The service is terrible here at Northstar. The check in time is at 4pm. They do t really care if you arrive early. We came early due to an activity and want to drop off our luggage at the room. We asked them to accommodate an earlier check in. After waiting two hours since 11am, they asked us to continue to wait till 4pm. I have not been to a hotel that makes no efforts to accommodate their customers who arrive early. For an expensive hotel, it is very surprising. Given the checkout time is 10am, it will take them 6 hours to clean and get the room ready!
Sophie W. (via Yelp)
Tag: Northstar
“This used to be my favorite place”
This used to be my favorite place. The atmosphere felt like a Christmas Card. There used to be photographers in bright green ALL over the mountain so we always loved combining annual family photos with our ski trips. We used to get there early and enjoy free close parking with ski in access. We always timed our departure with complimentary s’mores by the fireplace. Complimentary wagons made hauling the children’s equipment a pleasure. For all of these benefits we were willing to pay the exorbitant fee for an annual pass. Well all of that is no more every single perk I’ve listed is gone and do you think there is a discount on the pass? Nope
Weimar M. (via Yelp)
Northstar went down the drain
I used to love Northstar not only for the ski, but also for their amazing service! That all went down the drain this year! I have been trying to reach them for weeks, via phone, emails or Chat… only to be disconnected after hours of wait! This is so frustrating! At least respond to emails… please try to fix your issue and pay a little attention to your customers.
Arnaud S. (via Yelp)
“Over 30 min line to pickup buddy pass”
Over 30 min line to pickup buddy pass at 0900am today. I understand patience during covid but reservations were made to registered pass holders today which tells me this place knew how many would be coming today. The Epic pass is 500$ a pop which isn’t cheap,that should pay for a service . The line was long enough for 50 people thats 25grand. And you got 2 people checking riders in but 5 staff at the entrance welcoming you in? Come on Northstar id expect this at a bargain bin ski park, your supposed to be resort level with property ownership. Didnt even mention the $30 for 2 beers and a small fries (cold).
Ace M. (via Yelp)
“Horrible experience”
Definitely NOT the Nordstrom”” experience!!! Just spent 12/30 – 1/2 @ Northstar. Horrible, condescending treatment by employee Mike S. from VT @ the equipment rental office. Demo rental office was closed so went to general rental. Sign on rental door says no more than 30 or 35 people @ a time inside (no problem w/this) after skiing I waited in line to return equipment & get my shoes. When it was my turn (I was 10’+ away from Mike) I said I really can’t get these boots off standing up, can I go inside & take them off – his response was “first of all – get your mask on” I had an 8″ wide neck/face mask on which was pulled up to the top of my lip just below my nose as my glasses were fogging up. I said “I have a mask on” to which he replied “no you don’t, that’s not a mask . . yada yada yada” his belittling continued AND he would not let me inside (was totally on his own little power trip). There were only 3 sets of customers (MAYBE 6 or 7 people) inside renting skis so they were well below the 30/35 people max. I am 63 & in good shape, but my rental boots were so tight It was near impossible to get them on or off & there was not a single chair outside of the rental bldg for customers to sit @ so they could remove equipment ????? What a way to treat your customers!!! The whole experience really felt a lot like – “give us your money, shut up, stand in line, and bye bye . . .
We have been homeowners @ Northstar since the 70’s (over 45 years) & have seen many changes over the years, but I have never been treated with such disrespect. ITS ALL ABOUT PRESENTATION & ABOUT BEING REASONABLE!!! What happened to providing customer service which includes showing a sense of urgency, an appreciation of or a concern for your customers – COVID 19 or no COVID 19 !! And, it really is time to stop using COVID as an excuse please.
Patty J. (via Yelp)
“20-30 minute waits on every single lift”
On sSunday there were 20-30 minute waits on every single lift. completely packed with people. limited occupancy is absolutely a lie. i get it, you need to have people buy food to get a beer. to charge be $15 for the cheapest entree (tiny bowl of chili) and another $14 for a beer i feel is just disrespectful. at sierra they have $2 hot dogs which is totally fair. and, on top of all that the snow quality was absolute garbage. which is kind of out of their control. but they do advertise that their snow base is 18″-35″ which from what i can see is also a lie. there’s exposed dirt on almost every run when i was there and exposed rocks all over the place.
so if you’re going to take something away from this.. byob. screw their rules. i would also suggest not even going. at least until it snows again. definitely not worth the full price of a lift ticket.
Darrick F. (via Yelp)
“Takes 45 mins to 1 hour to get your rentals”
This place is trash. Takes 45 mins to 1 hour to get your rentals. I get the fact it’s Covid but the other resorts like Sierra and Heavenly got there customer boards and equipment in less than 10 mins even during Covid. Who ever is managing this place need to be demoted or should copy heavenlys and sierras model
C. D. (via Yelp)
Traveling to Northstar? Be prepared to wait hours in line for a shuttle.
Hours long wait at free parking to get on the bus that takes you to the mountain. Paid parking is mostly empty! Vail Resorts is ruining our ski day at Northstar!
Alex Colodner (via Twitter)
Crowds. Overpriced garbage food.
The reservation system is a massive farce. The crowds on the Sunday of MLK weekend were bigger than anything I had experienced in prior seasons. They also weren’t blowing any snow and temperatures were hitting the mid 50’s, making the riding conditions very dangerous. I was there in December and they were blowing snow while it was snowing. Dope logic, Northstar. The bar is closed for bogus reasons, and if you’re hungry get ready to pay $14 for a cup of chili and $7 for the most garbage cup of coffee I’ve ever had in my life.
Separate incident: My partner lost her phone on Saturday. Someone found it on the run and turned it in to the lodge. i could see it’s location. When she went inside to ask, the woman at the hand sanitizer station insisted that it wasn’t there and that it would be turned in to lost and found. She just said this based on the question. Do the employees get a morning lost & found report? Do they get a detailed briefing of all items in the lodge before their shift? I’m curious how she was so sure that it wasn’t there. I was waiting outside and after hearing this went in and showed her that the phone was in the building. That was enough to make her put in 5% of effort and go upstairs and ask. Sure enough it was there. Maybe try like a little bit, in the future.
“2-3 hours spent in lines”
I’ll start off by saying today was a miserable experience, and has inspired me to drop my Epic season pass and move to Icon instead. I figured, as a pass holder and with a reservation, Northstar would follow Covid guidelines and limit the amount of people allowed on the mountain. The line on a Sunday for the Gondola wrapped around the entire village, no social distancing, and more were coming at 9:30 when I finally gave up and left without seeing a ski slope. Had I stayed it would have been well over an hour wait just to get on to the mountain, not including the additional lines for ski lifts. Northstar has always had a traffic/people management problem pre pandemic, it seems worse now than ever. My season pass is rendered worthless if I cannot get near a ski slope without 2-3 hours spent in lines. AVOID!!! Other ski resorts in the area that don’t treat you like cattle and create super-spreader events. It’s a shame because I used to really like the runs at NStar.
Jeff C. (via Yelp)
NorthStar California Sucks | VailEpicFail 