The Palmer House Resort, Ascend Hotel Collection

Reviews

Reviews are sorted by relevance, with the most helpful and insightful feedback listed first for easy reference.

  malu gonzalez
a week ago
Im giving this 2 stars because even though we came here to ski, I chose this place because of the indoor pool. My kids love to swim after a great day of skiing. Well that won t be happening as the INDOOR pool water is frigid. My husband who likes to do cold plunges couldn t even stay in it. And the hot tub was filthy. Had gunk all around it where the water line was. Should have taken a picture but didn t think of it. The location was great and no other complaints. Looks like it would be beautiful in the spring.

  Joseph Giuliani
3 months ago
I ve been a guest of The Palmer House hotel each of the last 3 years. I ve always been more than satisfied with my experience. However, this ski season has been outstanding. There are added staff the reside on the grounds. As a result, the service is greatly improved. The rooms are serviced faster, the indoor pool and hot tub area is cleaner, fresh towels are restocked daily and there is a brand new hot tub.All staff are extremely helpful and knowledgeable about the area. There are two front desk managers that stand out, Jackie and Mike (runs the night desk). The grounds are well maintained and the parking lots are efficiently plowed.I strongly recommend this property if you are planning a stay in Manchester.

  Sean Smith
2 days ago
Unforgivablely FILTHY. Which is a shame because the location is perfect. We had to go out and purchase cleaning supplies to clean our room just to feel comfortable walking around. We scrubbed the floor seven times before we gave up, it was still dirty. There was trash left in the shower from previous people, the bedspread was stained and our bathroom door's frame was damaged from being kicked in. Also, we had all the fixings for coffee but no coffee maker.

  Corey Theriault
2 months ago
This motel was nothing short of terrible. I spend some 60+ nights a year in hotels, this was the worst experience yet. From the front desk staff being too busy playing games on their phone to acknowledge us, to then listening to them yelling at a fellow employee on the phone, to the stink of old cigarettes in the not just the reception area but also the room, arrival was terrible. The room was not clean, the sheets were fresh, but that was about all. We had to sleep with the windows open at 19F outside to try to lessen the stink of cigarettes and air freshener (no doubt to mask the smoke odor). Will not stay again and will advise similar to anyone.

  Jessica Snow
2 months ago
Horrific experience. The room was incredibly filthy and had an extremely strong cigarette odor. There was hair all over the bathroom. The room clearly had not been cleaned or vacuumed. The walls and doors were also filthy. The bed and sheets seemed ok. It is the farthest thing from a resort , not even a hotel or BnB. It is a run down motel at best. The price ($200+ per night) is ridiculous for the quality of service.

  TenderPaws M
2 weeks ago
Beware of "resort fees" if you pick this place. (I didn't actually stay when I realized that they engage in this practice). Imposing a resort fee or surcharge is simply a way for them to advertise a lower rate online than what is actually charged. Hotels that treat guests this way are being deceptive. (To be fair, their rooms looked nice (in the pictures), and they have some good amenities that other places in the Manchester area do not have (such as an indoor pool). But hotels which play these games with the rates are my last choices. (In fact, the hotel has responded to my review). I did not attempt to book via their website. I looked at the rates shown on Tripadvisor when comparing hotel prices in the Manchester area. The rate which is displayed on Tripadvisor is indeed lower than the rate on their site. I learned about their little surcharge after calling for information. The fee includes parking? Gee, I hope I can park my car in their precious lot and not somewhere on the street! Do they offer valets? I doubt it. The surcharge includes use of the pools and breakfast? There are plenty of places which include those things in the rate without an additional surcharge! Unfortunately, there are not many of those in Manchester, or they only have outdoor pools. I won't be playing tennis or golf in the winter. I came up to ski and rest the night somewhere, and those things cost enough. These are nuisance fees regardless of the way hotels attempt to justify them, and many travelers hate them.

