The Tahoe Vistana Inn

You get what you pay for… the only thing worth any money put out for a weeklong stay was the very courteous desk attendant upon check-​in.
Granted, we were on the slopes every day and out to dinner most nights, but that’s only because there was no room with a kitchen available, only a microwave and a refrigerator. We were able to order pizza for delivery a few nights and were able to improvise by bringing in our own silverware and kitchenware to make lunches to take skiing every day.
Pros:
1) Good location — not too far from several top restaurants in the area and close to Safeway and the ski slopes.
2) Very pleasant attendant at check-​in (I wish I could remember her name to give her the recognition she deserves).
Cons:
1) The door of the room we stayed in was a sliding glass door that was an effort to lock and actually iced up in the evening and dropped chunks of ice in the room.
2) The parking situation is sketchy at best, and requires a knowledgeable driver in a snowy environment to know how to navigate it. Fortunately, we were able to handle it but some of the guests had issues.
3) The wifi was horrendous! I saw a few reviews stating it was poor but that is being generous. Upon checkout, the desk person (someone different this time) stated that a call had been placed to have it checked out and the router had been reset but that obviously wasn’t enough for the at-​capacity occupancy.
4) We stayed a week and had to request trash removal and towel service and never saw any housekeeping or linen services at all.
5) Lack of modern technology — not enough outlets to plug in chargers and the TV was ancient with very limited programming. Yes, I know, we’re on vacation and shouldn’t be complaining about the TV but sometimes there are only so many card games to be played before you just need everyone to wind down, especially with kids.
If you just need a place to lay down at night without a single amenity and don’t care about using the same towel for more than two or three days, it’s a good value. But if you’re a family looking for pleasant accommodations that are an integral part of your vacation, I would recommend looking elsewhere.

Under the circumstances that I will explain below this could be rated as average… otherwise I would probably not stay there at all.
To echo all previous reviewers comments we had all the same issues:
1) Door lock is flimsy latch that took some time to lock properly. There’s not even an actual door — just a sliding glass door that ended up icing up one morning and wouldn’t sit on the track properly until I cleaned the ice myself.
2) WiFi and cell reception (TMobile in my case) simply are non-​existent. And while I cannot blame them for bad cell reception (even though they could spend a couple hundred bucks and install cell repeater for their own guest convenience) I can definitely blame them for crappy WiFi signal. Looks like this has been going on for months and they cannot seem to figure out how to fix it I guess.
Owners: PLEASE go online and buy just a few OpenMesh APs. This will solve all of the WiFi problems. They are more than simple to setup.
3) Sign in a bathroom said that towel and linen will be changed every three days… We stayed for 4 days and I haven’t seen a maid. I had to get towels from frontdesk person myself.
4) Electric plugs… We had to keep unplugging stuff to be able to plug in anything else. This can be easily fixed unless I’m not aware of some regulation prohibiting power strips in hotel rooms
5) Kids bedroom had some cobwebs on a ceiling. At least I haven’t seen any spiders (too cold?)
Now regarding +s:
Small bedroom with bunk beds for kids… considering that we went during hoiday week the cost of this hotel was less than anything comparable in the area.
Overall as everyone said this property has great potential if they fix few small issues that don’t even cost that much.

The hotel is in a good location. We got a room with an attached room for the kids that had a bunk bed. This set up worked out great for my husband and I because we had some privacy and the kids seemed to enjoy having their own space. We felt this set up was a good value. The only downfalls were my husband and I had no Internet. This affected us because we weren’t able to plan ahead or make reservations. The other downfall was there was no phone in the room and no night front desk attendant. So, we were pretty much on our own with no Internet or phone at night.

This place used to be great. It was our go to spot. The people used to be so nice and the dog charge used to only be $ 10. They must have changed management because the customer service was horrible and now the dog charge is $ 100 even though they took all of the carpets out which makes it easier for them to clean. Now about our trip. We drove up from the Bay Area. Took us 5 hours in traffic most of the time. We get to our room which was freezing cold, as cold as it was outside. So I go to turn the heater on and of course its broken. I went to tell the girl who was up front and was told she needed to go to the store to get a lighter and handed me a small space heater saying it would probably work better. Really? We gave it a shot but of course it did nothing in the below freezing weather. So I go back and ask her if we can get a different room. She gives us keys and we go to the room right across from the one we just had. About 2 – 3 hours later I see her go with some guy to fix the heater. So had I not asked for another room, we would have been freezing for hours. We were supposed to stay another night but after the horrible service decided to leave the next day. Upon returning my keys,
I say «we are checking out early» rather then asking why, she takes he keys and says ok. That is all. So after everything I will never come back to this place again. I don’t know who they think they are Charging 100 for a dog and not checking that everything is working properly in the room. They don’t care about their guests and only want your money. Everyone would be better off staying in a cabin or at the Franciscan lodge right around the corner. Do not go to the vistana.

