Omni Bretton Arms Inn at Mount Washington

I booked this as a special treat, and it was such a letdown. The room photo on Expedia was wrong. After we drove up the grand entrance to the gatehouse, we were told the main hotel wasn't where we were staying and that our "charming" inn was off to the left. It was charming, but it wasn't what we'd been promised, and for what we paid, that wasn't okay. At check-in, the clerk was condescending. The couple ahead of us got restaurant reservations at one of the hotel's restaurants and were told there was no dress code. When it was our turn, after we'd been standing there while they chatted, we were directed to a restaurant down the street because the hotel had been booked for two or three weeks. We were wearing jeans and jackets, just like the couple before us. We'd been hiking, but I don't think we looked that casual. As we walked away, the clerk told the couple behind us how much he appreciated their patience while they waited for us. What? Back from the restaurant he recommended, I went to draw a bubble bath and found there was no hot water. The desk said it had been shut off and had only come back on 30 minutes earlier, so we'd have to wait about an hour. What? I don't recommend this place, and I'll avoid Omni hotels. So disappointing.

The property is beautiful, but for the price, this wasn't worth it. We were told the early check-in we wanted wasn't available, and the room was too hot with a thermostat that didn't seem to work. Breakfast was cold one morning, and the next morning some menu items were missing. The worst part came after we returned from a wedding at the main hotel around midnight. Our room key wouldn't work, and nobody was on duty at the inn. My husband went back to the main hotel for another key, but that failed too. He called again and waited about 15 minutes for someone to come help. We never got a proper explanation for the faulty keys or lock. We had our 14-year-old dog inside. We travel with him to keep him safe and comfortable instead of boarding him, so being locked out with no one there to help promptly felt unacceptable, and was a serious safety and fire concern. They refunded just $39 for the middle-of-the-night ordeal.

At the new Bretton Arms Restaurant, we had a wonderful six-course tasting menu with thoughtful mocktail pairings in place of wine. The scallops were juicy, the parsnip soup was lovely, and the wagyu steak was just perfect.

I expected better from a luxury inn. After the key failed when I got back from a wedding around 11 pm, the main hotel sent a shuttle to pick me up. They made me a replacement, but that one wouldn't open the room either. I called again and was told someone would come ASAP. About 20 minutes later, they arrived with yet another bad key, then let me in using a master key. The next day, their loss protection employee tried to troubleshoot it without success. He later came back and said the room key had clearly been made wrong. I can't believe they got it wrong so many times. They comped us for the trouble, fortunately.