SpringHill Suites by Marriott Island Park Yellowstone

Breakfast had some good vegetarian choices, including porridge, several cereals, fresh fruit, bread, and bagels. We especially liked the porridge and cereal selection, though they ran out of toppings like walnuts and pumpkin seeds, along with some cereals, and those items weren’t replenished for a few days. The hotel is about a 30-minute drive from Yellowstone National Park’s West entrance, which sounded far to us at first, but turned out not to be a concern. We paid more than $400 per night, so the unexpected $20 daily parking fee at check-in was frustrating. They eventually waived it, but it felt like nickel-and-diming at that price. The mountain views in the hotel photos also seem misleading, since the mountains look quite small and distant in person. As a Marriott Bonvoy member, I asked for late checkout and was told it wasn’t possible because we booked through a third-party site. That may be the policy, but the response felt rigid and lacking in courtesy or flexibility, even on a quiet Thursday. Some employees also seemed unfriendly. When we asked about the hot water keg in the breakfast area, one employee appeared annoyed, said it would be ready in 15 minutes, and it never was.

The setting by the river is beautiful and really peaceful, and the rooms are modern, spacious, and have nice views. But I’ve stayed at plenty of Marriott properties as part of the loyalty program, and this was the only one that left me disappointed. At these prices, I expected premium service. They were out of both toothbrushes and toothpaste, and the staff just said they were out, without apologizing. Breakfast got worse over our stay, with fewer things offered each day and poor restocking of food, cups, plates, and napkins. I’ve had much better service at other Marriott locations that cost a fraction of this. I’d pick a different hotel if I came back to the Yellowstone area.

The chocolates were a nice touch, and we appreciated the room upgrade for my wife’s birthday, or maybe it was due to some error. We had a great town night during our Yellowstone and Wyoming trip. The repair guy did his best trying to fix the TV. I was glad to find some Wyoming craft beer here, since we’d only seen the Wyoming part of Yellowstone and I didn’t know where else to get it.

It’s a clean, modern hotel right on Henry’s Fork River, with a pool, gym, outdoor hot tub, and a great complimentary breakfast. The restaurant food was a letdown, especially the quesadilla, and felt overpriced to me. One thing to keep in mind is that, despite the branding, this isn’t in West Yellowstone. It’s about 30 minutes away. That works for a quick visit to the park’s west side, but if you’ll be spending longer in the park, that extra hour of driving round trip and the gas could make staying inside the park or in West Yellowstone itself a better fit.