Any more info on what the program offers Platinums under the new the combined program? Lounge access / breakfast / room upgrades?

Also, I'm seeing a "Deluxe Room, Guest room, 1 King, Fireplace" that shows occupancy for 4 but only a King bed; no sofa bed? We're 2 adults 2 kids, does the room accommodate?

average stay
 

Just finished a two night stay here using 60k points each. I have stayed at other luxury ski hotels and would like to highlight a few things that may help others. Other comparable properties I have stayed at include Park Hyatt Beaver Creek(PHBC), Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch (RCBG), Waldorf Astoria Park City (WAPC).

Northstar is certainly a nice ski resort, especially for beginners and lower intermediates. We enjoyed our stay here because of the skiing. The hotel itself has no wow factor. While I "only" spent 60k points per night the hotel didn't really provide value for my points the way PCBC, RCBG and WAPC provide.


Here are the details:

• the room decor is odd and has a weird wall paper in the bathroom. It certainly does not feel luxurious. Closer to a 4 star hotel than a luxury hotel. The towels were the worst of any luxury hotel I have stayed at.
• overall the level of service is very low. Nobody to open the front door when you are checking in or out. The tissues in ski valet area not replaced for two whole days (done when I asked). Phone calls to front desk abruptly cut off in middle of request. We didn't get the thin pillows we requested. The front desk welcome drink area was out of cups. When they got the cups, there was no drink in the dispenser. Attention to detail is lackign here.
• the ski valet area is terribly laid out. Unlike PCBC or RCBG, the staff doesn't help you put on your ski boots. For people who are pay > $1000 per night, you tend to expect such things (not me).
• The food in "Living room" (lobby) was terrible with very slow service. This was not a peak holiday period, just a regular winter weekend so I simply cannot excuse them for the slower service.
• The building is not spectacular like WAPC or RCBG.
• Very few things are included in the resort fee unlike RCBG or WAPC. No hot chocolate, no fitness classes. The marshmellow time is for 30 minutes only and they make people line up for a 50 cent marshmellow. Just pathetic. At RCBG, the marshmellow time is 2 hours and you can just come and enjoy as you please.
• the ski in ski out access is not as convenient as PHBC or RCBG. Definitely beter than WAPC.
• the spa area is very generic for a luxury hotel. WAPC or RCBG have really nice spa areas. Also teh spa opens at 9 AM and closes at 8 PM. I might be hard to get in some spa time if you ski bell to bell like me (8:30 am to 4 pm). I do enjoy going to the spa in teh morning but certainly not at the expense of morning magic hour (no crowds on lifts). At RCBG, the spa opens at 8 am so I could get in 30 mins of sauna and steam time before heading to the lift.
• there is nothing aroudn the resort and if you want to go to the Northstart village you will probably ahve to endure a long ride on the gondola. PHBC is right in the center of all action. RCBG is dead as well but has an on demand shuttle. WAPC is equally dead like RC Tahoe.
• you will end up paying for parking as there is really no easy way to get here with public transportation unlike taking an uber to WAPC.
• Northstar is far more crowded than Park City or Beaver Creek. The regular weekend crowds I experienced this weekend were worse than holiday crowds I saw at Beaver Creek.
• As is well known RC does nothing for Platinum members. This applies not just to this property but RCBG as well. At PHBC, you get a $80 breakfast credit. At WAPC, it's a $30 breakfast credit and waived resort/parking fees.
• Park City and Beaver Creek usually have much better snow than North star as well. The ski lessons are cheaper at Beaver Creek than North Star.

I have heard great things about St. Regis Deer Valley as well. My recommendation for people who like to ski is to avoid this hotel if you can and go to other luxury hotels. I plan on going to WAPC and PHBC in future. They atleast have some elite recognition and waive resort fees for points stays.

But then again this is in Tahoe and if you live in California, this is one of the only ski in ski out property available on points. The Marriott vacation club properties in South Lake require a long gondola ride and then a bit of walking to get to the lifts. Hyatt in Incline village is near Diamond Peak ski area but you will have to take a shuttle there.

The only thing this hotel has got going for it is that is one of the few luxury ski in ski out properties in Tahoe. If you are NOT able to go to Utah or Colorado, then choose this property. Otherwise skip.

Also, another thing to add is if you have little kids (< 6 yo), there is not much to keep them entertained in this hotel other than skiing. There is no play area (unlike the Marriott Timber Lodge). There is a game room that is more for older kids. They charge you for tokens here while the game room tokens were free at RCBG. Because access to the village is so difficult, I'm not sure if I can recommend this for families with kids who are not in ski school. I took my daughter skiing and that was the only entertainment she got here.

Don't disagree with the hotel review but I think you are a tad bit harsh on Northstar. To be fair this was a very busy weekend due to several factors - good weather and road conditions (which was not the case earlier in the month) and spectacular snow conditions, which we did not see last season. There is a lot of pent up demand and many people buy the season passes now lowering their marginal cost for another day. So Saturdays will be busy this year. I know we have grade inflation in Tahoe compared to Aspen/Vail, particularly on some black runs which might be harder blues in Colorado or Utah. But Northstar has many advanced runs, particularly on lookout mountain and a few down the backside. I know a lot of expert skiers who have season passes, so it isn't just fun for low intermediates and plenty of variety to explore over a long weekend. That being said if you are a really good skier it is hard to top Squaw on a sunny powder day, but those are not easy to predict when booking in advance. Northstar is known as a family resort and obviously not nearly the size of Vail/Beaver Creek, or Aspen/Snowmass, or Park City/Deer Valley.

