Name: Monarch Mountain Lodge
Address: 22720 W US Hwy 50, Garfield, Monarch, Salida, Colorado, United States of America, Garfield, Chaffee County, US
Price range: $97–$148 per night
Rating: 8.23

What guests think

At Monarch Mountain Lodge, travelers consistently praise the beautiful, quiet mountain setting near the ski area, while noting that the property is very dated, under-maintained, and short-staffed, with several amenities frequently unavailable or not working.

Guests report friendly staff at times but also long waits, difficulty reaching anyone, and awkward check-in procedures. Rooms are basic with good views, thin walls, limited temperature control and, in several cases, weak or no hot water. Cleanliness ranges from tidy rooms to serious lapses, with occasional pest issues and housekeeping inconsistencies. Expect great scenery and convenience, but a no-frills, hit-or-miss stay.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Facilities

Facilities are aging, with many reports of broken or lukewarm hot tubs, missing signage, and nonworking features like ice machines, game room equipment, sauna, or elevator; the pool operates but temperatures can be inconsistent. Several reviews also note no air conditioning.

Related guest reviews

8

Wiliam

Apr 17, 2023

·

Stayed 4 nights

Very convienent for winter sports activities on Monarch Mountain. Reasonably priced. Clean rooms. Nice indoor pool and outdoor hot tubs. Dining menu and gift shop could be expanded on.

8

Larry

Jul 1, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

The good: clean, spacious, quiet, comfortable. Not good: very dated bathroom and furnishings. Elevator not working

4

Brenna

Mar 17, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

This property was so run down it wasn’t even worth complaining about. I think the few people running the place know exactly what’s going on. Damp, outdated rooms, ancient exercise equipment and cold pool, pull out bed was a total joke, not sufficient linens/pillows, the restaurant was empty and cold and had very little to offer, the parking lot want plowed even though the snow kept coming down. It’s really unfortunate because there is so much potential and an obvious need for a hotel close to monarch mountain but……at least it wasn’t expensive.

4

Jeremy

Sep 24, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Seemed straight outta 1988 and hadn't had much for maintenance or updating. The whole Lodge smelled of Marijuana, there were cameras everywhere, making us uncomfortable. Hot tubs were out of order. Awkward ceiling access panels. There was a breaker panel in the room and was missing breakers so sometime could touch the buss bars if they tried. The elevator lcd panel was missing and many lights flickering throughout. No receptacles available in the room to charge devices. Parking was OK, but there seemed to be parking out back that might've been more secure but we were told "No" about parking back there.

4

Tony

Jul 6, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

One working ice machine for the entire building. Three hot tubs, none working. Coffee machine in the room was broken.

2

Robert

Mar 10, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Pool was freezing, 3/4 of the games in the game room didn’t work, 0 of the 3 hot tubs worked. Place was dirty and smelled bad

2

Chris

Mar 4, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Pros- great location. Friendly front desk gal and waiter. If you are looking for a hard bed and a tv then this place is for you. Cons- Everything else. This place is in complete disrepair. If it wasn’t broken it was dirty. The coffee maker in the room was broken, the hot two hot tubs were broken and gross. The indoor pool lighting was as broken and swam in the dark with a flickering light. Most of the games in the game room were broken. The basketball/racquetball courts were trashed downright gross. I would not stay here again

6

Amber

Jun 19, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The air in our room did not work and the hot tub was not working

6

Mike

Mar 25, 2024

·

Stayed 6 nights

3 hot tubs but none worked.

6

Mary

Jul 3, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The location is a challenge for anyone running a hotel. Not in a community and at a very high altitude, it's got to be difficult to keep up. It does feel like investment dollars are needed. The only complaint we had was there is ZERO signage for this hotel right now. Not sure why, maybe waiting on a replacement, but not even a piece of paper in the window telling you this is a hotel.

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Cleanliness

Cleanliness is inconsistent: some rooms are tidy, but multiple guests report dirty rooms or common areas, strong odors, missing towels, and infrequent housekeeping; there are also a few reports of bedbugs.

Related guest reviews

4

Joseph G

May 26, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Beautiful setting but staff and cleanliness were completely lacking. Found a bedbug on the sheets in room 405. sheets were not changed from previous guest with obvious evidence (yuck!). Breakfast was delivered by a guy with dirt or something else under his unwashed fingernails. No one onsite to even complain to and no call back from ownership team.

