The Lodge at Bretton Woods

We’d stayed at the Lodge once before and liked it as a budget option, but after two nights this time, I probably wouldn’t return. There are no mats outside the doors or inside, so snow and the grit spread to prevent slipping get dragged straight into the room. The entrance and bathroom were a wet, sandy mess, and the plastic floor was slippery enough to feel dangerous. There were no cleaning supplies, so I called the front desk. After being transferred three times, manager John answered and kindly brought us a big yellow bucket and mop around 10 PM. I ended up mopping my own room that late. With all that mess between the entrance and restroom, even showering or using the toilet was a nuisance. The bathroom door in room 219 wouldn’t latch or stay shut, something housekeeping should have noticed and reported for repair. The room was also extremely hot, about 90F when we arrived. I shut off the heat and cracked open the porch door, but it stayed hot and made it hard to sleep. That’s why I’m writing this at 3 AM. A couple of smaller problems too: the clock was unplugged, and the lamp by it was plugged in but didn’t work.

The room was very clean, the bed extremely comfortable, and the staff friendly and accommodating. My only gripe is food on Mondays and Tuesdays. After 4:00, the Omni Hotel is the only place to eat, and it’s very pricey. All the other restaurants they advertised are closed those days, and it was the same in the next closest town, Twin Mountains. Keep that in mind if you’re staying on a Monday or Tuesday.

After staying at this Omni at least seven times over the past seven years, across the inn, main hotel, and lodge, I’ve watched it decline a lot. The lodge has no front desk or common area now, and the pool was filthy. Our first room had a dirty toilet seat, and one bath towel was stained and frayed all around the edges. Resort facilities are available, but that still doesn’t justify $330 a night with fees. Management calls it budget lodging, but it felt more like a ghost town. Very disappointing and no value for the money. For budget lodging, I’d stay somewhere else and save $100 a night.

The lobby was a mess from remodeling, with light fixtures left dangling from the ceiling, and they don’t serve food anymore. For nearly $200 a night, this felt like a $50 room. I wouldn’t stay again. If it hadn’t been so late when I arrived, I would have gone elsewhere. The next night I found a clean, modern place down the road, with a comfortable bed, for half the price. The room itself was dirty and cheaply furnished, with sparse furniture, cheap carpet, and old, cheap towels. There was no coffee in the room, and the refrigerator was old and very loud. The mattress sagged on one side and had a hump in the middle, clearly well worn. The bath fan sounded like a train. You climb to the room using a strange, poorly lit open staircase. The sliding glass doors had a great view of Mt Washington, if you could overlook what might have been a dried tomato juice spill on the glass. The balcony had old, dirty outdoor carpet and cigarette butts all over it. The lighting in the room was ridiculous.