  Kelly O'Shura
3 months ago
Only stay if you are a smoker.Sleeping with the windows opened didn't touch the smell. Bathroom was unusable due to smoke smell. We brushed our teeth quickly, slept with clothes that's smelled good and left as soon as possible. Friends of ours stayed the same night a few doors down and had the same experience. Definitely NOT clean.Rooms: Dirty is an understatement. Stale smoke smell was overwhelming.Noteworthy details: Only stay if you are a smoker.

  Joel Wallen
3 weeks ago
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  anonymous
5 months ago
I would not recommend this motel. My experience was one of disappointment and disgust. The management doesn t seem to have learned anything from the dangers of our recent horrific Covid virus, which still exists, nor the importance of sanitizing everything touched by prior occupants. I would think cleanliness for its patrons would be its number one priority, but it appears they have very low standards. In addition to the room NOT having been vacuumed, dusted, or mopped, the soap dish was gunky from the prior tenant. There was water dripping into the tub from a metal type box on top of the jetted tub, which I would not want in my tub of water. The jets had a rusty color to them like they needed replacing, and the sanitized tub had multiple hairs in it. What does a corroded shower head tell you? The deck is in dire need of paint, which shows the importance the management puts on maintenance. But the pi�ce de resistance were the six big bugs I encountered.In addition, you will be charged an additional fee of $14.99 plus tax daily, which is for amenities , such as pool, outdoor activities, Wi-Fi, parking, etc. and your FREE continental breakfast. Aren t amenities things that are provided by the institution for the pleasure and convenience of their guests? I have been all over the world and have NEVER been charged for amenities. Who charges for parking? And Wi-FI? If I am going to get charged $14.99 + tax daily for a continental breakfast, then I m going down the street for a nice breakfast for less money.They commented on addressing the issues and upset at not knowing what the bugs were. Did they expect me to catch them and put them in a jar for their inspection?! (I stomped) What was to address moving to another dirty room with bugs? Nothing they were going to address would have made a difference. They can say what they want, spin it, lie about it, deny it, ignore it, make excuses, but the bottom line is: dirt is dirt, bugs are bugs and scams are scams. I was never even offered an apology shame on them.10/27/23 - Your response to my review is a total fabrication, and your spin , just like you ve done to other reviews that are negative. I stated at my exit, that I didn t agree with your extra fee, and gave my reasons why. I didn t COMPLAIN . I paid it I did NOT ask for it to be removed this is a total lie. I mentioned it in my review to make the readers aware to read the fine print about this ridiculous charge before they decided to book the motel. Had I taken the time to read it, I would not have booked that was my mistake. There was NO last ditch effort . I explained when I left that although the room was dirty, I believed that all you would do would be to give me another dirty room, if there was availability. I also stated that had an offer to clean my room been made, that I would have passed. I was not going to take any time away from my short stay to supervise someone cleaning a room that should have already been cleaned. The only alternative would have been to leave. I checked other motels and could not find anything available, and I did not want to make a four-hour trip home, when I needed this time and wanted to enjoy myself despite the conditions. I got Lysol and cleaned what I deemed necessary to sustain my stay. This is probably why you said there was nothing to substantiate my claims . As I said in my review, you must have a low standard of cleanliness, if you couldn t see what remained (and you should have taken a guest s word), including the remains of the bugs in the bedroom and bathroom. I don t appreciate your attacking my review. I DID give a true perspective of my experience. I would expect from any facility that offers their guests the chance to review, that they would accept the poor reviews, along with the good ones, and to be truly apologetic and make a concerted effort to fix the issues going forward, instead of making excuses. And, NO again, there was NO apology. Move on.

  Chuck Levere
4 months ago
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  Heather J Gonzales
6 months ago
We stayed here to get a bed and a warm shower between campsites while traveling across Vermont. The location in town was amazing, the campus was beautiful, the front desk folks were kind, the views from our Lakeview room were great- but we didn't have hot water and the beds were not very comfortable. When we connected with the front desk about the hot water, they noted "were working on it" but if they knew, could they have let us know? Or given a partial refund when they didnt resolve it for our entire stay, or transfer us to a room that maybe had hot water? It was a bummer for sure since we only stayed for 1 night and never got our warm shower.I will note, there was an issue with my reservation and the front desk team was kind and flexible is resolving it. I understand a hot water heater is out of their control, but we didn't leave 100% satisfied either. Room to grow.Walkability: So close to town, we parked the car and didn't move it again until we left.

