The Resort at Paws Up

We have had a long relationship with Paws Up (our July 2024 visit was our family’s fourth visit to the resort). Following a power outage at the resort (something that Paws Up was ineptly prepared to handle), our camp was completely without power for 3 consecutive days. This outage resulted in no heat, no drinkable water and no working bathrooms. There was no material effort on the part of the resort's management to solve this problem. Instead of doing the right thing, senior management at Paws Up simply decided they did not like the tone of our communications with them about this incredibly disappointing stay at the resort, so elected to do nothing...no refund at all. What was made clear to us is that our previous stays at Paws Up made no difference to the resort's management. Someone had to lose money as a result of the power outage, and Paws Up determined that such lose should be borne by its guests.

Some great aspects but one MAJOR issue. We booked our end of summer trip at paws up and we’re very excited to visit this “5-state luxury resort”. Upon arriving we quickly realized the communication from reception is basically zero. After waiting 4 hours post check-in (we arrived at 1pm, check in was 4…) we finally, after endless calls and texts to reception, got into the home we rented and it was disgusting…this was 8pm. Literally the sheets had dead bugs in them. There were dead flies everywhere. The linens weren’t clean and the floors hadn’t been vacuumed - it was like a bad dream. The staff said, “we have wildlife here” when I mentioned that the bed linens in the yurt looked as if wild animals had been sleeping in them. I asked we be moved to other accommodations. Because there was a group of social media influencers there for Lexus, there wasn’t a home large enough for us and we had to split our family up into two properties no where near each other. The other properties were clean and we were grateful despite being exhausted from a full day of travel from the east cost and finally getting settled 9 hours after we arrived. The following morning we spoke with reception and said we’d like to put the nightmare check-in behind us and asked if the first night would be comped for the major inconveniences. The staff said they’d look into it. Two months later, we’ve still not heard back despite countless calls and promises they’d contact us. In fact my husband just called AGAIN about this tonight. The only other issue was that after our check-in experience, every staff member we encountered “knew who we were”….and not in a good way. I didn’t “lose it” on anyone, the reception staff even commented that they appreciated I wasn’t screaming at them. I’m a business owner and understand things happen - screaming at employees doesn’t solve anything for anyone. For every single staff member to make comments saying, “we know who you are” as if I had done something offensive was embarrassing- to say the least. As much as we enjoyed the food, day at Salmon lake, and ambiance - we won’t be returning. **last note that I understand is completely out of their control: the CA wildfires definitely dampened the experience. We stayed for 7 nights and it wasn’t until after it rained on the second to last day that we saw the mountains…it also gives you a wicked migraine- again, not in their control whatsoever but something to consider if you’re sensitive to smoke.

I delayed writing this, because as a business owner, I am not keen on public criticism. However, I wrote Managment a letter, so they can know about some of the mishaps, and although I got a standard reply “we will get back to you in a few days” nobody did get back to me, so here goes… 1. Activities were cancelled at last minute with no communication, so we would basically arrive at an activity to be told it was cancelled. 2. Transportation, which we relied on, to get anywhere on the resort was unreliable, and sometimes we were stuck at places for over an hour. Communication again was horrible. 3. The employees were incredibly nice but many did not understand English, so couldn’t answer basic questions….most of these were the butlers. It became so awkward and uncomfortable and I truly felt terrible for them, as they were inadequately trained yet assigned to us as a “butler”. Often times they gave us wrong times for an activity, didn’t have basic knowledge about how to get places, etc. 4. Housekeeping some times didn’t show, and once they came at 10pm to clean our tent. 5. Inside our glamping tent, there was no water pressure, the floor mat was old and shredded, and basically not up to par. We were a family of 6 staying in a “glamping” grounds. The pluses were the food, the chef at our campground was amazing (both a great cook and so kind) and the property is beautiful. Also, the staff who led activities were knowledgeable and well trained. Overall the staff was incredibly kind to us, but again, I felt bad because they were working in a very dysfunctional system. The manager of our campground was responsive but usually putting out fires after the fact. I felt bad for her as well. This was not an experience worth the steep cost. I hope the owners can get their act together and fix their problems.

