Madeline Hotel & Residences, Auberge Resorts Collection

"This is the best hotel I have ever stayed at, hands down. The service is incredible and they get all the little details right, which takes your stay from "good" to "exceptional." Location can't be beat either. I was here on a girls ski trip and can't wait to bring my family back. If you are thinking of booking, do it you won't be disappointed!"

"This is one of the few hotels I have stayed at in my lifetime that truly does attempt to meet your every need. From the decor to the service.... I would 100% recommend. It's worth every penny."

"The Madeline has so many fantastic things going for it. Unfortunately, the Auberge name carries high expectations some of which were not met. Our first experience was filled with ups and downs, which made our stay a bit inconsistent. First the good. The hotel's location is unbeatable. Right in the middle of the Mountain Village main plaza with access to coffee shops, restaurants, steps from the town gondola, gorgeous mountain views and the charming skating rink. The front of house staff is friendly and professional and the lobby is warm, cozy and stunningly designed in a style that somehow manages to combine modern with the Wild West / alpine heaven. The hotel's ski valet is true gold: ski-in/ski out at its best with top notch staff who make the process of gearing up so incredibly easy. By the second day I was surprised to find my skis and poles neatly placed on the snow outside. I literally only had to click on my boots and head out. Now to the many misses. We had multiple miscommunications with the housekeeping staff. Twice they came in even though our privacy light was on. Other times we would provide them with a 3-4 hour window to come in while we were out skiing and they didn't show up. By the end we ended up calling each time we left to ensure the service was provided. The menu, portions, and offerings at Black Iron Restaurant need a lot of improvement. A winter vegetable pot equaled several root vegetables floating in a flavorless broth; ordering a "Carpaccio of Exotic Fruits" (at $18!) resulted in a standard fruit plate of berries and honeydew (even though the menu promised persimmon, dragon fruit, and pineapple among others); a side of breakfast sausage came in the image of a charred hockey puck. Incredibly disappointing to say the least. We stayed at a room that had been recently renovated (not all rooms have been) but throughout our stay, it felt dusty. In addition, the provided humidifier was less than adequate for Colorado's extra dry winters and the room could benefit from installing some power strips (at the very least!) by each nightstand given that most people carry multiple devices that need to be charged overnight. All of this made me think that this recent "renovation" has been more of a refresh than a full renovation. I am not one to write such critical reviews but again, the Auberge name carries very high expectations. We visited the Auberge Chileno Bay Resort in Los Cabos last year and they spoiled me for life with service that never missed a beat. Would I visit the Madeline again? Possibly because of its location and the unbeatable ski-in / ski out experience but it is hard to swallow five star nightly rates and receive less than service. With the advent of a Four Seasons slated to be built nearby in the Mountain Village, the Madeline needs to up its service game now."

"Location and the rooms were great. But to be honest what makes this place exceptional is the staff. From the Valet team to the front desk and the cleaning crew super friendly great to work with and made us feel very welcome. The staff are truly what made our stay go from "oh this is nice" to " this is amazing and can't wait to come back""

"Jacuzzi and pool are wonderful. The welcome drink and the water stations with the chlorophyll and charcoal were very cool. There is an ice skating rink right outside which is enjoyable. The rooms were beautiful and some have kitchens and steam rooms in the bathroom. We enjoyed the gummy bears and hot chocolate at the ski valet. It was one mistake after the next with staff. While they were very friendly and accommodating, they were a total mess. When we switched rooms I special requested from front desk that they make sure to transfer a cardboard box full of food I put right on top of my suitcase. Instead they lost the box of vitamins, teas, food, and a large Stanley thermos, when it was returned, it was returned nearly empty with two bottles of vitamins and the thermos only. The special tea leaves from peru I can’t replace were gone. The manager comped us some gifts from the spa gift store to make up for it and free breakfast which was considerate. She was great and very responsive. The breakfast we had included a poached egg which had a large egg shell in it and the breakfast food is very heavy on the oil or grease. The ski valet also mixed up all of our stuff when we switched rooms and we got a bin that was half our ski gear and half someone else’s. Then the ski valet guy really insisted on knowing what the reason for our room switch was. The restaurants all close by 9 pm in mountain village and one cannot get food anywhere after that which is good to know in advance. Turn down service walked into our room when we weren’t dressed which was awkward and uncomfortable. We had just gotten out of the shower. The doorbell isn’t a sound that one could recognize from the bedroom or shower, also it’s not a standard sound. There are privacy buttons that you can press right next to the door. This isn’t standard so it would have been nice if someone had explained that to us at check in. Some days there were little gifts by the bed other days there weren’t. It was just inconsistent. One day the filtered water wasn’t replaced and the tap water tastes horrible. The valet also took my shoes when he got our bags and the front desk didn’t answer so I had to go down to the lobby barefoot to get my shoes back. It was just a consistent amount of small inconveniences that happened over and over. Important to note the parking lot we assumed was through the hotel but it’s a municipal parking lot. You don’t pay through the hotel at the end when you pay the bill you have to pay it daily through a machine which would have been nice to know in advance since we ended up with 3 days of parking tickets. Truly we just got confused as another hotel in mountain village previously had us pay for parking at the end. Communication about this would have been appreciated. The ski valet Doug had a total attitude about it and made a comment that we thought the signs didn’t apply to us. His animosity towards guests was the icing on the cake that finally made us decide that we will seek other accommodations in the future. While this place is nice in so many ways, the caliber of service doesn’t match the price you pay for your experience."