Madeline Hotel & Residences, Auberge Collection

The charges at checkout were wrong, and the takeaway breakfast we carefully ordered before our early departure was wrong too. We wrote down what we wanted, specified pickup rather than room delivery, and stayed within our food credit. Still, the coffee came from the wrong restaurant, our daughter got hot chocolate instead of chocolate milk, and we were charged a room delivery fee we had declined. I asked the hotel to refund the incorrect order and fee, but nobody has replied. We were first told we had $130 in food credit left, then learned that was a hotel calculation error and we actually owed money. Even the advertised nightly s’mores weren’t available when we arrived at 7:30 pm, though they were meant to run from 7-8 pm. We chose the Madeline Hotel partly for its advertised morning movement classes, but none were offered during our five-night stay. The afternoon alpine show with sparkling wine that we’d looked forward to was canceled, staff said, because of a management change. Those were key reasons we booked, and missing them took a lot away from the stay. Taken together, the lack of service and follow-up didn’t meet what I expect from a five-star resort. My husband and I have stayed at several five-star resorts around the world, and this visit fell far below our expectations for the Madeline. It wasn’t worth the premium price, and I’d rate the property closer to three stars. I hope management takes this seriously, refunds the incorrect charges, and reviews its advertising for amenities that aren’t available.

We missed the afternoon Apres Ski horn call we’d experienced on an earlier visit, and there was a surprising lack of Christmas decorations and music. Trash, including cups and glasses, was constantly left around the pool. The room coffee requests were also a mess. My husband asked the front desk for four decaf Nespresso pods, but they sent a carafe of coffee, which we refused. On his second call, four cups of espresso arrived, and he refused those too. Nobody tried to fix it. The Maid surface kept leaving water without glasses, so we had to call each day for glasses. There was also no creamer, sugar, or stir sticks for making Nespresso coffee in the room. After four nights at the Madeline, we left disappointed. The hotel seems to be under new management, and the communication with the front desk was lacking. It didn’t feel like the five-star resort we experienced three years ago. Maybe things will improve once the Four Seasons opens and becomes direct competition.

We’ve gone two full days without hot water in our residence during our stay this week. The owner has ghosted us by email, and the hotel says maintenance has shut off hot water throughout the property and nothing can be done. We paid thousands of dollars expecting a five-star experience and have been treated worse than at a motel 6. Don’t stay here.

We spent a few nights here for our mini moon in June, and they were incredible. I was under the weather, and they even found Gatorade for me. The welcome spread was lovely too. I was so grateful to be here and can’t recommend it enough.