2

Megan

Sep 23, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

my room was not clean. who ever was there before me the night before their mess was still in room when i checked in.

2

richard

Dec 16, 2022

·

Bed bugs!! Had to leave and get another hotel at 11:30 pm. The owner Kelly won’t compensate any thing and won’t return my calls ..

8

Sandra

Sep 3, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Beautiful forested background pleasant pool and game room clean and comfortable bedding. Refrigerator on table not too safe. Clean

6

Monica

Jan 19, 2025

·

Stayed 6 nights

We stayed at the lodge a total of 6 nights. Older lodge but clean. Parking lot was full of snow and very, very dangerously icy. Through our entire stay snow removal was at a bare minimum. We had to almost crawl to our vehicle everyday just not to fall. Thank goodness we wore our snow boots. It was hard to find staff when tryinh to check in and the lobby was extremely cold to wait in. Waited for 20 minutes, never checked in just given a set of keys and then not explained how to not lock the room doorknob and got locked out of our room the next day. Seeing any sort of staff was very rare. Was only given clean towels and our trash taken out once out of our 6 night stay. I had to help myself to the staff linen closet to get us clean towels and toilet paper. I don't like that you have to pay extra to stay in a room with a refrigerator. Ice machines only worked on one floor. Pool was old but very clean and heated. Gym equipment was very old, disappointed there was no treadmill. Dogs barking randomly. A few days out of our stay we saw no one and got that movie "The Shining" feeling. Did not try the restaurant. Not even sure if it was really open. Did not see staff through some of our stay to even ask. I would feel comfortable staying here again but not for 6 nights and not during the cold months. Was surprisingly clean for how dated the lodge is. Having Directv in our room was a plus.

2

Katy

Jul 29, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

When we arrived, there wasn’t anyone in the lobby front desk area. But however, there was a note to use the walkie talkie to let someone know we were there to check in. We finally were checked in and given a key. A real key. Our room was in the basement. The room was very dirty. The toilet had poop in it. It wouldn’t flush. The bed looked like something out of the 70’s. I strongly suggest rethinking about staying here. It was gross!

4

Ariana

Sep 4, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

From the moment we walked it the whole place smelled like marijuana - which can be more or less their fault. Even the hallways smelled. Thankfully our room didn't. However, the floor of our room was dirty enough that we couldn't walk barefoot without accumulating tons of dirt. There were no bath towels in our room and it took the staff a whole day to finally get us towels. There's no AC in the rooms so they have a tall fan tower that some what helped with the heat. Just the overall features of the rooms are poor and janky. Don't think we'll ever be back.

4

Kevin E

Feb 24, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Great location Beat up dirty hotel Under staffed

6

James

Feb 24, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Not terrible for the price, but it’s obvious this property needs a complete remodel. Sticky substance on the television receiver in the room and hand/face prints all over the glass doors leading to the balcony. Pool towels were no where to be found until some other guest stocked some. Maybe this place is going to go out of business soon? Seemed like no one has paid attention to the property in years.

2

Joey

Sep 7, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

We showed up had to radio and waited for the front desk to show up. Got 2 room on separate floors. One room smelled so bad. Asked for another room. Had spider webs. Everywhere. Didn’t even stay. Dropped the keys in the return bowl and left

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Rooms

Rooms are dated and basic, with thin walls, limited temperature control or no AC, several mentions of weak or no hot water, and spotty or lobby-only Wi-Fi. Many enjoy mountain views and adequate space, but privacy is reduced by shared balconies.

Related guest reviews

4

Blanca

Mar 19, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

The hotel is older and not in good condition in comparison to the pictures posted by their website. The wifi was down for the two days I was there and there is no cellular signal. You can hear every footstep and conversation from outside the room and in between rooms. In retrospect, the view from the room and dinning area is beautiful.

6

Matthew

Feb 27, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Room was good size with microwave and tiny fridge. Bath had zero hot water. You will see this comment in other reviews. Yes, zero hot water and the cold is very cold. Very close to monarch and that is why we stayed here

10

Janusz

Mar 9, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

It is older style lodge with unique ambience. It lacks upgrades but the room was large, queen beds very comfortable, great heating and TV with HBO and other channels. The biggest advantage is very close distance to ski resort on Monarch slopes.

