Destination by Hyatt’s The Lodge at Spruce Peak [In-depth Review]

Over the summer of 2021, my family and I spent 4 days at The Lodge at Spruce Peak in Stowe, Vermont with another family with kids the same age. We wanted somewhere to meet up that was entertaining for the kids and comfortable for the adults, with a priority on outdoor activities.

We were in New England for a couple of months, so when we finally decided on Stowe for a mini-getaway, I was extra excited because I knew that The Lodge is a Destination by Hyatt property. That meant that I could earn or redeem World of Hyatt points for our stay as well as take advantage of some Globalist perks.

Vermont, especially Stowe, is known for its stunning winters and snowfalls. But anyone that has visited in the summer months knows how spectacular the Green Mountains can be without having to worry about the winter gear.

With plenty of outdoor activities to choose from, a great pool for the kids, and some excellent food and beverage options for the adults, I think we made the right hotel choice.

Whether you decide to visit The Lodge at Spruce Peak in the summer, for fall foliage, or for a winter ski trip, you are in for a treat, as this property is stunning year-round. However, be prepared in case the hotel is understaffed.

Let’s take a look at how our 4-day stay went.

Hotel Location

The 250-room Lodge at Spruce Peak sits at the base of, you guessed it, Spruce Peak in Stowe, VT. The mountain and ski resort are right across the road from Mt. Mansfield, which is home to the highest peak in Vermont.

In addition to ski amenities, the property is also home to an 18-hole golf course, a performing arts center, and cabins that offer ski-in/ski-out opportunities.

The Lodge at Spruce Peak is the last business on Mountain Road, the main road in Stowe. Once you get into town, just drive straight towards the mountain.

Getting to Stowe is relatively easy as it’s just 40 miles from Burlington International Airport (BTV), which should take about an hour by car. If you aren’t flying into Burlington, Stowe is just 2.5 hours from Montréal, 3.5 hours from Boston, or 6 hours from New York City by car. There is also a small public airport in Morristown, VT that caters to private jets.

Hot Tip: If you are visiting in the winter, beware that Mountain Road closes between the towns of Stowe and Cambridge, so there is only one way to get to The Lodge at Spruce Peak— which sits at the end of the road. This section of road, known as The Notch, is a winding and narrow passage that climbs high into the mountains and is off-limits to vehicles when there is a chance of snow. 

Booking

Member Rate

Hot Tip: In March 2023, The Lodge at Spruce Peak moved up to a Category 8 which requires 35,000 to 45,000 points per night.

Since The Lodge at Spruce Peak is part of the Destination by Hyatt portfolio, I knew I would either redeem or earn points for this stay. After seeing that the hotel is a Category 7, I quickly clicked the tab to check out the cash prices.

I was happy to see that despite being a relatively popular vacation time (mid-August), prices were quite reasonable, starting at under $300 per night. I booked about 3 months in advance, which proved to be wise; prices crept up to $500 for the same dates as check-in got closer.

Rates can really vary because the hotel offers everything from standard guest rooms, to suites, penthouses, and even fully-equipped luxury condos.

I booked the humble Classic Guest Room at the Member Rate of $283, however, with parking ($30) the daily rate quickly jumped over $300. Fortunately, thanks to my Globalist status, we weren’t hit with the $40 daily resort fee.

After 4 nights, the total bill (with a little bit of food) came to $1,449.49. That earned me almost 24,000 World of Hyatt points for my room alone, not including the points I earned for paying with The World of Hyatt Credit Card.

The hotel earnings breakdown was:

• Base points: 7,247
• Globalist 30% bonus: 2,174
• Q3 Global Promotion 2021: 14,495

After adding in the credit card rewards, that’s enough WoH points for a stay at a real Category 7 property, like a Park Hyatt!

To top it off, since we booked both rooms under my account, my friend let me keep the 9,000 points from his room. Unfortunately, the second room wasn’t eligible for the Q3 Bonus Journeys promotion.

The second room earnings breakdown was:

• Base points: 7,098
• Globalist 30% Bonus: 2,129

World of Hyatt Points

The Lodge at Spruce Peak is a Destination by Hyatt property and a Category 7 property, which means rates vary between 25,000 to 35,000 World of Hyatt points per night as part of the new peak/off-peak award chart pricing.

