Great Western Lodging

Just returned from a week of family vacation time in Breckenridge, CO. Rented two luxury condominium units at Waterhouse. The three bedroom unit was managed by Great Western.
First I will give them credit for quick response in fixing the three maintenance issues we had.
The big disappointment in dealing with this company, is that there was no human to answer questions about the property or the area, and no explanation of the available ‘amenities’ that were prominently advertised. The family members whose unit was managed by Summit, had better luck.
The last straw was on the final day of skiing. We were very tired and slightly injured after our last run and took the Gondola down with plans to call the private shuttle to get back to Waterhouse. Finally, got in touch with the online CHAT personage, who told us that only the Village Shuttle was available for our use. At that time, I also asked why I could never find the concierge, ski valet, 24 hr desk, lobby, bar/​lounge, fitness center, heated pool, or mini theater??? The reply was that those amenities weren’t available at Waterhouse, but at Main St Station.
So, in short their advertising of Waterhouse was very misleading. All that is available there is access to the underground parking garage, storage lockers, and one shared hot tub. Otherwise it’s just a hotel with no service and no lobby.
The mini theater is in the Hyatt property, which you can pass thru to get to Main St. To access the ski shop you need to go thru the lobby of the Marriott, where they do have a water dispenser, and then down their elevator. I suppose the other amenities are available at Main St Station, although I never searched that far, since I thought it was a separate property.
Western only concluded that the booklet provided should have given us all the information we needed about the Village???
So Waterhouse is very convenient to the Peak 9 base, and to Main St, but the amenities listed refer to the whole complex of properties in that area, not specifically to that property. And Great Western is not a friendly host.

The Good —
Prime Location — The condo was nicely situated at the base of peak 9, five minutes from the first lift and five minutes from downtown Breck. If you don’t have a car, there are plenty of restaurants within walking distance and even the Breckenridge Brewery.
Beautiful Condo — The condo was beautiful and very nicely taken care of. The condo includes a kids bedroom, master bedroom, den, living room, kitchen and three full bathrooms. The condo was advertised to sleep 8 comfortably and definitely delivered on that front. Everyone had a bed between the two pull out couches, the master bedroom and the kids bedroom. There was plenty of bedding to go around and even humidifiers. The kitchen was equipped with cooking pots/​pans, plates, cups ect. which made cooking meals very easy and made the trip much more economical. Also Free wifi!
The Bad — We paid $ 400 for a damage deposit and only received $ 200 back.
Upon arrival, the host informed us to be careful in the room because the previous group had trashed the place and didn’t get any of their refund back.
My group of friends and I did not trash the place — by the time we got back each day from the slopes, we were mostly interested in sleeping. In fact, the morning we left, we took great pains to clean the condo to ensure we would get our full refund back. We cleaned and put away all dishes in the kitchen, wiped down all the counters, swept the kitchen floor, moved all the used bedding to the laundry room, ect. You can imagine our surprise and outrage when we were informed that a burnt couch cushion had been found and we would be charged for the damage. From the photo provided (no time stamp), the damage was glaringly obvious and not easy to overlook. The couch cushion in question was located in the den on the pullout couch. The person sleeping on the pull out had to make and unmake his bed everyday. He swears up and down that he always placed the couch cushions behind the couch and away from the fire, and on the last day when he stowed the pull out couch for the final time, he said he did not see any damage. We weren’t informed that the cushion had been damaged until a week and a half after we had left and they could not provide a time stamped photo or any conclusive proof that they cushion had been burnt during our visit.
It came down to our word v. theirs and they already had our money. Despite all of our cases, they refused to even consider refunding the money. My theory is that they ran out of money to replace all the damage from the previous group and are using our deposit to make ends meet. I can’t prove it, of course, but when you take your guests’ money after they’ve flown away without giving them a real chance to get it back, you make a pretty shady impression.
When this final verdict was made I felt so wronged. GET A LAWYER! I wanted to scream… but it comes down to economics. $ ²⁰⁰⁄₇ = 28.50 per person and a lawyer would be much more.
The reason I’m posting this is more of a cautionary tale. Upon arrival at the condo, document everything. Make sure the pictures are time stamped. When you leave do the same thing.
Overall, the experience was still wonderful and I would even stay in the Powderhorn condos again. Just be extra cautious.

