The Rustler Lodge is the premier place to stay in Alta. Between the well-appointed rooms, the inviting bar & dining areas, the luxurious spa area, the top-notch food and the engaging staff, I dare say one cannot find a more superlative ski lodge experience in this country.
Thank you for your top-notch review of your stay with us and our ski lodge experience! Looking forward to your swift return,
My wife and I had a super ski week at the Rustler lodge. We had been to Alta before and had stayed in an on mountain condo. This time around, we wanted to really unplug and relax and the Rustler fit the bill perfectly. No cooking, No worrying, No mess. You really don't have to worry about a thing at the Rustler. The staff is super-attentive and friendly. Breakfast and dinner are included (minus the alcohol) and a moderately priced lunch is available each day.
Our days were basically:
- Get up
- Have breakfast
- Ski
- Have lunch
- Ski
- Jacuzzi / Outdoor Pool
- Have dinner
- Sleep
Then repeat each day! If you are about skiing and great food - this is the place for you.
The onsite ski shop is super helpful and the ski lockers are located right next to the slope to the lifts. Elevators make accessing the ski locker floor easy with your ski boots on. The rooms were clean and well attended to. We enjoyed the slightly bigger room with King Bed and couch to relax in.
During our trip, we found a wide variety of guests and most everyone was super friendly. There were large groups of men & women on a ski outing. Couples like us, Families with adult children and also families with young children. Everyone was relaxed and friendly... with a passion for great skiing and Alta certainly offers a tremendous ski mountain.
The only slight criticism was that the dinner service was sometimes a bit inconsistent on timing as sometimes the spacing between courses was sometimes a bit long. it really depended on how busy the staff was. But the staff worked very well together and the timing really didn't bother us as we didn't really have anywhere to go! Overall each breakfast, lunch and dinner was very satisfying.
It isn't cheap, but if you are looking for a no hassle, ski focused vacation surrounded by friendly staff and guests... we highly recommend Alta's Rustler Lodge!
Thank you! You've perfectly described what I think helps make a Rustler stay so unique--effortless relaxation. Alta is an amazing place for skiing and we're so glad you enjoyed your stay. We appreciate the constructive criticism regarding our dinner service and are working to correct occasional lengthy wait times. We aspire to create a restorative stay for all of our guests, and this year, the skiing has been superlative. Thank you for choosing to stay with us,
Room 802. Great room, great view.
I injured my knee first day of trip and the entire staff was so helpful in seeing to my needs.
Ski shop canted my boots with care after my accident. Unfortunately will have to wait until next year to try them out.
Kate, Vicky, Tauni, Haley, Rebecca as well housekeeping Mirka and John thank you so much.
Sheridan Davis was so friendly.
I also keep Kosher and Chef McCall and sous chefs Jason and John were so very attentive and helpful.
I was traveling alone and I found the other guests so friendly.
Our goal is to meet your every need whether you're traveling alone or in a large group. I know how difficult it is to sustain a knee injury and my heart goes out to you. Looking forward to having you back next year, healthy and strong. All of us appreciate being able to offer you any assistance we can while you're with us, and we certainly appreciate being mentioned by name! Thank you. With warm regards and best wishes for a swift recovery,
We just completed our 9th Presidents flay weekend father son ski trip at Rustler Lodge in Alta. The Managment (Tom and Kate Pollard) have always hired very well and the entire staff makes you feel like family. The service and food are top notch. The location at base of one of the best ski resorts on the planet if you like powder and challenging skiing is ideal. This is a very family oriented high end lodge and one worth exploring. Breakfast and dinner are included in room price and then meals among the best one can find in Utah. Meg and Kelly are so helpful for any dining requests. Hats off to the kitchen staff for serving up tasty fare. Rooms are well appointed and there is ski shop in the building. They 715am morning Yoga/Stretch with Julie is always a great day to start the day. Heated pool, hot tubs and steam rooms a great way to relax after the day. John is the bar has been there forever, is great company and makes one feel at home. Don’t miss the happy our chow and snacks. The reservations team is very effecient and great on email...Rebecca, Jackie and Seth are always very helpful as well. Anyway open to answer questions but i have stayed here with pals, with my whole family and with the father son group and cannot say enough positive about the Rustler Team!!!
Thank you for your wonderful review, but most of all, for honoring us with your repeated stays and family vacations. It is wonderful to have folks singled out for compliments, and they all deserve the high praise. Thank you! Looking forward to your swift return with all our best,
I has a wonderful first stay at the Rustler with friends and relatives. I have stay d in a huge variety of places over forty years and know what really makes a lodge work for me.
First and foremost, the people who works there are wonderful. They do everything in their power to make you feel welcome. Probably because they clearly enjoy their work and like their fellow employees, and are well treated and appreciated by management. They uniformly have a ridiculously friendly attitude, making all encounters pleasant and helpful, patiently answering every conceivable question. Without this aspect, even the best-equipped outdoors lodge can be a grim affair.
The attitude of the people who work there also likely reflects the fact that they and guests have every resource to work with right on site: a ski shop that took the time to give me the best fit I’ve had in years, on site lift tickets, on site ski school sign up, ski out to slopes and return chair lift with equal access to both sides of Alta, an outstanding restaurant with a lavish and delicious breakfast and dinner included in the room price, free cocktail and snacks (good ones) hour, a day spa with world class masseuses (Jeannie and Amy come to mind), indoor and outdoor hot tubs, eucalyptus steam room, outdoor pool, and - yes - live animal shows and end of day s’mores for the kids.
The overall atmosphere is that of an old world, high end European family-oriented ski lodge. Warm and casual but elegant - think word beams, nice silverware and crystal, and ski gear, sock and jeans, with kids in early morning pjs made very welcome with board games and hot coca and cereal. You are really feel at home and your fellow guests are in the same mood. (Notwithstanding the warmth, they have the business chops if you have a deal cooking or a child needing to do online homework, with robust WiFi and cell service, document scanners, etc. As usual there was lots of that going on but people were unusually circumspect - handling their affairs quietly in corners.)
I want to give a shout out to the pastry chefs, two of whom I met early one morning. Awesome desserts. And a shout out to FCB. I hope his streak continues.
Yes, as others have commented, when you factor in the meals, location, and on site resources, it is the best priced deal around. But the friendly and helpful atmosphere coupled with the substantive resources skiers need take the Rustler to the level of a rare gem.
I thank all the people who work there for making my stay with friends and relatives truly memorable. I’ll be back for as long as I can ski.
P.S. If only to show that perfection is unattainable, there is one tiny thing I would change. I would add overnight coffee pots for those like me who wake up at 4 am and find tea a weak substitute. (That said, someone still up from the night before offered to make me an expresso. And made several great ones before heading to bed. Again, great service. John knows who he is.)
Thank you! We're overwhelmed with your high praise. We cherish our returning guests, but to receive such a comprehensively glowing review from a new guest is especially gratifying.
We're not for everyone. Indeed, Alta is not for everyone. But for those who are discerning about ski culture and the contributions the Rustler brings to it, we are an excellent fit.
Thank you for writing at length about our strengths. Those are always our people, so I appreciate your shout outs to particular folks.
And we'll work on that overnight coffee situation!
Hoping to welcome you back as soon as you are able to return,