For the nights we stayed, rates started at 30,000 points for a room that cost less than $300 — not a good redemption, so paying cash was an easy decision.

However, if you find yourself in Stowe with a lot of World of Hyatt points to burn (and maybe the cash rates are high), here is what the other available award rates were during our stay in August:

• Classic Guest Room — 30,000 points (what I booked in cash)
• Timberline Studio — 39,000 points
• Ridgeline Studio — 39,000 points
• Alpine Studio — 39,000 points
• Timberline One Bedroom Suite — 48,000 points
• Ridgeline One Bedroom Suite — 48,000 points
• Alpine One Bedroom Suite — 48,000 points
• Ridgeline Two Bedroom Suite — 60,000 points

Checking In

About 4 days before our arrival, I received a phone call from Diane on the pre-arrival team to answer any questions. She was awesome and helped set up a birthday amenity for one of the kids and make daily breakfast reservations that were needed due to COVID-19 capacity controls.

The Lodge at Spruce Peak was located at the “the end” of Mountain Road, which is a stunningly gorgeous drive with Mt. Mansfield always in the distance. I put “the end” in quotations because after the hotel is a very narrow (and fun) road that zig-zags up the mountain and comes out in a different town right near Smugglers Notch, another popular mountain and resort area. However, this road is closed in the winter, so most guests will stop at The Lodge.

There are 2 entrances to the property, but if you are checking in or valet parking, you will need to use the second entrance with the red sign. Once you pull up, continue to the right until you see the front door.

The hotel design is very charming, being both rustic and luxurious at the same time. The Alpine ski village vibe was very strong as soon as we arrived — which is a good thing!

Self-parking is not technically available. It is on a first come, first served basis using a small outdoor parking lot behind the hotel. Since we were dealing with kids and luggage, we just valeted the car for $30 per night.

The lobby of the hotel was grand, yet cozy at the same time. High ceilings made it feel very open, but the heavy use of wood, trees, and stone made for a very rustic cabin feel.

The main lobby had a concierge desk on the right, the front desk on the left, and a large sitting area up a set of stairs.

In the lobby and throughout the hotel, there were countless unique and comfortable sitting options with views of the grounds, which make for great people-watching — especially when it starts snowing.

We arrived around 3 p.m. and the lobby had a couple of guests in front of us. It was quickly clear that the hotel was very understaffed, as the check-in process took almost 40 minutes.

Since we had 2 rooms for 2 families, the front desk agent was determined to get the rooms near each other, despite me saying it wasn’t necessary as I would prefer nicer rooms even if they happened to be further apart.

Prior to arrival, both rooms had been upgraded to Studios. However, after 20 minutes of finagling at the front desk, one of those rooms was “downgraded” back to a Classic Guest Room in the name of being close to each other. Instead of potentially wasting another 40 minutes at the front desk trying to get our upgrade back, we just let it go, only for the air conditioning to stop working in our friend’s room. They had to move away from us anyway — all that work for nothing!

Globalist Benefits

As a Hyatt Globalist member, I had some pretty valuable perks during our 4-day stay. And since I booked both rooms under my account, both families got to take advantage of them.

Keep in mind, not all Destination by Hyatt properties provide full benefits, so this was a fortunate experience.

Room Upgrade

There was a brief moment when both rooms received an upgrade from a Classic Guest Room to a Ridgeline Studio. However, one of those was lost in an attempt to keep the 2 rooms close to each other.

All said and done, we were quite happy with our room as it had great views of the mountain.

Welcome Amenity

A very nice touch was during the pre-arrival call, Diane asked if we were celebrating anything. My friend’s son was turning 6 right after the trip, so I mentioned that and she arranged cookies and milk for all of the kids as a way to kick off the celebrations.

The amenity was delivered while we were out to dinner, so it was a nice little treat when we got back to the room.

Breakfast

Without a doubt, the biggest perk of having Hyatt Globalist status was the free breakfast at The Lodge at Spruce Peak.

Each room could either visit the restaurant or order room service each morning for up to 2 adults and 2 children.

With meals averaging $30 per person with juice, coffee, etc., each room saved easily over $100 each day.