We just got home today after staying at One Breckenridge Place Unit #2.
We TOTALLY lucked into this place, only a 5-​minute walk to the base of Peak 9!
They offered a Groupon last month, and I’m so glad I snagged it! Contrary to the review posted in 2011, Great Western Lodging was very up front that taxes and cleaning fees would be an additional cost.
We arrived LATE on Saturday night, and the directions for late check-​in were spot-​on. They even left the lights on for us!
This condo was stunning from the moment we walked in. Though the two bedrooms and bathrooms downstairs are a little cramped, everything was very clean, and we had PLENTY of sleeping space for all seven of us, and an attached garage, to boot! The kitchen/​living area is very homey, with a gas fireplace, plenty of seating, and a private hot tub just outside the back door, with a beautiful view of Main Street. We managed to get three kids and three adults in it, but didn’t want to risk over-​flowing it with the fourth adult. They also offer a heated pool, but we never actually got around to using it.
Great Western Lodging knows Customer Service! Offering extra towels, answering lots of questions, and a follow-​up email to make sure we were enjoying our stay. We’ll definitely call them when we head back to Breck!

My family has booked numerous trips with Great Western Lodging over the years, including an extended weekend trip just last month. Staff we’ve dealt with has always been top notch and courteous. We’ve stayed in many different units — typically near Main St in the summer months and in one of the ski-​in/​ski-​out condos in the winter — and have found each of them exactly as described/​pictured on the website.
I highly recommend Great Western Lodging and hope to use them many more times in the future (because that would mean returning to Breck)!

Well… I have to agree with the first gentleman. I booked a condo with Great Western Lodging… a huge mistake. First, as mentioned in the review before, I received a confirmation after payment stating that I had to pay yet an additional «cleaning fee.» There was no notice of this fee as I made the reservation online and paid with a credit card. When contacting Sondra at Great Western, she merely pushed it off as Breckenridge Central Reservation’s problem and would do nothing for me. I couldn’t even cancel the reservation. Keep in mind that other units on the
website include their cleaning fees at checkout in the fees/​taxes section… not Great Western. So, before I even entered the door, I’m forced to pay an addional 35% over what I thought was my final price.
Next…and this is simply pure greed, in my opinion. My family and I live in metro Denver, about an hour and a half from Breck. We try to visit Breck often. We booked the condo on Monday, June 11^th for that coming weekend. Unfortunately, my father in law had a tragic accident on Wednesday night falling down a flight of stairs. Again, I contacted Sondra at Great Western to explain our horrific situation… there was absolutely no way that my family would be able to make it to Breckenridge that weekend. I didn’t even ask to cancel the reservation… I merely asked for some help regarding our situation. I explained that I was willing to wait for a last minute availability, checking on a Thursday to see if the same unit was available for Friday and Saturday. Heck, I was willing to wait until September when there is little or no demand. Anything! My pleas fell upon deaf ears as I was simply asked: «were you offered travel insurance when you booked the condo?» I understand that they are trying to run a business, but this is absolutely ridiculous. I can see paying an additional 10% premium to insure travel several months out if I was coming in from out of state. Long story short, regardless of our unfortunate situation, I was told that there was nothing they could do for me because I didn’t purchase travel insurance… even if the death of my father in law prevented my family from going up to Breckenridge that weekend.
Wow…I’m still floored. I basically made a $ 300 donation to Great Western Lodging. And yes, they are right in rejecting my pleas to work something out… I did not pay additonal for the travel insurance. Rack this one up as a learning experience… greed overcomes good business. At least I saved $ 100 for not having to pay the «cleaning fee.»

While the condo rental was OK, the fraud by Great Western Lodging and the Breckenridge Central Reservations soured this part of the trip. After they charged my credit card, then they buried a notice of an additional «cleaning fee» in the confirmation email. I specifically avoided units that clearly stated «cleaning fees» because we shouldn’t be charged extra for a normal part of the purchase. These guys screw you by hiding it and demanding payment after you arrive. It’s probably illegal, but Breckenridge is in on the scam with them. Don’t support them. Avoid Great Western Lodging.