Laureli K.
Yelp
I went here for a weekend wedding and had a great time -- despite the lodging and interactions with the management.
First, these suites are individually owned by people who ski in the winter (or have some other reason to own a house on a mountain). This means, that the exterior doors look the same, but the innards ... range. It is best to clarify what you are getting before you decide to plunk down your dollars.
Second, this place hosts a lot of weddings, which implies, to me, that they would be able to handle a courtyard reception with grace and thoughtfulness. Perhaps I should say "tolerate" since they don't provide food or cleaning services. They do threaten fines if you exceed "loud hours" or overstay your time in the pool, and they have the foresight to circulate these messages about an hour before they go into effect. This would have been great had it been handled in less abrupt / abrasive manner by the staff. We rolled everyone out of the pool and closed up shop maybe 20 minutes before the "time limit" of our festivities.
Third, (in my suite only) there were no sheets on our beds when we pulled down the blankets nor pillowcases or towels. Neither could we find any when we searched the closets. Since the office closed about an hour earlier, I didn't get an answer when we called the service number. The next morning, I got accusational looks when I walked into the office (door unlocked) at ening time to get some sheets and towels -- oh, and free coffee. Apparently I should check to see if there are sheets on a bed when I arrive. News.to.me.
Fourth, our suite smelled nasty. We debated whether someone prior to our arrival had smoked cigars or cigarettes (in a no smoking room) or perhaps the room was just increbibly musty... Either way, we certainly kept the windows open. Our next door neighbors had a different weird smell, so maybe this is an option that you get to choose when you book the room, if you know what to ask.
All these things could be forgiven if the room was cheap or if we were staying in a hostel or if a group of 100+ people had descended at the last minute onto an otherwise sleepy establishment. None of these things applied. I hate to spot the invisible hand of economics, but perhaps the utter lack of competition has lead to a corresponding lack in the level of services.
Since it isn't like another place is going to pop up on Crystal Mountain anytime soon, shop smart and ignore the stink eye from Crystal Mountain Lodge Suites, because all of the other bits of the experience are pretty awesome.