Field Guide Lodge

The renovation looks very nice, and the decor is cool. Thanks for the warm welcome and thoughtful anniversary card. The lobby would be a good place for a group to hang out, and there are board and card games to borrow. They have a light breakfast, plus nice coffee and tea available in the mornings and evenings. I can see this being popular with the ski crowd.

The room description on the website didn’t really match what we experienced. We booked Summit2, with a cool queen-size bunk bed as well as a king bed, but the unusual layout left little space beyond the beds. The beds were very comfortable, though the room was drafty and hard to heat with the high ceilings and awkward footprint. The lobby felt cozy and inviting, and staff responded to texts, but they were often away from the front desk. Breakfast was probably the biggest letdown: not much variety, and platters sat empty for long stretches without being refilled. I suspect they were understaffed, but that wasn’t really acceptable. We came to Stowe to ski and looked a little farther down the road because on-mountain lodging was too expensive. Field Guide’s promotion and website made it seem like a perfect fit, and we’d stayed at Lark hotels before. The experience was fine, but the cost didn’t line up with the accommodation and service, so I can’t rate it higher.

The bunk room worked wonderfully for our girls’ weekend. Five of us fit together, as we wanted, and sharing beds didn’t bother us, although one bathroom between us was a bit tight. The beds were comfy, the room was clean, and they even left yummy cookies. They checked in by text each day to see if we needed anything and let us know about live music in the lobby bar. Breakfast wasn’t a huge spread, but it was tasty and just right, yogurt with toppings, mini quiches, French toast, fruit salad and so on. Water and coffee were always available in the lobby, too. The hotel has a super cute, cozy mountain vibe, and we had no problems, just a wonderful stay. The location is prime, a short walk to Main Street. Stowe was lovely and had such good food. Highly recommend!

The lodge has a lot going for it, especially the location. Shops and restaurants are just outside or a short walk away, and the Cady Hill mountain bike & hiking trails start right behind the property. The lobby felt cozy, with its fireplace, plenty of seats, games, and a classic ski town look. Our cottage suite was roomy, and management offered to move us to another one and refunded 20% of the bill. We appreciated that response, and hope they address the issues we reported for future guests. We came for a fall trip and were disappointed that Apres Only bar & boards was closed during our stay. The outdoor hot tub required an appointment, which was frustrating, though having it to ourselves and our group was nice. There were many small problems in the room: some outlets didn’t work, lighting was poor, the bathroom sink drained badly, shower pressure was weak, the soap and shampoo dispenser kept falling off the wall, the mattress sagged, the stair handrails had splinters, and the windows wouldn’t open. At $800/night, we expected more. The lodge has potential, but these problems added up.