6

Karen

Oct 2, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Beds were ok. Building needs some updating. No refrigerator or microwave. Breakfast was available but not continental

2

Ashlee

May 27, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

***NO CELL SERVICE & NO WIFI*** The front desk guy will lie and will make up different stories about why there is no wifi in the rooms. First he said that the wifi must be down and he will reset it. Then when I followed up with him, he said the wifi was spotty, then I followed up with him again, and he said it only works in the lobby. I wanted to cancel and get a refund and he almost laughed in my face and told me that he was sorry that I felt that way. He gave me the owner's card, and I called her for a refund and never got a callback. I worked in the lobby and I saw many people complain about not having wifi in their rooms and the front desk guy making up stories.

10

Lara

Jul 14, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The balcony view was beautiful. It's open, making it easy to connect with other guests. The space is quiet, clean, and faces the mountains at the back of the property. We especially enjoyed watching the many hummingbirds at the active feeders. One downside is that there's no way to control the temperature in the room. One of us slept well, while the other woke up feeling hot. If you prefer a cooler sleeping environment, consider bringing a portable fan—and don’t forget an extension cord. Overall, we would definitely stay here again.

10

Dale

Jun 28, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Nice setting. Walls ae thin

4

DAVID

Mar 3, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

This place is quirky and dark. Probably hasn’t been updated since the early 80s. Only one of the beds was comfortable to sleep in and had to cram into one. The heat was broken and it was 60 degrees the whole time in the room.

6

Emilie

Mar 21, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Like its proximity to Monarch Mtn, but it was very noisy. One of the bedside lamp switches didn’t work. Not a big deal for us but some might find it inconvenient.

4

melissa

Sep 23, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Location was convenient for where we were staying. We had been backpacking all week and wanted a place to stay that could allow for a bit of relaxation before we drove home. We specifically picked this place since it was further from a populated town and had a restaurant of it's own. We had not planned to leave while we were there. However, the menu they had on the website did not come close to matching what was in the restaurant. (when we inquired about this we were laughed at and told their menu online hadn't been updated in years) At this point it meant we were either eating our leftover trail food or going out to eat for every meal and having to drive in town. This was not the experience we had expected, and being laughed at for expecting the website to have updated information on the hotel was not appreciated or professional in any way. The room was clean, I don't care it was outdated, we just wanted a place to sleep after being in the cold all week. Sleep did not happen as we had a baby next door that screamed all night both nights and the hotel has very poor insulation between rooms. (We could hear in detail what they were doing in the bathroom and normal conversations on top of the all night long screaming) No windows and balcony french doors couldn't be left with the curtains open because we had people staring in at us from outside the door since the balcony is open to everyone on that side of the hotel without any partition. Which added to noise and lack of privacy

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Service

Service quality is inconsistent: friendly staff are mentioned, yet many guests found the lodge understaffed or unattended, leading to long check-in delays and difficulty reaching anyone. Some cited awkward credit-card handling and poor follow-up from management.

Related guest reviews

6

Philip

Jul 22, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The check-in person seemed weird, and he had to call someone to do the check-in (I don't know why). There was no one there when I checked out. The hotel needs a sign out front.

8

Diana

Jul 8, 2024

·

Only inconvenience is that staff is not always available and reaching them is alittle difficult.

4

chane

Aug 10, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Stayed here 3 times now. Only the first time was great! The hotel itself is nice and has nice mountain views. Good internet. Problem is the past 2 times there is no front desk worker. Some old maintence man eventually comes to the desk, then he has to call someone to check people in. He said he cant operate the computer and check people in. last night took 10 minutes as the person he called did not answer right away. i was going to stay there again next week friday, i booked on there website. today i decided to switch trip to Thursday, found there is no way to cancel or change on there website. I have called this hotel at least a dozen times all through out today and they do no answer, the calls go to a call center and they take my info and no one calls back. i also emailed and no reply. If i ever get ahold of them i just going to cancel now and book my Thursday night stay somewhere else. This place has no front desk staff anymore. first time i stayed a really nice helpful lady was working the desk, past 2 times no one there!

2

Kyle

Jun 29, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Had a bug crawl on my face while staying at this location. Called the front desk multiple times, had the hotel operator also call so I could just switch rooms. Did not get a room change. Cancelled the next day and got a different place. 0/10 if I could.

8

Susan

Sep 30, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Excellent customer service from Kiley. Beautiful views. Very good restaurant.