Late Checkout

Although a 4 p.m. checkout would have been nice so that we could have enjoyed the grounds a bit more on our day of checkout, we were only given until 1 p.m. for one of our rooms.

I suspect that the hotel simply didn’t have enough housekeepers to flip the rooms in time for arriving guests.

Regardless, we checked out and enjoyed meandering around the charming town of Stowe.

Waived Resort Fee

Another big perk of having Globalist status is waived resort fees on all stays, not just award stays. However, it wasn’t much value here.

Normally, guests are required to pay a $40 resort fee that includes:

• Wi-Fi
• 2 waters (although you could request more at the front desk)
• Access to the fitness center with Peloton bikes
• Nightly turndown service (not offered due to COVID-19)
• Daily newspapers available at the front desk
• Vermont Artisan in-room and lobby coffee service
• Valet parking for 1 vehicle (additional vehicles $30 per night)

The $40 resort fee was waived, however, the parking part of the resort fee was not. We were charged $30 per night for parking. On an award stay, parking would have been complimentary.

While I wasn’t surprised to be charged for parking, I found it confusing that valet was part of the resort fee but was then segmented out and charged to Globalists.

All said and done, we saved $10 per night on resort fees. Better than nothing, I guess!

Amenities

You could visit Stowe (or almost anywhere in Vermont) and have plenty of things to do, whether it’s hiking, biking, skiing, or fishing. We chose The Lodge at Spruce Peak because, in addition to all of those wonderful activities, we wanted a little luxury at the end of the day.

Sipping on a cocktail by the pool and enjoying the sunset hitting the mountain in the background while the kids played in the game room was a nice way to spend time with friends.

In 4 days, we used pretty much everything the hotel had to offer. And while the stay was far from perfect, it was still worth it. Let’s take a look at the amenities.

Mt. Mansfield

The biggest attraction in the area is Mt. Mansfield, also known as Stowe Mountain. In the winter, people travel from all over to ski and snowboard this 4,395-foot mountain.

Hot Tip: If you’re visiting for skiing, Stowe Mountain Resort is covered by the Epic Pass. View our ultimate guide to season ski passes around the world for full details, and check out our printable ski and snowboard trip packing list and best tips.

In the summer, the crowds aren’t as big, but there are still plenty of people on and around the mountain.

From driving the Auto Toll Road, to taking a scenic gondola ride to the top, or even just hiking one of the many public trails, visitors looking for outdoor fun will not go bored.

With 4 adults and 4 kids in tow, we did the Sterling Pond hike. It took about 1.5 hours each way and we were rewarded with a stunning pond swim at the summit.

Gondola

Just steps from the hotel lobby was the Over Easy Gondola that takes guests (and skiers and riders in the winter) between Spruce Peak and Mt. Mansfield across the street.

The gondola is free to use and runs constantly throughout the day, so it was a fun little ride to keep the kids entertained once or twice per day. It only took about 5 minutes round-trip, which was perfect if we were killing time waiting for someone in our group to get ready.

Once on the other side, there is also an option to take the main Gondola SkyRide up to the top of Mt. Mansfield for a cost of $37 per adult and $25 per kid ages 5 to 12.

Hot Tip: Stowe is the perfect area for fall foliage viewing, with peak times in northern Vermont from and late September into October.

The Village Green

Set in the middle of the property, behind the hotel, and in front of the restaurants and retail options, is The Village Green.

In the winter, this area is a giant ice-skating rink. In the summer, it is rebranded as The Village Green — a big lawn full of games, chairs, and space for kids and dogs to run around.

This was where we spent most of our evenings, as there were picnic tables to enjoy takeout dinners, a firepit for making s’mores, and movie screenings.

With the warm weather and great atmosphere, we really enjoyed our time here. And for families who don’t necessarily want to drag everyone out to dinner, this is a great spot to order food and have a stress-free meal.

Pool

One of the biggest attractions for us with 4 kids total was access to a nice pool.

The pool at The Lodge at Spruce Peak did not disappoint. The pool is very big, and despite the hotel feeling full, the pool never got too crowded.

With plenty of lounge chairs, tables, and even cabanas/couches, it was easy to get comfortable and enjoy the view of the mountain.

