Name: Emerald Bay Lodge
Address: 735 Emerald Bay Road, South Lake Tahoe, South Lake Tahoe, South Lake Tahoe, 96150, United States of America
Rating: 6

Smoking areas

Outdoor furniture

Reception desk

General

Indoor Fireplace

Rooms

Laundry

Services and amenities

Restaurant

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Barbecue grill(s)

Picnic area

Barbeque

Recreation

Free parking

Parking

Pets allowed

Pets

Extra decontamination measures

Additional measures against COVID-19

Health and Safety Measures

Location

At the cottage

Barton Memorial Hospital

Pope Beach

Lake Tahoe Airport

Emerald Bay Lodge

South Lake Tahoe

Wow this place is so unacceptable it is surprising it is still in business. Our room smelled strongly of urine/mold/water damage, the bed sheets had dirt and a spider in them, the towels were stained, and the walls had holes in them. The horrible smell of the room made it hard to sleep. We booked the place in a rush and didn’t read all the reviews but saw that it was rated as a 3.5 star hotel with a “Good” average rating on the site we booked (super inaccurate). We had booked the place for 2 nights and wouldn’t have stayed at this place at all after seeing it. However, we arrived at 1:30am after a long drive and didn’t want to find another place to crash (although we did consider sleeping in our car instead of staying in the room). We left the room at 7am to head to the slopes, relieved to be gone from this horrible place. Additionally, when we arrived to check in at 1:30am (which was within the acceptable check-in window as advertised by the hotel), there was no one at the front desk. We called the hotel and they directed us to another guest’s room and had the guest come out to meet us to give us the key. This felt super unprofessional and unsafe. After reading some of the other reviews, we can see that other guests have had similarly unsafe experiences with key security at this hotel. Do not book this place, you will regret it!

Horrible hotel beware!

WORST experience of my life!

My room keys were left on a table in an unlocked lobby. ANYONE could have taken them or been in my rooms before we got there. 

My room keys became un-programmed almost hourly and hd to get redone. When you call to get help, no one answers and when they do, it’s the owners who are not there!!!!

They tell you to go to the lobby and REKEY YOUR KEYS YOURSELF!!!! Giving away their key device password, meaning anyone can get into any room at any time! 

When we got back from a wedding down the road, our room keys didn’t work, again, and when we called the owners, they told us someone was there and there was NO ONE. It was snowing and there was no one to help and the owners called us a liar. When thy told us to knock on room 101 the guy was screaming and yelling at us, didn’t actually do anything and slammed his door. 

The owner texted me, personally, saying they would refund my room. Instead, THEY CHARGED ME AGAIN. When asked to get the room comped as I was told, the owner said “no” and they did everything right. 

NEVER stay here!!! EVER!!! It’s not safe, you are venerable to anyone walking by getting into your room or people who know this place is rampant for theft. 

Staying ANYWHERE else would have been better.

Worst stay of my life!

When we pulled into the parking lot, we saw the pool was empty and were disappointed. We were hoping to hand out by the pool before we went to our event.

When we arrived to check in, I was told I had called to cancel the reservation (I did not) and had been told to call Expedia. The only time I had called was a week before to confirm the reservation.

We got it straightened out and were able to get a room even though we were much earlier than the 3p check in time. Our room was pretty basic: bed, bathroom, tv, nightstand and small table. There was no dresser, refrigerator or alarm clock. We turned on the tv only to find we couldn't get it to work. I told the woman at the front desk and she came down to try and fix it. She was unable to so she called (I assume) their maintenance person. He was unable to as well so we were moved to the room next door.

The room we eventually stayed in was a bit nicer than the first one we had been given but still didn't have a fridge. The TV worked fine. The bathroom had a pocket (sliding) door instead of a regular door so there was nowhere to hang anything. There was a place to hang clothes but there were no hangers. There was at least a suitcase table.

When we went to bed, we found the blinds didn't completely block the light from the parking lot so the room wasn't completely dark. Luckily, neither me nor my husband require complete darkness to sleep and we slept fine. The bed was comfortable and the room didn't get extremely cold so the blankets that were on the bed were sufficient.