Terrible place !! Used to be decent. I turn 30 today and we have no heat in our room !!! It’s 25 degrees outside !! I’m beyond upset !! We can’t make any plans because my dog won’t be left in a cold room !!! (better if he waited in the snow !) and now they charge 100 $ for a pet. This place is broken down and just a bad place to experience !!! Now the decide to give us another room key !!! After we wait in the cold for an hour. I will never let another friend or family stay in this place. Now the pizza we ordered is going to our old room .?wtf !!!

I booked this hotel on
simply because the location was right in between the ceremony and reception for a wedding I was attending in Tahoe. The check-​in time was supposed to be 4PM, but the wedding I was attending was at 2:30, they were more than gracious in accommodating my request to check-​in early. Not to mention, I was shocked by how AMAZING the room was, it was nicely furnished and recently remodeled. The room had a microwave and mini-​fridge. It also connected to a shared full kitchen with the room next door. I was honestly sad we were only there for one night, some of the best sleep I’ve had in months! Plenty of parking on-​site and a very short drive to restaurants and the beach. Wi-​Fi was fast and very easy to get onto. Would definitely recommend and will hopefully be coming back.
Note: we stayed at Squirrel House, according to the other reviews that matters.

Sorry to say our stay was pretty lame. For the price of the hotel, you figure you would get what you pay for.
Cons:
1)We were supposed to get a room with an in room jacuzzi but when we arrived we were so disappointed and were told that they USED to have one room years ago with a jacuzzi but they tore it out when did they did renovations (i’m thinking, what renovations… read more below) and that the hotel has no control over what third party sites put on their website about their rooms??? Okay… that’s sorta scary?-i now know to call every hotel i book off of hotwire or expedia. Not to mention we paid an extra cost per night for the in room jacuzzi, so we totally got ripped off.
2)It’s supposed to be «re-​done» but it just has some unfinished wood frames around the door, and that’s about it. The TV was disappointingly small, and we couldn’t even see it from the bed when we were laying down on our hard as rock mattress.
3)rock hard mattress
4)There’s no deadbolt lock, just a really janky lock that you literally have to mess with to make sure it’s actually locked. Didn’t really make me feel too safe after we got the warning about the Bears.
5)There’s also NO EXTRA OUTLETS! You have to unplug lamps and etc to charge your electronics.
6)Wi-fi is terrible
7)No AC-​just a basic fan. Does have a heater though-​which would be helpful in Winter.
8)The lights outside, go on way after dark, (pretty steep concrete stairs to get to our room) I think they automatically pop on about ten or so, well worst lights ever– it’s like complete daylight in the middle of the night inside our room-​blinds do absolutely nothing. I will include a picture!
I definitely wouldn’t recommend staying here to anyone for the price they offer. I much rather have stayed in a motel-​especially for the price we paid for and for what we got! I guess it would be okay in the winter, since it’s spacious, you can load all your boards and gear in there buttttttt i still woudn’t.
This place has amazing potential, unfortunately you can totally tell that the person who «redid it» doesn’t really care all too much about comfortably of customers. Major renovation is needed! This place COULD literally be so awesome!
Pros: I guess it would be okay in the winter, since it’s spacious, you can load all your boards and gear in there buttttttt i still woudn’t.
Heater
Mini Fridge (like really mini)

Looked good in the photos, pet friendly and laid back which is nice. But, the rooms need serious renovation. Seem like camping cottages in a park somewhere.
WiFi is so bad and shuts down, I needed it for business. Had to walk outside to get cell coverage. Nice people running it, but could of found much better lodging elsewhere.

Buyer beware. I stayed here two years ago. The property is dated but, in our mind at least, provided a good value for the money. But after sitting through two days of torrential rain, we decided to cut our stay a day short and head back home. We originally booked four nights. It was the morning of the third day that we made the decision to leave. When I told this to the front desk person she said we couldn’t get a refund for the 4^th night, (read the fine print). So we were out the cost of the last night — screw it, we stayed.
Fast forward two years. I booked this property for a two night stay in Mid August 2015, (I’m writing this 0n 7÷26÷15). Two days after we booked the room, our plans changed and we needed to cancel. When I called to tell them of our change they said fine, but you’re going to be charged $ 25 for the cancellation, (read the fine print). Needless to say I wasn’t happy. What hotel charges you a fee to cancel three weeks out?
The value of this property is not worth the poor customer service policies and ratty, tatty condition of the property. Spend a few bucks more and stay at a place that values you as a customer and who’s property is in better shape.