In addition to the pool, there are 2 hot tubs, although one was out of service while we were there.

The pool and hot tubs are available to guests year-round, even in the winter. If you’re concerned about having to run through the snow to get to the warm water, don’t worry: there is an indoor entrance to the pool.

As much as we enjoyed the pool area, it was not without flaw. Due to the very apparent staffing issues, towels were often not available and the trash cans were constantly overflowing. This was a theme we would see play out throughout other areas of the hotel during our stay.

Spa

Despite offers from both husbands, neither of the wives in the group opted for spa time. It’s a shame because it looked like a very nice spa.

The Spa and Wellness Center has a rustic and very Vermont-style aesthetic with great views of the mountain.

The spa has 18 private treatment rooms with a complete spa menu with everything you could imagine. One highlight is a “WhistlePig Toddy” which is a CBD mud wrap, hot shower, and massage capped off with a WhistlePig Rye Whiskey nip to enjoy in the Spa Sanctuary!

Fitness Center

When traveling, I really enjoy a good fitness center. And at a Category 7 hotel that (in theory) should be comparable to some of the best hotels in the world, the fitness center at The Lodge at Spruce Peak was really disappointing.

The fitness center is located just through the locker rooms right near the inside entrance to the pool on the bottom floor of the hotel.

Although the fitness center had all of the right equipment, the whole gym felt thrown together in an extra meeting room instead of having its own proper design. This was surprising at a hotel that touts exercise, physical activities, and well-being throughout the stay.

There were 2 Peloton machines, one of them right next to the “reception desk,” although in 4 days I never saw anyone there.

The rest of the equipment was really high quality, but it was constantly a mess because guests didn’t return things after they used them and there was no attendant present to clean up.

Not once during my 4 visits were there clean towels, either. Just an overflowing basket of used ones and empty wipe dispensers.

Overall, the fitness center got the job done, but it left a lot to be desired.

Game Room

My kids have stayed at some really nice hotels with high-end amenities, including this one. But if you ask them what their favorite part of this hotel was, the answer will certainly be the game room.

While I was certainly looking forward to spending more time outdoors while in Vermont, the game room came in quite handy during a few summer thunderstorms that passed through.

Golf

Golfers will be delighted to know that the #1 rated golf course in Vermont is located at The Lodge at Spruce Peak.

The Mountain Course at Spruce Peak is a private club. However, guests of the hotel can make tee times at the 18-hole course.

Enchanted Forest Playground

One morning while we were exploring the grounds, we stumbled across the Enchanted Forest!

The Enchanted Forest had a fun little playground as well as a challenge course. My kids love playing “the floor is lava,” so this was a perfect setup.

I was shocked that the playground was not mentioned to us at check-in, because it was a really cool spot. Plus, there was a grill, so guests can have their own little cookout back there.

Pet Friendly

At The Lodge at Spruce Peak, and Vermont in general, dogs are more than welcome.

During our stay, we saw probably over a dozen dogs that were staying at the hotel. As dog lovers who left their pup at home, we loved all of the extra 4-legged guests, but I know not everyone feels the same way.

If you are bringing your dog, there is a non-refundable $125 dog fee per stay that includes a welcome amenity of a dog bed and chew toy at check-in.

Wireless Internet

Wi-Fi was free and readily available throughout the property.

While the speeds weren’t blazing fast, I consistently got around 15 Mbps in the room, which was fine enough for social media.

Valet Parking

There isn’t plentiful self-parking, so valet is really the only option.

Valet parking was included in the resort fee, but since I didn’t have to pay the resort fee, the hotel charged $30 instead.

Hot Tip: There is a small parking lot in the back of the hotel that guests can sometimes use (depending on the time of year) on a first come, first served basis. If you don’t want to valet your car, ask the attendant if it’s available. 

COVID-19 Protocols

In general, Vermont was quite strict when it came to COVID-19 protocols during the time of our visit.

Masks were mandatory for guests and employees while indoors, and reservations were needed at all of the dining outlets due to capacity restraints.

Besides that, the experience was pretty normal, just with a lot more hand-sanitizing stations around.

The Room

As I mentioned above, I booked and (eventually) received a Classic Guest Room.

