Pay a few dollars more and go to the Mount Washington Hotel. This inn is in serious need of updating! Do not stay in room 10 the premier room. Our first night we we were awakened at 2am with loud crashing noises above our room which persisted for at least 45 minutes. I went to the front desk concerned and was told by a very condescending employee that the guests had just arrive from CT in a snow storm...what about the decency of asking the insensitive people above us to be mindful. Also be aware this is a pet friendly place there were barking dogs at anytime of night. We made it through the night and were determined to wake up and begin with a fresh start. The second night the temperature outside was below zero we woke up in the middle of the night finding our room was 55 degrees, when saying something to the same horrid employee at the front desk we were told they don't heat that room we should have asked for a space heater, WOW where was that written, communicated or safe? Needless to say we felt our first complaint fell on deaf ears and we were targeted as complainers. We finally went to the Mount Washington Hotel and asked to speak with management...what a difference in customer service. Harriett acknowledged our horrible stay and did the right thing...we will return but only to the Mount Washington never the Arms Inn unless they make serious changes.

We stayed at the Inn for 4 days in December. After reading the reviews, we understood that this was not a 4 star property, and decided to figure out if it was an overall good value. Considering that we wanted to go skiing each day, we reviewed their ski/stay package, and realized that it was a great deal. We also took into account the included breakfast, and access too all Mt Washington amenities. Deducting the value of the daily lift tickets, and the breakfast as well ($20 pp amazing buffet breakfast at the main hotel - $40 total) the room itself came out to cost $50 or so. That being said, only a dozen of the trails on the moutain were open, but we knew this when booking. For the price we paid, the deal was worth it. The resort does remove the ski/stay package and increase pricing substantially during holiday periods, at which point the value of staying there does become questionable.

Positive Points:
Historic inn - has a warm B&B feel
High quality breakfast buffet at main hotel included
Shuttle access to everything on the property - very convenient, esp when its cold out and you don't want to walk to your car
Access to all the pools and activities
Access to Rec Center with additional pools, DVD rentals
Free Historic tours
Petlovers - your doggie can stay here (but be aware if you have allergies - we don't own pets and definitely felt a bit of stuffiness in the room)

Recommendations: Personally, in terms of pricing without the ski package, I would think that anything higher that $160 or so (plus $20 resort fee, which is tacked on nightly) would not make too much sense. The hotel is cozy and charming, but it simply wouldn't meet the expectations of anyone paying more. For instance, our reservation said that we would have marble vanities in our bathroom - but we didn't even have vanities - only a ceramic pedestal sink. On the sink, both knobs and the faucet leaked when turned on. The beds were extremely soft - and we got used to it - but anyone used to harder beds would have an awful time trying to fall asleep. As Omni Select Guests, we also chose a complimentary Wall Street Journal paper to be delivered to our room daily - but got the NY Times each day instead. The complimentary apple cider in the lobby was empty 50% of the time we tried to get it, and the receptionist did not know how to refill it. The wireless internet also did not work for an entire day. (The latter three complaints are relatively minor ones - but if the hotel chooses to offer the little "extras" then they should honor them.)

Another big point of confusion was the downstairs restaurant at the Inn. No one ever knew when it was open for breakfast because their daily resort newspaper didn't have it listed as "open for breakfast". However, on some days it was open anyway. Also, when asked how to order off the a la carte breakfast menu at the Inn (since the breakfast was included), the receptionist told us that we could only order up to $20 worth of food pp because that was the price of the buffet menu at the main hotel. But, once we sat down at breakfast, we were actually allowed to order a juice, coffer, starter, and entree per person - which cost substantially more than than $20 pp. Again - not something that would spoil our trip - but basic things that the staff should be trained on.

Unless you're in a big hurry to have a quick breakfast - I would defiitely recommend the main hotel for breakfast instead. It's an amazing selection of high quality food - and the views can't be beat.

One final thing I wanted to note is that we decided to try out the pool at the Lodge (which was nice), and asked the receptionist to show us one of the rooms while we were there (since we read those reviews as well - most of which seemed to be horror stories). The Omni Lodge is a step down from the inn and really is a motel - and if you're considering staying there, the "motel" aspect should not be forgotten. All rooms are accessible from the outside, and are relatively dated with the older decor and CRT TVs. And, even if you're staying there - you still have to go outside to get to their on-site indoor pool and sauna - which is really a pain when it's winter. The rooms are clean and not "awful" - but again, the value depends on price. I certainly wouldn't book it for much more than $100 per night, especially since the $20 resort fee is also charged and there is no breakfast included - and there are tons of other motels in the area.

Hope this helps someone book their next trip!

We actually stayed at the Mt Washington Resort but had dinner our first evening at the Bretton Arms. This review is for the restaurant at the Inn. The Main Dining room at the resort was closed for the evening for an event yet the Bretton Arms was almost empty. Yet it had taken me 3 days to get a reservation for 6 people. Apparently the main hotel has to defer to the maitre d' for booking reservations. it was an unnecessary irritation. The meal cost us $500+, with entrees ranging from $31 to $45. My dry $37 filet and potatoes were far below average and memorable for that reason.

But of note was the Maitre d'. We ordered a round of drinks that came to us half full. After commenting on them to our waiter, he indicated he would top them off. That was absolutely the right thing to do, and I hope he wasn't chastised for it.

The Maitre d' came out to our table , and instead of welcoming us which we assumed, he actually yelled at us saying they were full drinks- as if we had never ordered one before. He then made a snide comment about wanting us "to get home safe." He was loud, aggressive, hostile, rude and, as we knew and it turned out, absolutely wrong(the next night at the main dining room our drinks were actually full-he might want to check that out)

My daughter spoke with him privately and told him he was totally unprofessional, wrong and insulting, and he owed our table an apology. He agreed but never showed his face again. In all our collective years of dining out none of us have ever experienced that kind of treatment.

As my first exposure to the Mt Washington Resort with a party of 6 people for the weekend I have to say that I was pretty scared it was going to be a nightmare. I was prepared to just get in the car and leave. As it turned out the Maitre'd at the Bretton Arms and his restaurant were the only negatives, thank goodness.

The rest of our stay at the main hotel was an absolute delight. The food in the main dining room was superb, Stickneys was excellent at lunch, the continental breakfast was very good, the staff outstanding, and our rooms immaculate and lovely.

Someone needs to look into this. I can not believe we are the only ones who have experienced this unacceptable behavior. He is costing the Resort money. I will go back to the Mt. Washington Resort , but I will never step foot in the Bretton Arms again.

Having needed a vacation, my wife and I have heard alot of great things about the Resort. Once our car was valeted and we entered the resort we were overwelmed with the polite staff and overall appearance of the hotel. You can either be more active with hiking, biking or golfing or simply relax in the outdoor heated pool, sit by the firepit or just relax with your significant other playing scrabble on the deck admiring magnificent views of Mt . Washington. I definately recomennd the resort for couples and famlies alike. Even with the three weddings that took place over the weekend, we never felt like we not being taken care of. Great job Omni Mt. Washington staff. I look forward to revisiting the resort next year.