10

Terrie

Jul 12, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

We only had the pleasure of staying one night but the location is beautiful and the staff is so accommodating, helpful and friendly! If we are ever back in that area we will definitely return!

4

Arla

Jul 31, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The property is a 1970's gem. Not much has been updated since it was built. It was super quiet and the beds were super comfortable. It recieved such a low rating due to staff. There wasn't any! We got in just after 11pm. There was no one to be seen. We called on their radio, walked around searching for a deak clerk. We tried calling the number to the hotel and spoke with reservations a on the phone who tried multiple times to contact some one to help us check in. It was 1:20am before we got in the room. This morning was not any better. The only employee on site was the chef for the restaurant who told me that no one would be available to hear my complaint until 3pm. Overall if your looking to party and run carelessly around a place this is the one to go to. No one is around to stop you. It would be a great place if the got some caring staff. The view and the bed was worth the money.

8

Shelli

Aug 1, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Property outside was beautiful with Hummingbirds galore!! Room nice and comfy bed...however, I didn't like the check in process where front desk calls someone and reads my credit card info out loud to the person on the phone-in front of other guests-even though we prepaid!!!

2

Hendrik

Jul 2, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Nobody at the front counter, you will end up waiting 3 hours in order to simply check-in... This is your typical trucker stop lodge with zero frontdesk staff.

10

Dan

Jun 4, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

We had the hotel to ourselves. Staff was amazing and they washed our laundry because their guest laundry was down.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Location

Scenic, quiet setting minutes from Monarch Mountain but remote, with limited nearby dining, occasional no cell service, and some reports of missing roadside signage.

Related guest reviews

6

Aimee

Jun 16, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The room space was good. It appears to be a warehouse or industrial building that was changed into a hotel.? The check in hostess was super friendly and amazing (the biggest redeeming value). I would definitely ask for third floor or above as third was the main. Just a little creepy overall. Sheets were clean. Everything else was pretty old. I was trying to stay near Buena Vista and it comes up on Expedia as if it were in or near Buena Vista but it’s 40 minutes away.

10

Janusz

Mar 9, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

It is older style lodge with unique ambience. It lacks upgrades but the room was large, queen beds very comfortable, great heating and TV with HBO and other channels. The biggest advantage is very close distance to ski resort on Monarch slopes.

8

Rebecca

Aug 3, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

You don’t stay here for the quality of the property, you stay for the amazing view and convenience to great hiking. It’s definitely a facility caught in the 1980s but the views and places to explore are worth it.

8

Jeffery

Jul 15, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Good location and fair price.

6

Vladimir

Sep 20, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The property is very dated but clean. It is on the middle of nowhere but with beautiful surroundings.

10

Gregory

Mar 26, 2023

·

I loved the close proximity to Monarch Ski area, which is why we stayed there. Monarch is a 7-10 minute drive. We loved our room. We loved the pool and outdoor jacuzzis too. Pool table and ping pong table were also nice. The price is very reasonable too.

6

Larry

Mar 28, 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

It was convenient to get to the Monarch Ski Area.

10

Don

Oct 13, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Great location!

8

Douglas

Feb 14, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Excellent location to Monarch ski resort. Property is aged, but still fine for the price.

6

Mary

Jul 3, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The location is a challenge for anyone running a hotel. Not in a community and at a very high altitude, it's got to be difficult to keep up. It does feel like investment dollars are needed. The only complaint we had was there is ZERO signage for this hotel right now. Not sure why, maybe waiting on a replacement, but not even a piece of paper in the window telling you this is a hotel.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Dining

On-site dining is hit or miss: several guests praised burgers, pizza, and breakfast, but hours and menus are limited or closed at times, and breakfast can be pricey with automatic gratuity.

Related guest reviews

4

JAMES

Dec 28, 2022

·

Stayed 19,353 nights

Property overall is run down. Only bright spots were some of the staff. They are near ski resort otherwise, they would never attract guests. Restaurant on property closed most of the time. Cannot even get a cup of coffee. Heater in our bath didn’t work.

6

Ken

Aug 12, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Low off season property maintenance. Restaurant chef fixed up a WONDERFUL hamburger and chicken wrap for us. Room was comfortable.

8

Donald

Aug 19, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

What appears to have once been a great resort still has some appeal if your expectations aren’t too high. Pool was open and at least one of the three hot tubs worked. Restaurant had limited options and hours but tasted great.