Despite being the cheapest and smallest room type available, the room was very spacious and has a balcony with stunning views of the mountains.

We were assigned 1435, which is on the fourth floor but felt like a 30-minute journey from wherever you happened to be coming from — not including the wait for the elevators that broke twice during our stay.

The Classic Guest Rooms don’t have square footage listed on the website, but it felt slightly larger than most standard hotel rooms. If I had to guess, I would say it’s at least 350 square feet and very cozy thanks to the mix of warm colors, leather, and wood.

When I first entered the room, there was a relatively large entryway with a stone floor, hooks, and a closet. This hotel was clearly (and smartly) designed for skiers and riders coming back and taking off all of their gear before actually entering the room and getting everything wet.

This also worked out nicely since we had a stroller and 2 kids, and they can get equally as messy and wet as skiers.

There was also an “Owner’s Closet,” as this hotel offers fractional ownership, so the “owner” of this particular room can leave their winter gear (or whatever) in the closet until they return.

On the right side after entering the room was a large bathroom with a toilet on the left-hand side (with a sliding mirror wall) and a separate bathtub and shower on the right-hand side.

After the bathroom was a closet with 2 very plush and warm robes, a luggage rack, a safe, an iron, and a steamer!

Bedroom

The bedroom at The Lodge at Spruce Peak was comfortable and well-thought-out with plenty of outlets with USB options.

The 2 double beds were not too firm and not too soft, and the sheets and pillows were perfect after a long day of hiking and hanging by the pool.

At the foot of each bed was a small bench, which was very handy when getting the kids ready. And underneath the LCD TV was a purpose-made bench that handled our luggage like a pro.

On one side of the TV was a dresser and on the other, a cabinet that housed the coffee maker, ice bucket, and mini-refrigerator.

In the corner of the room, between the bed and the balcony was a cute leather chair and a small table.

Unfortunately, there was no proper desk in the room. Getting some work done was a challenge, especially since the table had a broken leg.

Balcony

The broken table was a minor issue that was easily overshadowed by the balcony with stunning views of Mt. Mansfield.

This was the perfect spot to enjoy a cup of coffee each morning.

Bathroom

The bathroom appeared small at first, but it was well-designed and could be used by more than 1 person at a time — which is important on a family vacation.

The toilet area can be closed off from the rest of the bathroom.

The bathtub was very nice and served as a place for the kids to toss their dirty clothes, but besides that, nobody used it.

The shower was great and has excellent water pressure.

Amenities were from Ursa Major, which was nice. Although I am not a fan of shared dispensers, at least they were locked in — unlike at my stay at the Kimpton Hotel Palomar South Beach in Miami Beach.

Food and Beverage

During our stay, there was a bit of a transformation going on in the food and beverage outlets. A couple of the restaurants were closed with plans to reopen in the winter as a new concept, so Solstice and The Alpine Club, where we ate breakfast, may not be the same on future visits.

Guests arriving starting winter 2021 can expect new dining experiences at the Tipsy Trout and Alpine Hall instead.

Here is an overview of the dining options that were available during our visit:

Aqua

Aqua is the bar by the pool, which is always nice to have.

Unfortunately, with only 1 bartender trying to accommodate the entire pool area, wait times were very long. Our first 2 orders had us waiting in line for 20 minutes each, before ordering.

Later in the stay, we saw guests bring their own drinks, which was obviously more convenient and cheaper. I’m not sure what the official rule is regarding BYOB (probably not allowed), but the staff looked the other way because they seemed to know the bar stood no chance.

However, for beer fans, there was an impressive list of local and hard-to-find craft beers from the region. This is probably the only pool bar in the world serving Heady Topper, as the brewery is just down the road.

Miso Toh Kome

In the Village Green, there are a few dining options, and one of them a “food truck” serving Japanese rice balls.

Miso Toh Kome was a big hit with our group because the rice balls were delicious, cheap, and quick.

If the kids got snacky, we could just grab a couple of balls and they would be happy.

The Pantry and Beanery

The Pantry and Beanery, located just off the Village Green, is a great little general store with a cafe.

There was essentially everything you need in these shops, from toys and souvenirs to fresh baked goods, beer, wine, snacks, and sundries.