  Kevin K
8 months ago
I would call this a motel, not a hotel, as the doors open up to the outside the way they do in a motel. And it feels like a motel. It needs some heavy updating, especially in the bathrooms. They should also clean the duvets and the shower curtains as both in my room had stains/gross stuff on them. The room itself was awkward. The lamp on the nightstand had a cord floating in air barely reaching a plug that was like 6 feet away and the nightstand itself was pulled away from the bed, so that the lamp could reach. Maybe more furniture like a desk or long dresser to fill the huge empty space. Overall it seemed very amateurish (like mom and pop tried their best) instead of a professional place. I also don t feel like it should be part of any hotel collection . When I think of hotel collections, I think of things like Hilton s Curio Collection - this was not special like those properties.To address the response posted below: I was indeed contacted by the hotel when I first posted some of these photos online. This was after my first night (total stay of two nights). They said they would check on moving me to another room and asked if I would be home all day long so they could call my room. At least 4 hours later, I ended up leaving my room and apparently missed their call. Someone came into my hotel room with a key and left a printed letter (why they entered my room, I m not sure). The letter stated they did NOT have another room with a bed big enough for two people (like I had) but they COULD move me to a room with two separate beds. Given the lack of quality, I did not deem it necessary as I expected the other room to be similar to the one we would be departing. Further, I booked a room where two people could sleep in the same bed and wouldn t be getting that in the new room. The letter also offered me two free drinks at the motel s Clove and Maple Bar which has a 2.6 star rating on google at the time I m writing this. We did not take them up on their offer to move rooms for the reasons stated above, nor did we want the drinks (free or otherwise). I did not respond to the letter because they stated what they could do to make it right, and that didn t work. I posted this review not to be one sided but to give my experience for others who may be looking at this place in the future. I m sad this is how customer service chooses to respond, but that pretty accurately reflects the quality of the property. And just to be crystal clear: making an offer to move me to a lesser room and then try to ply me with free booze does not rectify the situation or my perceived poor experience .

  Alex
7 months ago
This is definitely a motel, not a resort. It needs updating as the exterior looks old, rundown and rather seedy. The interior of the room wasn't much better. It was one of those rooms where you didn't want to look too closely because it seemed very possible you'd find something dirty. We stayed here during fall foliage season, so it was expected prices would be higher. However, we paid over $200/night for the room, and that's downright outrageous given the quality of this place. Unless you are literally looking for a place to rest your head at night, I would recommend looking elsewhere.

  Boston Dan
5 months ago
Nice spot. Basic rooms a bit pricey for a one night stay $150+ but they have an indoor pool (Separate key) they have a fantastic fire pit. Didn't try the restaurant but the weekday breakfast was good.Rooms: Basic

  Julie Shaw
7 months ago
Not only have we stayed at the Palmer but we recently inquired about renting a block of rooms for our VT wedding next year. The staff has always been friendly and accommodating. Quick to be of service and knowledgeable about any questions we have asked.I would like to specifically thank Stephanie Lambert in her assistance with the room block. It was quite a breath of fresh air to deal with her via email. Her response time was incredibly fast. She had a plethora of knowledge and also had solutions to any questions or worries we for saw. She is extremely proficient and abolutely nothing short of professional!!Thank you to Stephanie and the Palmer House!! We shall see you again soon!!