This morning when I took a shower, I realized the lever in the shoer didn't have a handle. Luckily, there was something there to turn on the shower and adjust the heat. I did take a few minutes for the water to get hot but considering it was only 43 degrees outside, I didn't think that was unreasonable. There was decent water pressure but the shower stall was pretty small. The shower head also didn't adjust down so if you were short, all of you was getting wet. The towels were okay, a but scratchy but not too bad.

When I went to check out, there was no one in the office. I called the number on the door and was told to just leave my card key on the desk so I did. There was coffee, bananas, and fruit bars in the office.

All in all, for what we were there for (attending a concert) it was sufficient. We just needed a place to sleep and that's what we got. I don't think it would be good for an extended stay unless you didn't plan on spending much time in your room or at the hotel.

Suitable for Sleeping In

I would not recommend this hotel. Booked a 1 night stay (called the hotel to place a reservation over the phone as their website's payment processing was broken) on a Saturday for a ski trip weekend, and when I checked in they said they had actually overbooked but had an unfinished suite that was available instead. They treated it as if it was an upgrade since it was bigger, but most of the lights and power adapters were nonfunctional. The worst part was the shower didn't work (no water) - imagine that surprise after a full day of skiing.

I brought this up the next morning to the front desk but was told to "wait until the manager is back". I've called twice since then and have been met with constant excuses and no word from the manager yet, 2 weeks after. Clearly, they do not know how to operate a hotel and do not care about the guest experience. 

I don't say this lightly but do not take the risk of staying at this hotel. Look somewhere else.

Overbooked, broken shower, terrible guest experience

I purchased a 1 night stay through 3rd party but next round I’m going directly through Emerald Bay Lodge. . It was for one queen size bed. We priced hotels and motels and this motel had the greatest deals. We arrived  to excellent customer service. The building is older, but is under renovation. Its  very antique setting in the rooms, buildings out here in S Lake Tahoe are very historic and have history. If you come from a very busy city like environment, you can appreciate this Motel, surrounding beautiful trees and clean air. Chris who manages the property helped us greatly. He was very courteous and so helpful. He saw it was our first time. He gave us an upgrade with double beds that had a kitchen in it. It has the heater on the wall that warms the whole room up and the beds and pillows are so comfortable.The room, kitchen and bathroom was very clean. Even housekeeping passed us by as we we’re going out and she kindly asked if there was anything we needed. The setting is very friendly. We definitely will be returning as well as referring our friends and family there. If your one that likes that cabin style setting… Emerald Bay Lodge is the place to be.

Getaway

This is a great little place in a wooded area with a friendly and helpful owner (ask him for the best places to eat). The room was very clean and cozy with a large TV and full kitchen (including pots, pans, and utensils). Bed was very comfortable too! We will come back!

Clean and cozy room in a great location!

Hands down the worst motel I've ever stayed in in my life there was black mold there was no microwave like we requested the owners were completely rude it looks like they hadn't done their bedding in weeks if you want to enjoy Tahoe I absolutely recommend not staying here

Nightmare

Booked on Hotwire, and prepaid. Spoke with manager at check and was told my reservation wasn't in system and "sometimes it just happens." I booked 6 weeks in advance.

Outside of hotel and office area both very dated and look uncared for

Lost reservation Didnt seem to care

I have nothing good to say about this place. Their website is outdated. And it was very disappointing upon my arrival. In fact I left the lodge. I didn't feel safe.
There's nothing else I can say about this place. Except a big disappointment

Nothing good to say.

I wouldn’t stay here again even if it was free!!! You will be severely disappointed and disgusted!!! The first thing we see is a shirtless man with tattoos everywhere and a knife hanging from his belt hanging around the empty forsaken pool which is surrounded by dead grass. The the room smelled on contact and had an oven where the paint was scratched off in some places and the vent was through a cut in the screen, the bathroom floor was squishy and the bathtub was rusty and looked dirty. I slept on the covers as I was afraid the sheets haven’t been washed in a while. Do yourself a favor and avoid at all costs.

Emerald Bay Lodge

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Paid on the spot

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