This resort was a mess. The staff was poorly trained, there was virtually no communication, and the place is ridiculously over priced. Spent nearly $8,000 per night and there was no housekeeping for two days. Had to demand service in order to get anyone to come to the house. There was a loss of power and no water for 24 hours. We were given bottled water to fill up the toilets. Even though the power goes out regularly (we were told 4 times this summer) there are no flashlights provided to guests. We were told none were kept at the homes because the guests were taking them home. We requested a lantern and one was provided but there were no batteries. All in all, I would never recommend this resort.

I used almost the same title as the review posted last week since our experience was very similar. The lack of staff training causes frustration and stress numerous times each day. Which, of course, is not what anyone wants on their vacation... especially one this ridiculously expensive. In general it just seemed like no one was in charge and there was very little thought put into anything. Even if our stay had cost far less than $5000 per night (plus $6000 for activities) we would've expected a competent, basic level of service. Although it's tempting to list all the big and little things that caused so much frustration each day, I know that long reviews can be off-putting. I'd recommend taking at face value the numerous reviews that mention poor training and service, since it seems this has been a problem for some time. One instance of the poor approach to service happened with our room. We booked a "Meadow Home," which the website describes as "an ideal refuge for smaller families and couples on a quest for privacy." As it turns out this description was very misleading, as these are duplex homes with shared walls, very close to the public road which cuts straight through the property, and well within hearing range of the highway, the noise of which is nearly constant. I stopped by the front desk to ask if one of the Big Timber homes or the Wilderness Estates was available so we could move, and I was told by the manager he "wasn't sure." He said he'd look into it and get back to me later that day. But.. he never did. Just no response at all and didn't even mention it the next time I saw him. Very nice guy but just didn't know the basics of customer service. To echo the review from earlier this month, just about every staff person we met was super nice, and seemed to want to please, but was set up for failure by the evident lack of training and the apparent lack of thought behind how to run the resort. One example of the lack of thought and training was apparent during the barbecue dinner. It was a buffet, and at most buffets you get your own food but order drinks from your server. Here there are no servers at the dinner buffets (although no one tells you that when you arrive or sit down). So, after the four of us got our food I went to the bar to order cocktails for my wife and myself... and by the time I got back to the table with the drinks twenty minutes later everyone had already finished eating. Part of the reason the drinks took so long is the bartender - and this is no exaggeration - had to look down at the drink recipe every time he added an ingredient. So, a perfect example of how a lack of thought on the part of management (have servers!) and a lack of training for the staff (teach bartenders how to make basic drinks!) combined to make what should have been an enjoyable experience frustrating. I could go on but I would simply caution anyone booking a trip here to temper their expectations, and be prepared to be frustrated. One note on the actvities - stick to the "nature" ones. The activities that require the most thought and planning on the part of resort management are disappointing - for example, the ropes course is small and not even as good as the one near where we live in New England, and the paintball "field" is basically just a bunch of pallets placed semi-strategically in a very small area. All the activities are overpriced, but these in particular seemed to rise to the level of blatant rip-off - almost $700 for four people for about an hour on a ropes course! One other thing I have to note was the oppressive number of flies and bees during meals. We're used to eating outdoors but have never seen anything like the massive number of flies and Yellowjackets that were present at every outdoor meal - and even once during an indoor breakfast. Flies all over not only our food at our table, but also all over the food at the buffet. You had to be careful lifting your glass to your mouth in case a Yellowjacket was sitting on the rim. And it wasn't just us - we heard numerous other people complain about this. We asked our lunch server why they don't just put up fans, which could easily be done at the The Shed, which is the main lunch spot, and she said "We keep asking but we're always told they wouldn't look acceptable." As much as the fans might not look great, they'd be vastly preferable to having your for constantly covered by flies. We definitely had some memorable experiences, in particular the fly fishing. But, based on the overall experience we wouldn't go back. The next time we head to Montana or somewhere in the area for this type of vacation we'll explore other options.