  Clay
7 months ago
Beware of giving your credit card to this motel. Multiple fraudulent credit card charges, which had not been presented to me 1) when I made the reservations 2) at check-in, or 3) at check-out, were manually entered, multiple times, and up to a month after I had stayed there, by a Palmer House employee. The response by management, below, is entirely false about the charges. I was not informed of, and did not approve, those charges. I used only points for the reservations and booked on the Choice app. Any charges should and would have been run there automatically. There were no other charges indicated or approved. Lastly, breakfast, wi-fi, and parking are never extra charges at Choice Ascend hotels. I did not use any extra facilities other than the room and parking space in front of it. I am a Platinum Member, so I've stayed at quite a few. I don't appreciate being scammed. Finally, I really like to give good reviews. This is my first bad review ever, and hopefully, the last one. :)

  Dominick Uguccioni
10 months ago
This is truly a hidden gem in Manchester, VT! Rooms are comfortable and clean, and the rates are very affordable compared to other hotels close to downtown. The property has a lot of fun outdoor activities, and lots of green space. Indoor and outdoor pool for swimming in all seasons, and free hot breakfast (not just continental). Walkable to downtown and outlets. Also, great option of a nature trail which is accessible from the property. We'll be back!Walkability: Walking distance to stores and restaurants in Manchester VT.

  subway serfers
4 months ago
This place discriminates against people I wouldn't come back here all because I'm here on state help they treat us like we're peasants oh you're not allowed to use the pool you're not allowed to use the hot tub you're not allowed to use the laundry room even though it's coin operated basically stay in your room and shut up that's what I get from this place you would think that they would be nicer open things to you so you would want to come back on your own I personally prefer the Chalet

  Bob lynch
10 months ago
Our 1st time staying here, we love the area and usually stay around town. The best part for us was location, we like to be able to go and walk around. This is literally 5min walk into town, perfect for a cool evening walk, grab a bite and some drinks and stroll back to sit at the outdoor fire pit. As we see in many places there is a shortage of man/womanpower. This didn't really affected us much but at the time the restaurant and bar were closed, if slow the manager would have mixed up a dink for us which is good. It is nice to be able to sit back at end of the day and have a drink a few feet from you door. With that, the property is big, very clean and well taken care of, plenty of different things to do on site. The outdoor pool had just opened the day we arrived and we were in it the following day, bit chilly but enjoyable. We stayed in a suite, looks to have bee recently updated, new paint, crown molding, 2 person hot tub, deck. Room was clean, bright and comfortable, with Gass fireplace. I did notice there were no USB chargers as we are use to seeing for electronics, not a big deal just noting. Bathrooms were redone, nicely lit and clean. The owner or manger was friendly and always there if needed. Not to crowded, quiet and very relaxing. We enjoyed our stay.

  Megan Stanforth
a year ago
The word motel throws a lot of people off but give this place a chance. It's lovely. We were looking for a bed and breakfast while here and couldn't get one because it's a short stay. The Palmer house came through for us.Darlene greeted us at the front desk like we were family. The room is more of a suite. It had an updated bathroom. The bed was very comfortable. Being able to walk out the back door into the green was really nice and I got to explore some of their amenities.

  Soy B. (SoyB)
a year ago
We got a double bed room for family of 4 and it was spacious. Breakfast was included with some hot items (scarmbled eggs, bacon sausage) and the usual bread options. There were fresh donuts but the muffins are packaged and not great. Fresh fruit, even some bananas would have been nice.Two complaints I have are the weird loud noise on the first night. It sounded like loud running water. Wasn't so bad when we were up but in the quiet of the night, it was very loud. The heat control isn't obvious. We had it jacked up to 80 and the room felt chilly, the heater didn't get any warmer. Then it got really hot overnight. So I think that heat is centrally controlled. There is a unit on the wall and it provides AC and heat. The heat takes time to kick on so isn't obvious in the beginning that it is working.Oops I have a third complaint... We visited in the winter. It would have been nice to have boot trays so we didn't track snow. Would help them protect their floors better too. As it is, we couldn't clean our shoes well enough without pool of water collecting by the front door.Finally a note about anyone with EVs. The resort advertises outlets. Understand that these are regular outlets with trickle charge. The staff wasn't clear where they are located. Every building section seem to have at least two outlets, just not always near your room. They work fine for overnight charging with the expectation that you're getting may be 10-12%, really just to keep from losing any charge overnight and a little extra. These aren't 240V so you can't arrive at the resort empty, expecting to get decent amount of charging.

