Erica J.
Yelp
Listen, let's call a spade a spade: this is a dressed up motel. It's not a hotel, and it's certainly not a hip boutique hotel as their very clever marketing might make you think (their photographer deserves a raise). You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a... you get the idea. Do not expect hotel amenities here. There is no one to help with bags, no security, and no elevator. Also, hope you're okay without central AC. Sure, the wall units do work, but it's either too hot or too cold, so we settled on just being too cold. And, I've never seen anything quite like their bathroom setup. The door almost hits the toilet when it opens and closes and the sink is outside the bathroom, in an odd sink/closet bar situation that's been constructed with a couple slabs of plywood. But wait, there's more...
This motel is dog friendly with clearly no restrictions on animals. I saw one family with three dogs in their room. There were dogs of all types and sizes all over the property. I like dogs (and I have two of them), but I don't like to see or smell their poop when I'm on vacation or hear them barking, which is why I hire a dog sitter. Unfortunately, the people below us brought their dog and left it in the room, where it cried for so long, my daughter started crying and then we walked around the property until we found where the dog was being held. After, we went straight to the office to let the staff know. She did contact the guest and they eventually returned to be with the dog - but honestly, if you can't survive a trip to Tahoe without your dog - WHY ARE YOU LEAVING IT TO CRY IN A HOTEL ROOM?!?! Extremely sad for the dog and distressing for both myself and my daughter.
Also, be aware that there are paver squares on most of the walkways with just dirt in between, which after the sprinklers run (or god forbid it rains), becomes mud. It would look lovely with some turf or even moss growing between them, but again - see my earlier point #motel. The design is not convenient for rolling suitcases or elderly guests - and we were traveling with both.
So, if you book here, understand that you are paying for a motel that allows people to bring their dogs and then abandon them in rooms where they can cry for hours. Also, you're blocks away from big casinos and we could hear the music from a casino booming through the walls until well after 10pm. And, please don't buy the hype that this is walking distance to anything. It's on a poorly paved side road packed with motels, lodges, and run down apartments with almost no sidewalk, so unless that's the scenery you like to enjoy on your walk, you'll likely drive anyway.
Now, I don't want to be entirely negative. First, the maintenance guy is fast and very helpful. We needed help with our AC, our TV, and also with a broken window lock (all within a 48 hour period). Second, the coffee bar makes a nice vanilla latte. Third, my daughter enjoyed the free s'mores.
Bottom line, though, this place is just one step above glamping. If that's your vibe, more power to you, but you should at least go in with all the information and I don't think they represent this fairly. I'm really thinking a lot of the reviews have been incentivized or paid for. Hope this review helps you make the right decision for you and your group.