Crystal Mountain

We recently had 15 family members (5 rooms) stay at Crystal Mountain. Our original plans were to be at the hotel July 4 to July 9. Due to weather related problems around Ohare on July 4 impacting United Airlines flights two families were unable to arrive until July 5. We immediately notified the resort and with the hotel’s agreement changed the reservation for those families to July 5 to 10 so their stay was still 5 nights. Our stay was good. The rooms are a bit dated, if you have enough patience the shower will produce hot water and you get to hear the people on the floor above you walk. But the rooms are not horrible. The restaurant food was ok, not great but not bad. The restaurant service was weak to acceptable. But when you’re in the middle of nowhere it works. The sad surprise came when the internet invoice and final charge for the two rooms where the reservation was changed to July 5 arrived. The resort chose to charge each of those rooms a $350 deposit forfeit fee for arriving late. Understand, Crystal Mountain received all of the room revenue originally expected and in fact added revenue for 1 condo as a day was added to that reservation to 6 nights. In short, Crystal Mountain is so unscrupulous that finding a way to extract an additional $700 from us was more important than fairness or the chance we will ever be return customers. I tried to resolve this issue with the appropriate people at the resort but they would not budge. The unfortunate Desk Clerk who had to talk to me on the phone had all sorts of excuses but ended up with, she was sorry there was nothing she could do it was out of her control. She claimed we had been advised and there was a phone recording. When I asked to hear that recording, she advised she could not share it. She claimed they were not sure we were staying 5 nights, but I have an email confirming the new nights of stay dated July 4. She claimed the fee was the equivalent of 1 nights room rate but in fact it exceeded one nights rate significantly. When I asked to speak to the manager, she told me it was too late in the day, the manager had to attend a meeting, the manager had the next day scheduled as a personal day off, the manager would call me later. The conversation was a lot like talking to a person searching for an answer that would just get me to say I give up. I’ve moved on to let American Express dispute the charge. We spent over $10,000 at this resort over 6 days and they chose to bilk us for a $700 frivolous cancellation fee. Perhaps they are technically correct. But they earned all the revenue they could have expected plus some. I'm not naïveté, business is business but a big part of running a resort business is creating a customer desire to return for additional stays and to encourage others to book stays. I wouldn’t stay at Crystal Mountain again if the room was free. Not surprising, the manager never called. I expect Crystal Mountain to reply to this negative posting with some spin about their contractual right to charge this amount etc. The facts are clear; Crystal Mountain earned all the revenue they could possibly expected from us and more. Rather than being a business that is fair and customer focused they will take every opportunity to extract every dollar from you possible. You can decide for yourselves but I know there are far better more respectable resorts. Before you book at Crystal Mountain make sure you understand the 4.5 rating isn’t close and they will find anyway possible to charge you even if unscrupulous.

We have been coming here for 20 years. Our kids have grown up going here and find something new to do each year. Super family friendly and relaxing. We have stayed in almost every cottage and found tons of things in the area we love. We have played golf, mountain biked ( really great trails) and done all the resort activities from coaster to archery.

I cannot say enough good things about this resort for families. Everyone on the staff has gone out of their way to be amazingly helpful. We rented a condo and everything is within walking distance of the lifts. Staying on property gave us access to the indoor pool which the kids loved. The ski school was great and the kids enjoyed it. My husband and I also took lessons as we aren't great skiers. Everything was professionally run and (for a ski vacation) affordable.

Crystal Mountain is an annual ski trip destination for us. Every wonderful staff member treats us like royalty from arrival to departure. It's clear that Crystal Mountain hires only the best people for all departments. Front desk staff, ski instructors, spa staff, restaurant staff, and even resort maintenance- all friendly and helpful. This is a destination we look forward to every year and we would recommend it to anyone seeking a fun winter getaway.

My wife and I spent two nights at the Crystal Colony, which is one of the smaller buildings in the core of the resort, and everything is within a 2-3 minute walk. Except for one grumpy barista at the Bru Bar one morning, the staff was friendly and efficient. We especially liked Blue, the resort dog, who was greeting people in the check-in area. He seemed to recognize dog people and would approach them, while keeping a polite distance from non-dog people. Pros: Our room was large, with a nice gas fireplace and a view of the mountain. Full kitchen with dishes and cookware. Comfortable bed and seating. Extra USB ports. Everything worked. Cons: No desk/work area (I guess that's a pro if you're there to relax). The shower floor is embedded stones and isn't very comfortable on the feet. We ended up laying two towels on the floor while showering. It was quiet at night, but the beeping trucks, snowblowers, and shovelers start before 7 a.m., just so you know. The breakfast restaurant (Wild Tomato) isn't open for breakfast every day. Check hours and days so you know if you'll be making breakfast in your room. We loved Crystal Mountain will definitely visit again, probably trying a different building with an upper-level room next time.