We stayed here 2 nights before moving to our Incline timeshare to avoid traffic; we had a room with 2 queen beds and kitchenette. The staff are very helpful (early 1pm check-​in accommodated, extra sheet and towels, helpful firework tips, very friendly) and the unit was clean. However… it’s very bare bones so know what to expect and you won’t be disappointed. We are talking unfinished wood molding around the doors and baseboards in our unit; no blow dryer or A/​C (they provide a box style room/​window fan). Unexpected amenities included high quality beach towels and beach chairs, which we took to watch the ⁷⁄₃ King’s Beach fireworks. Bed linens we’re nice and clean including the quilt sandwiched between sheets. Disappointments included the grubby, almost empty, small size bottle of dishsoap and dirty sponge left from the last occupants. We did not cook in the very spare kitchen aside from using the microwave. Again it was clean but very very spare.

Don’t believe the pictures and read all the reviews. This place was not as advertised (and we weren’t looking at the Squirrel lodge pics for reference). Cabinets are banged up. Shower heads are terrible (my kids said they felt like needles), and the shower door handle was broken off. The drywall is worn through in places. Normal furniture, like night stands, are not there. The box springs were torn and and stained. Coffee makers #1 and then #2 didn’t work (they gave us mismatch pairs of the maker and the carafe, causing them to overflow). They had a non-​flat screen TV (not as big of a deal, but mine as well not have one in there). The soap dispenser in the bathroom was empty. The pool was (much, much) colder than the lake. Oh and several of the windows didn’t lock (we were able to get screw window locks the next day from the front desk. Speaking of, the lady at the front desk was the only good thing about the place (hence 2 stars instead of one). The lake is a short walk across the street to nice flat section of beach (dang, the water is low this summer). All in all, It was like AirBNBing an off campus college dude’s apartment. Yuck.

We should’ve know something was wrong when Gabriela, the host who had been diligent in answering our inquiries, stopped replying. We showed up and found out that she and the inn had parted ways, but nobody had thought to take up her Airbnb host responsibilities.
Our party of 14 rented the inn’s Squirrel House for wife’s birthday weekend. We checked in. First night, no lights on any of our stairways/​decks. Another scary sign of the place we were renting. Nobody working there knew how to turn them on. We stumbled through the night.
Next day our water went out. In all 6 suites. We reported it to the front desk and went out for a few hours. Returned to find out nothing would be done then told by girl at desk that we’d «get no reimbursements.» She also admitted the water was unfixable in the short term. She put us in charge with her manager. Same story. «No reimbursements.»
She also stated that the water wouldn’t be coming back on anytime soon and that the whole property had plumbing issues. Found out all the units in the inn were without water. People were checking out. We couldn’t. Where were we gonna put our large group on such short notice?
Manager told us she’d have an owner call us. Surprisingly, one did. Unsurprisingly, he also had piss-​poor hospitality skills. He said he just heard of the issue. Hard to believe. We asked if any plumber had been out. He said no. This is now four hours after we reported the issue. I strongly urged him to do something. Oh, now it’s nighttime and we’re enduring a second night of no exterior lighting.
Our group started planning how we’re going to make it through the night without indoor plumbing. Owner calls back. «Good news, bad news. Water won’t be fixed.» But he will bring us some water to help us through the night. He brought a five-​gallon bucket and some bottled water. Not enough for 13 adults, 1 kid and 6 toilets. I give him an earful as he sheepishly leaves us for the night. Minutes later he comes back. He finally had a plumber come out to look at things. Turns out it was a fuse. It was replaced and the water soon flowed. It was that easy.
Sad that to get the owner to do something as simple as call a plumber, we had to dress him down repeatedly. I had to boil over so that he acted. Not exactly a pleasant couple of hours for me or my friends and family. Added stress was that I picked the place. Felt foolish. The kicker: owner said he’d make it up to us. Still waiting. Don’t fall for the pictures everyone. The Tahoe Vistana Inn and its Squirrel House can accommodate you but none of its staff nor owners can.

Good location, our room had a fridge and microwave, TV and that kind of stuff (coffee maker). It was cheap for the area, about 97 a night, not during the busiest season though of course.
It was a nice room, spacious and clean, it just wasn’t anything special.
The room needs a rug or something because my feet were freezing the whole time lol, and the only mirror was the one in the bathroom which was annoying. I would just say nice basic room, just no love was put into it. If you know what I mean? Could use a bit more décor to make it a little cozier. Also the mattress was a bit hard, not super comfortable but tolerable.

