Alexandra Foster
Google
⭐☆☆☆☆
Beauty spot, but not beautiful service
Aspen Meadows Resort is a stunning setting mountains, art, aspen trees, meadows, and crisp Colorado air.
The accommodation? Think posh hall of residence. Sadly, the service is so bad it should be classified as performance art (or student jobs training).
Breakfast & lunch adventures: Cold food sent back to be reheated. Cold chips! Toast ordered, never arrived, perhaps still wandering the Rockies.
Milk madness: Once “out of jugs” in the restaurant, so milk was served in a teacup. Later, when asking for milk for the room, I was asked if I preferred decaf or caffeinated milk. Who knew dairy had an energy rating?
Tea troubles: Asked for tea bags—told “we don’t do that.” Directed to wait at reception for housekeeping. Pushed again, and voilà! A box appeared. The solution? Microwave a mug of water like a college dorm DIY.
Afternoon ghost town: Returned from a hike at 4:16 pm Sunday, terrace and bar deserted. Front desk advised not to disturb staff, they were in a meeting. When we finally ordered tea for two, we were asked: “Where did you see a sign saying we do tea?” (To be fair, they did then comp us the tea!)
Front desk wisdom: Asked how to reach Independence Pass. First: blank stares. Second: “Just take Route 82.” We’d flown in from London without a car. Asked about excursions? “Get a cab.” Inspirational! Thank goodness for Uber !
Rooms: First impression, musty. AC/heating unit wheezed and clattered like a snoring roommate with mood swings. Vibe: college dorm with altitude.
Housekeeping: Room service trays ( not ours) sat outside a shared entrance for over 48 hours. A new art installation, perhaps?
Breakfast finale: Sunday steak = perfect. Monday steak = not. Explanation? “Chef doesn’t really know the difference between medium and medium rare.” Comforting.
Tea pot tragedy: At 10am, no tea pots, because they hadn’t been washed from the day before. Staff explanation: the evening shift was overwhelmed, so maybe, if the pot washer caught up, we might get one before checkout.
Checking out: Even printing the bill was a saga. Two PCs, neither could connect to the printer.
Bonus mystery: An odd charge appeared on the card before checkout. Resort fee, perhaps? ($50/day for Internet, transfers, pickleball, snowshoes, and art galleries. What it doesn’t buy: toast, tea, or timely service.)
One bright spot: Northora, who gamely washed a teapot herself to help us out. She deserves recognition.
We came all the way from the UK for a friend’s wedding. The beauty of Aspen delivered; the resort sadly did not.
Come for the scenery, not the service.