10

Amy

Sep 6, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

We absolutely loved our stay at the Monarch Mountain Lodge! They have such a friendly and helpful staff, as well as some of the most delicious pizza I've had in Colorado. Filled with rustic charm and in such a beautiful location - we will absolutely be back!

4

Brandon

Jan 30, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

I booked a stay here for a weekend ski trip. Upon arriving, they informed that the bar and restaurant are closed. Had to drive to Salida for dinner and couldn’t feed the kids breakfast until 11am when the restaurant in the mountain opened. Defeated the whole purpose of staying there. Will have to keep staying in Salida in the future for this reason.

6

Chastity

Sep 29, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The evening staff was friendly and professional. The morning staff was non existent. If you want breakfast it is a limited menu for about $13 + per person plus a 20% gratuity added. The room was not clean. There was sticky stuff all over the night stand that looked like spilled soda. The bed was not comfortable and room stuffy. The hot water was Luke warm at best. However, the location and views are wonderful. We loved the area. The hotel is in bad need of maintenance and renovation. Also note there are no options to purchase or get milk or other vending items or snacks. We were traveling with a toddler and asked for milk but was told they did not have any. We would stay again for an overnight stay because we love nature and like the location, but I would not recommend for longer stays or if you are looking for comfort.

10

Roland

Aug 19, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Perfect for my needs. Convenient, inexpensive, great pizza at the restaurant, friendly staff. Yes the hotel could use a facelift but it was clean and comfortable :)

6

Mardine

Jun 7, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

While the staff are friendly and helpful, I would not stay there again. Because it was an off season stay, restaurant offerings were minimal. Room, beds were adequate

6

Thomas

Sep 26, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

The kitchen staff and burgers were great. The bed was good. The entire place in general needs a good cleaning and fixing up. The owner needs to start taking better care of the place.

4

melissa

Sep 23, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Location was convenient for where we were staying. We had been backpacking all week and wanted a place to stay that could allow for a bit of relaxation before we drove home. We specifically picked this place since it was further from a populated town and had a restaurant of it's own. We had not planned to leave while we were there. However, the menu they had on the website did not come close to matching what was in the restaurant. (when we inquired about this we were laughed at and told their menu online hadn't been updated in years) At this point it meant we were either eating our leftover trail food or going out to eat for every meal and having to drive in town. This was not the experience we had expected, and being laughed at for expecting the website to have updated information on the hotel was not appreciated or professional in any way. The room was clean, I don't care it was outdated, we just wanted a place to sleep after being in the cold all week. Sleep did not happen as we had a baby next door that screamed all night both nights and the hotel has very poor insulation between rooms. (We could hear in detail what they were doing in the bathroom and normal conversations on top of the all night long screaming) No windows and balcony french doors couldn't be left with the curtains open because we had people staring in at us from outside the door since the balcony is open to everyone on that side of the hotel without any partition. Which added to noise and lack of privacy

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Month	Average price
January	$116
February	$106
March	$104
April	$92
May	$97
June	$129
July	$129
August	$128
September	$111
October	$102
November	$97
December	$118

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15 $129	16 $129	17 $128	18 $147	19 $147
20 $130	21 $130	22 $129	23 $129	24 $129	25 $147	26 $147
27 $131	28 $129	29 $130	30 $129

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
				1 $129	2 $148	3 $146
4 $131	5 $98	6 $98	7 $97	8 $101	9 $109	10 $109
11 $97	12 $97	13 $98	14 $98	15 $97	16 $110	17 $110
18 $97	19 $97	20 $97	21 $98	22 $97	23 $110	24 $110
25 $98	26 $98	27 $98	28 $97	29 $97	30 $109	31 $111

Select dates to see prices and availability

Monthly average prices

About this property

Location

Room options

Family Suite, 2 Bedrooms, Balcony, Mountain View

Deluxe Single Room, 1 King Bed, Balcony, Mountain View

Classic Single Room, 2 Queen Beds

Executive Single Room, 2 Queen Beds

Executive Single Room, 1 King Bed

Deluxe Single Room, 2 Queen Beds, Balcony, Mountain View

Economy Single Room, 1 King Bed, Ground Floor (No View)

Classic Single Room, 1 King Bed

Family Room, Multiple Beds

Guest reviews

Very good

Who stays here?

What guests think

Property Policies

Check-in instructions

Good to know

Optional extras

FAQs about Monarch Mountain Lodge

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Prices for upcoming dates