Grand Geneva Resort & Spa

We booked our stay well over 2 months in advance with a request for adjoining rooms. The staff asked that we call back as we get closer to our stay to hopefully secure the request. We did so 3 days prior to arrival, and again as we got to the note at 10:45 AM. No luck, even after meeting all their criteria and arriving early. The grounds have not changed since my first visit dating back to the early 2000’s. The “resort” looked the same and the experience was none the better. After a long day exploring and eating off site, we went to bed to get some much earned rest. We were woken up multiple times (a family of 4 in one room and grand parents and another child in the other room) between 12:30 AM and 2:00 AM. The front desk didn’t help, as it took 3 calls and over 2 hours for anything to change. For the cost and supposed 4 star rating, this was a MASSIVE let down.

One of the most disappointing stays I have had in a long time. I was looking forward to this holiday trip for my dad’s birthday, & unfortunately it was extremely disappointing. The lobby area itself was nice, but we made a request more than once for adjoining rooms, & it was not granted. I find it hard to believe that every adjoining room in the hotel was requested before we did. Our room smelled musty & damp. I had to hag e housekeeping come spray deodorizer. The beds spin around the frames & fell off. We were also put by people attending a holiday party that woke up my young children with their swearing & noise at 12, & I had to call the front desk 3 times over an hour peiird to get someone to come quiet them down. I would suggest to save your money & get an airbNB or stay at The Abbey

I am so disappointed in this trip. The first year I went to the Christmas tree illumination ceremony was 2017. Have gone many times since. Always had a great time. They have changed so many things this year. The big Christmas tree in the entrance is gone. No singers in the reception area. They have cut down on the beautiful decorations. The sleigh that always was a great photo opportunity was full of elves. The ticket sales on gift baskets was supposed to last until 6. We were there at 5:45 and they weren’t selling anymore tickets. Lines were very long for everything. You don’t have to stay at the hotel to enjoy the festivities. That makes parking at the hotel impossible to find after 4 pm. Makes getting luggage to your room a chore. There are so many people there that the line was over an hour to see Santa. Wall to wall people for the tree ceremony and playing games with the kids. I brought a friend here for the first time and his reaction was “This is just like any illumination anywhere. Nothing special.” He was right. It was always special in the past. This hotel is not cheap. I went to check out and they had charged me an extra $139 for the spa experience. They did take it off right away. Resort fee is now $35. Why aren’t they charging people that aren’t staying at the hotel to get in to the festivities? Maybe the room rate or resort fee would not have to be so expensive. By the way there is tax on the resort fee of $2.98! I am not sure I will be back next year. It’s just not fun anymore!

Resort -- I haven't stayed at this resort for at least 10 years, but it has declined in that time period. I was here for several days and the rooms are still very comfortable, but service of those rooms is spotty by housekeeping. Except for the morning of my departure, my room was not cleaned until sometime after 4 p.m. each day and there was no consistency in how it was cleaned, the number of towels replaced etc. (The morning of my departure, housekeeping was tapping on my door at 9:15 a.m.) I realize that vacation stays are not their bread and butter but was surprised that one of the groups onsite was the Wisconsin Dairy Goat Association, which had a large tent in the parking lot (where the goats were) and many oversized vehicles taking up a good number of the remaining parking spots making it challenging to find parking when returning to the resort. The public areas could use a refresh as the carpeting appears worn and exterior woodwork needs to be painted and/or replaced. I only ate breakfast onsite and the waitstaff, who were genuinely nice, were focused on steering guests toward the buffet on the days it was available and seemed disappointed when I instead elected to order off the menu. Spa -- If you schedule spa services on the weekend, be prepared to share the facilities with members of the health club. I was surprised at how uncomfortably crowded the small whirlpool, showers, toilets, and changing areas were. The areas designated for relaxing between treatments seemed to have random people (male and female) walking through on a regular basis, so soothing music and subdued lighting was not effective in creating a calm atmosphere. I was told that all spa services included a 20% tip for staff and then as I was checking out was asked if I wanted to increase that amount, which felt like pressure. I would have given an overall rating of 3 Stars, but figure that the resort may be having trouble finding and retaining enough staff. While I love the location of the resort, based on what I saw and experienced during my recent stay, I won't be returning.

Hats off to Andy Spitson who welcomed us warmly, got us settled in and was very attentive to our every need. Kudo's to Don in the bar. And a well done to Sherrie who served us at the steak house. Her recommendations made for a most excellent meal. All your folks were friendly and eager to be sure our stay was outstanding, it was!!!!