Billy S.
Yelp
Buyer beware! I'll break this review up into three parts because there are a lot of moving parts here.
Booking/ pricing/ management:
We stayed a night at the Race Brook Lodge to see a concert a little while ago. At first glance, a stay here looks a little pricey based on what you appear to be getting. In my head, $200 for a small room in a converted barn is steep. When I went to book it, I was asked to select a "package." There was one advertising a nights stay, a three course dinner in the Stagecoach Tavern, and breakfast the next day for $185. I thought since dinner and breakfast were included, that wasn't such a bad deal after all. Total cost after taxes and fees when I hit the purchase button: $201
Imagine my surprise when I got my confirmation email and took a look at the receipt- $309. I quickly looked at my credit card statement, sure enough- $309. I sent them an email immediately asking what was up with the extra $108. Crickets. Oh well, I figured I could just hash it out with them when we got there. I came to find out that there is no front desk, and everything is handled over text messages, so that made it a little more difficult.
When the time came to check out, I got a text asking me to click a link to view my "balance." I clicked it and discovered that they were attempting to charge me another $92. At this point I sent them another email and told them that this felt like a scam, and that I would be disputing the charges with my credit card. They responded right away saying that there was a miscommunication, the "package" was actually separate from the room charge and that they were supposed to let me know of that right after I booked, but someone dropped the ball.
They did eventually honor the original $201 price that I was quoted, but if I hadn't noticed the discrepancy or been firm about fixing it, I can't imagine they would have refunded it by themselves.
Sidenote: when looking closely at the dinner/breakfast package pricing- it's an absolute ripoff.
"Package" dinner: $150
Meals Tax: $10.50
Billed gratuity: $24.00
All in- $184.50. For ONE person. For dinner and a middle of the road buffet breakfast? The "three course dinner" allows you to pick any starter, entree, and dessert from the restaurant menu. If you picked the three most expensive items in each category, it would be $104. Plus a $15 breakfast, you're still not even in the neighborhood of $150. I suppose selecting the meal package bestows on you the honor of donating an extra $31 to the owners of the lodge. Great deal!
The Room:
We were happy enough with our room. It was nothing special, but it had air conditioning, hot water, and it was clean: really my only three boxes that need to be checked by a hotel. The photos on their website appear to be from 2017, which made me a little weary, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the room actually looked better in person. We stayed in the Hayloft #7 room.
The concert in the barn:
The concert we saw was EXCELLENT. The barn is an amazing venue for a small show like the one we saw. Everyone was giving each other a respectful amount of space, and there truly was not a bad view to be found anywhere. It was hot inside the night we were there, but when it gets to be a little much, you can just step outside, grab a glass of water and some fresh air, and come back in and still have an amazing view of the show. As far as concert venues go, it doesn't get much better than that.
All in all, I can't recommend staying here. I'd go see another show in a heartbeat, but would look elsewhere for accommodations. Our time at the lodge was pleasant enough, but the funny business with their pricing left a really bad taste in my mouth. At my most charitable- I'd say it's bad bang for your buck. At worst, the pricing is intentionally ambiguous.