  Robin Kessler
10 months ago
The Palmer House Resort is a perfect place to stay while visiting Manchester and the surrounding areaThe rooms are spacious and very comfortable, the breakfast served hot eggs, sausage, bacon, juices, hot coffee and muffins. The location was perfect for a nice stroll into town to enjoy the shops, restaurants and scenery. Don't hesitate - this place is great!

  Ann Kielbasa-Flach
a year ago
The Palmer House Resort was exactly what we needed for a weekend getaway! The staff was so hospitable, friendly, and helpful. The resort grounds were clean. Breakfast was always hot and ready for us to enjoy as well as large section of other cold/not hot items to pick from (yogurt, bagels, oatmeal, etc). Our king room was clean, comfortable, and enjoyable. Much larger than a standard sized room. Equipped with a TV, mini-fridge, coffee maker, and a sleeper sofa. We had dinner our first night there, and the Palmer House Burger w// Fries was excellent! It's also great to know that food could be delivered to the room if we wanted.The property itself is well kept, with views of the mountains. On sight there are trails, a pond, and 8 rounds of golf. The hotel is within walking distance to many restaurants and shops and just a short drive to Manchester Cnt.Definitely worth checking out if you're going to be visiting the area!

  Diane Jones
a year ago
Our 1 night stay was wonderful! The front desk clerk was so friendly and helpful (Darlene), and funny enough for her own stand up routine. The room was large, clean and cool. King bed was very comfy, nice mini fridge and small, but sufficient bathroom. The room had 2 entry doors, one from the parking area, the other out onto a courtyard with chairs by each room, and in the center was a large patio with fireplace, tables and chairs. Fire is lit every evening and they even provide you with a S'mores kit! And the bartender (I think her name was Jackie) even brought us a couple drinks from the bar. She was also super friendly. Grounds were very well-kept, free breakfast was good and plentiful, with some GF options. It was peaceful, being just outside of the main drag through Manchester village, but easily close enough to walk to. There are also larger, more equipped suites on the property that looked very nice, a nine hole golf course around the outside, a pond for fishing, 2 pools (the outdoor one was closed at the time) and lots of other things to do. We were wishing we had more time to stay a few nights and try everything out.

  J G
4 months ago
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  Amanda Gambill
a year ago
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  Frenite
a year ago
I had a lovely stay at the Palmer House in the middle of the summer. It s motel-like, but goes beyond what you typically imagine a motel would be. The grounds are very well maintained and there s plenty of amenities. There s an indoor and outdoor pool, hot tub, tennis courts, fire pit, small golf course, and more. There s also a good hot breakfast with eggs, pancakes, waffles, cereals, oatmeal, breads, and drinks. The room itself was clean, spacious, and updated. This is way better than your typical motel. The staff was also very friendly and helpful. This is a fantastic motel and I give it my full recommendation.

  Charlesetta Mathurin
2 years ago
I loved my stay here the rooms are very spacious and Lauren went above and beyond to make sure I was comfortable. The scenery is quite relaxing and I loved spending time by the pond. I was supposed to take a dip in the pool as it's heated but time just wasn't on my side.The location is perfect if you want a relaxing vibe and did I mention the mountains are just breathtaking to look at. It's my first stay but I'm sure it won't be my last :)

  Meghan Cummings
2 years ago
I booked last minute through hotel tonight.com so I got a really great deal. The staff was unbelievably nice, the grounds were beautiful, and a short walk to town for shopping and restaurants. You can tell that the hotel is trying to do renovations and make the ranch style motel more upscale. When I first walked into our room looked great despite some reviews I read. However, there were crumbs on the couch, pubic hairs in the tub and I found some generic Advil pills under the bed (along with a large collection of dust bunnies). That being said, I gave Palmer house 2 stars.

  Steve in NEPA
6 months ago
We've been coming to the Palmer House since the 1980s. The renovations recently completed by the new owners really make a welcome difference to this truly one-of-a-kind sprawling motel.We're always welcomed warmly, and treated well while there.