Tried this place due to a Groupon, which was an easy purchase.
We got the 2 bedroom apartment and it is spacious. Very sparse with and décor, but lots of space for big groups. Old furniture and old place.
Renovation and updates need to happen. The windows were thin and you could hear the road in front of the place loud and clear.
We didn’t know there were rooms upstairs from us and it was very noisy when the people came in later. It scared my mom, because we thought it was an attic for storage. She started thinking there were ghosts afoot! Lol
There is absolutely no view of the lake and no easy available access to the lake.
All in all, decent, but lacking.

From reading other posts regarding the Tahoe Vistana, I would guess your experience will depend most upon the room where you will stay. We stayed at the ‘Squirrel House’, which seems a very new building compared to other units at the Inn. It was beautiful, extremely clean, very warm, with cozy new rustic décor with lots of extra blankets, pillows, kitchen came packed with anything you might need. We stayed in unit 143 with one King bed and a separate room with a full and twin bunk above. Would definitely come back, very affordable luxury for Tahoe, 427 total for 2 nights, sleeps 5. Thank you!

Thank you Tahoe Vistana. We came knowing that you were a place to stay when one is on a budget. Yes, some of your structures are old, but, you did not disappoint. I especially liked the fact that you were not a generic, big conglomerate-​owned motel (what you might otherwise get for the price). You’ve given many folks a comfortable crash-​pad for so many years and may you continue to do so for many years to come.
Tahoe Vistana is actually quite charming if you don’t come in with any ideas of palatial grandeur. A bit run down and tired looking… yes. But, the room we stayed in (#125) for a mere $ 99 a night, was clean and tidy and provided the four of us (two queen beds) with warm and dry coziness in the wet cold of the new winter; snuggly blankets and extra pillows, a refrigerator, coffee maker, coffee and a microwave. In addition, the hot tub was a splendid treat for our night cap (pool is closed for winter).
There was no broken furniture (however, some minor stains on the seat pads), no stains on the area rug over the wood floor (looked new actually), no bad smells from the heater (the thermostat worked great)… However, the bathroom floor was cold – we dropped towel underfoot and tended to that issue. The room could have used a bit more lighting (but, that was not a real issue). Bring your own blow dryer if you need one. Also bring bigger, swim towels for the hot tub or pool.
One strong advisory though: Internet and cell service might be sporadic. We went from really fast connections to no service – on and off… that would probably be my only frustration.
The staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming. The cleaning crew was nice and friendly and most accommodating.
On a final note, I am truly sorry for those who did not enjoy their stay and if the place did not meet their expectations. I guess, we had no big expectations and what we got was reasonable for the price of lodging in Tahoe.
We’ll be back. :)

This place is gross. Even under new ownership, I don’t think any amount of renovating can be done to save it. Sections of the property are equivalent to a meth lab, rooms have trash in them, there are never any associates at the front desk, and they are fixing up about 2 or 3 out of the 30+ units that are currently there.
Unless the Ritz Carlton comes in and levels this place in order to build a resort, I don’t see it looking pretty any time soon. Plenty of other options in the area, skip this one.

Came to celebrate my birthday and booked one of their cheapest rooms. Was not impressed with it but hey it was cheap! For 2 nights we ended up spending 99 $ per night + I believe a $ 65 cleaning fee. We stayed in the king bed lake peek view room. This room is extremely small. Only fits a king sized bed plus 3 arms length of extra space for 2 chairs and a small center table. There is no microwave, coffee maker, small fridge or balcony. The bathroom was nice and roomy though.
We arrived on a Friday night at 8pm. The heater was broken and management had already left for the day. I was so cold!!! It was 34 Deg that night. The next morning at around 10am before I could even complain, management came to knock on our door. They said that our heater was broken and it could not be fixed. Gave us an upgrade with a lake view and I was so happy for my birthday! The upgraded room had everything. Housekeeping found that we left a few small things behind and they let us know immediately that they would ship us our missing items.
The people here are like mind readers! They addressed our problems and contacted us before we contacted them. Extremely happy with the customer service and upgraded room.

My girlfriend and I stayed here for a weekend getaway from SF. We had a spacious room that included a kitchenette. The Tahoe Vistana Inn has a prime location right near Northstar resort and all of the restaurants of King’s Beach. The room was very clean and the staff were extremely courteous. When I forgot my Jambox in the room I called them up and the mailed it to me in San Francisco, that is quality customer service!

Nice clean pet friendly place. Stacy at the front desk is super sweet. She helped me with some last minute accommodation and even gave me a discount for staying a third day. The rooms are very clean and large. We stayed in a double queen with a kitchen. There is a sweet patio right outside your door and the beach is right across the street. I’ll come back here for sure. Price is on the low end for what’s around this side of the lake. I’m pleased with my stay and would recommend.