In the morning, this is where guests can grab some free coffee.

The Skinny Pancake

Vermont locals rave about The Skinny Pancake, which is a breakfast spot that specializes in crepes but has a pretty diverse menu.

I was excited to see that there is a location at the hotel, also located just off the Village Green.

The WhistlePig Pavilion

WhistlePig is a famous whiskey from Vermont and the company has set up a WhistlePig Pavilion that is the centerpiece of The Village.

Throughout our stay, there were various events from trivia to concerts held on the stage.

The WhistlePig Pavilion also serves up some delicious barbeque, and obviously some good drinks.

This is a popular spot year-round, especially when the grassy area turns into an ice rink and guests can grab a drink and enjoy the winter scenery.

Solstice/The Alpine Club

As I touched on above, breakfast was served in Solstice, which is above The Alpine Club, on the opposite side of The Village Green. There were some renovations going on, so it was a bit confusing as to where to go at first, but we just followed the smell of bacon.

Advance reservations were required, which can be tough trying to guess which time will be best for the kids each morning on vacation. If you aren’t able to secure a reservation, room service is also available.

As a Hyatt Globalist, breakfast is complimentary, which saved us a ton of money. There is no fixed-price credit to use up. The included options are a buffet in the dining room or 1 meal per person for room service, plus non-alcoholic drinks.

Between the 2 rooms (8 people), our bill was well over $200 before tip each morning, saving us over $1,000 during our stay.

The restaurant itself was nice, and we opted to eat outside to enjoy the fresh Vermont air.

The buffet itself was small and basic, but good.

Each morning there were scrambled eggs and then a different dish made with eggs.

There was always a big supply of bacon and sausage.

Some yogurt and granola…

And some delicious, freshly baked pastries.

Room Service

One of my favorite things to do while on vacation is order room service. There is nothing like a big tray of food delivered to you while you’re still in your pajamas, right?!

Since we knew that room service was included, we saved this treat for our last day to have a leisurely morning before packing up.

In theory, the process should have been simple. The hotel has an online ordering system available so that you can place your order the night before and not need to worry about long waits. Well, as luck would have it, the system wasn’t working the night we needed it.

Instead, I tried to place an order at 7 a.m. when the restaurant opened, but it still wouldn’t go through. After 30 mins of trying online and calling the restaurant (nobody answered), I called the front desk and they took my order. An hour later, our food was delivered.

It was not a huge inconvenience, but it was very symbolic of our stay. Small, simple things that the hotel just couldn’t get right ended up snowballing into inconveniences and creating more work for the hotel.

The food itself was delicious and my kids LOVED eating pancakes in bed!

We ordered mostly pancakes, because we knew they were delicious, but also added in some fruit and a protein bowl.

Service

It was very clear that staffing was an issue, in essentially every department, and it really impacted the guest experience.

While all of our interactions with employees were pleasant, most were either clearly overwhelmed or undertrained.

Housekeeping was essentially non-existent as there were piles of sheets and towels in the halls throughout our entire stay. The pool bar and restaurants could barely keep up with demand. Valet took more than 20 minutes to pull up our car on multiple occasions. The list goes on.

Unfortunately, this is an issue that hotels are facing across the country, so we weren’t necessarily surprised, but it did take away from the experience. Hopefully, the hotel has some plans for the winter, because when the hotel and town fill up with vacationers looking for a high-end ski lodge experience, service will surely be a disappointment.

Final Thoughts

Overall, our 2-family mountain getaway was really enjoyable at The Lodge at Spruce Peak. Could there have been improvements? Yes, of course, but we still had a blast and got to use all of the amenities we came for.

From spending hours in the pool with the kids to hiking, biking, and just exploring the beautiful area, The Lodge at Spruce Peak was a great base camp for our trip to Stowe.

We chose this property because it was essentially a one-stop-shop. If you never wanted to leave the property, you would still be able to relax and enjoy a lot of what Vermont has to offer — mostly nature and good food! It was far from perfect, but it was perfect for what we needed.

For World of Hyatt members, this is a great choice because you can earn or redeem your points here, and if you are a Globalist member, your breakfast will be included!

Are you heading to Stowe soon? Have questions? Leave them in the comments section!