high windows and magnificent porch provides an eating environment with a stunning backdrop. Service was impeccable and the griddle cakes that were part of the complimentary breakfast were heavenly. . Lake Placid Lodge is just chucked full of activities, a seasonal array. From hunting, fishing, horseback riding, whitewater rafting, canoeing, mountain biking, hiking in the summer to cross-country skiing, dogsledding rides, skating, snowshoeing in the winter. If you can think of an outdoor activity;..........you can probably do it here or you can just breath in some fresh air and soak in the quietness or cuddle up to one of the 50 fireplaces on the property. So if you are yearning for an upscale NY state 'escape from it all' at a retreat by the lake in the woods, ......with vast wilderness at you' beck and call' and a base camp that is nothing short of a glamour-us log compound......then try the ............................... ....Lake Placid Lodge...........a Laidback Lovable Lake Life.…
From the champagne welcome everything was wonderful. Staff were welcoming, friendly and helpful, but unobtrusive. Accommodations were superb, clean, comfortable, decorated beautifully with lots of special touches, fires were set and ready to go, mini-fridge re-stocked, walkways cleared of snow (we were in a cabin)during a snowstorm. Had hurt my foot and in a boot-car came picked us up to go back and forth from meals so I didn't have to walk! Wonderful experience cannot wait to go back!
Wow where do I begin? From the moment we got to Lake Placid Lodge we were greeted with the best care and hospitality I’ve ever experienced. We stayed in the pine room. The room was absolutely stunning…everything from the fireplace by the sitting area to the massive bath tub was wonderful. The complimentary wet bar, amenities in the room, and bottle of champagne chilled when we were brought to our room were little touches that took our experience from very nice to outstanding. I was a little worried about the dining experience based off the other reviews but we loved our duck at Artisans, and the burger at Maggie’s is not to be missed. The main sell for Lake Placid Lodge is how hospitable they are. When I forgot one of my jackets they immediately overnight shipped it for free. When we needed more coffee, wood or had any questions they were quick to send someone over. We were so impressed, we will absolutely be back again!…
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