As for kids there is an ice skating rink in the village as well as smores at the end of the day but yes, don't come to northstar if your kids don't plan to ski. There is a daycare near the golf course for very young children but it costs almost as much as lessons.

I'd actually say that Kirkwood is probably the best location in Tahoe on a sunny powder day, but is a little bit out of the way from Northstar. That being said, if you have an Epic pass, you have three mountains (Kirkwood, Northstar, and Heavenly) you can reach from the RC. Agree that Northstar is an excellent basecamp for families visiting North Shore. I grew up skiing there and jump at any opportunity to go back. That being said, I'd rather stay at the Hyatt Incline, Welk/Hyatt Timeshares at Northstar, or an Incline, Dollar Point, or Carnelian Bay VRBO than the RC at Northstar. The slopeside location is great, but the rooms/service are just average for what you pay per night.

Kirkwood is a far better mountain than Northstar / Heavenly, not only as terrain is more varied / challenging but also less crowded. FYI If you plan on staying at RC Northstar or HR Incline to commute to Kirkwood, I suggest just saving a ton of points and staying at Hyatt Place Reno (same drive time, way more options for food/entertainment), or just spend some dollar and stay on-hill to save the drive. We stay less and less at HR Incline as the points/benefit ratio just keeps on dropping. I'd rather get 3x the nights @ HP Reno and then ski Mt Rose / Sugar Bowl / Kirkwood 3x as often.

Thanks for the feedback on RC Northstar - won't be visiting if the only benefit is ski in ski out.

Up to this year our "go to" hotel is the Hyatt Incline - the only downside is that it's a good 30m drive to Northstar (farther to Squaw) but not a big deal unless there is a blizzard. For those who have Hilton Points there is also a very basic Hampton near the Northstar entrance. However this year we have Mountain Collective passes so we will likely stay at Squaw Creek Resort which also has ski in/out and a dedicated lift, as well as a shuttle to the base village. As I noted above the RC is way overpriced.
For those who like Heavenly (which was my "go to" resort in college) there are many convenient options in S. Lake Tahoe/Stateline area - no reason to stay in north shore area unless you are here for a week and want to check it out for a day.

I don't disagree with anything you are saying. I really enjoyed the terrain at Northstar. They have fast lifts available for beginners as well (Arrow and Vista), which is awesome. The gentle progressions in difficulty is fantastic. Better than Park City or Beaver Creek. But the resort itself is not as great as the others you mentioned. Northstar is pretending to be in the same league as Deer Valley/Beaver Creek based on the lift ticket prices and hotel brands (Ritz Carlton). It simply doesn't deliver the same experience as Beaver Creek. I think right now it is more like Keystone Colorado. Keystone caters to families and it is better than Northstar for small kids. It more activities for kids like their Kidtopia. My daughter (3.5) doesn't have the energy to ski all day. So we need other activities to keep her entertained. The RC Tahoe location was not conducive to that.

So if someone is going for a 2-3 day trip to Tahoe, RC Tahoe is appropriate. But if they are going for a week, I recommend putting in the travel time to go Utah or Colorado. It really pays off. Tahoe snow follows a feast of famine pattern. Colorado/Utah have more frequent small dumps. It's hard to win in Tahoe. If there are no weekend crowds, that's because the snow is no good. If the snow is good, you will battle the crowds on slope and delays on the highways (weather as well as human).

good points. We are turning this thread into where to stay in Tahoe for skiing thread :).

Mt Rose looks like an awesome option. Hard to do for a weekend from Bay area but doable for a 3 day weekend.

I was planning on staying at RC Tahoe (Northstar) in December. A couple of issues that I'm hoping to get some advice on...

The hotel requires a 60 day cancellation notice. Given that weather can be unpredictable during the winter, I find it ridiculous to commit 60 days out. Thoughts on this?

My 3.5 year old wants to play in the snow/hill. It seems Northstar has some hills, but I'm not sure how much enjoyment we'll get out of this.

The outdoor skating rink looks fun as well.

I prefer not to drive, since I don't have a 4 wheel drive vehicle.

Thanks in advance...

Yes 60 day cancel is becoming the norm at many upscale properties (see eg Vail, Aspen). Ridiculous but not much you can do except book elsewhere.

The skating rink is fun and hopefully not too crowded. mid-day will be better for 3 year old. S/he can definitely play in the snow by the hotel (assuming there is snow). Or you can dump at the ski school or childcare facility near the northstar golf course if you want a day of skiing. Personally I recommend the school as it is not much more $$ and good to start your kids early. RC may also have a kids program

Next Thursday night, 2/13, the night before Valentine's Day is available for $149/night for anyone looking for a last minute getaway...

Rate just disappeared for me.. someone got it.

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Now $349, which is still decent for ski season. But don't count on extending your stay - pretty much sold out until Monday night @$499.