Stayed at this place during a weekend of sled dog races. We had 2 pet dogs in our room with us, and happily paid a reasonable $10/dog/night pet charge for a total of $40.
Then they asked for a credit card for a pet deposit. I was confused, as I already paid them to have my 2 dogs inside. They said they needed to hold an extra $200- just hold, they reassured me- and would release the funds back to me when I checked out and they could send someone to look for pet damages in the room.
I cautiously complied, although this seemed like overkill. They told me not to worry, they could send someone to check our room right as we checked out so it was only to be safe in case they needed to do carpets or repairs.
When we went to check out, I was informed that they would be keeping an extra $50 from that hold because the room probably smelled.
What? That $200 was a HOLD for PET DAMAGES. Not for ASSUMED issues.
I informed the front desk person that no housekeeper had been in our room, so how could they say I owe them more for something they are only guessing at? The girl said, "Weren't you in 3__?"
No, I said. I was in room 2__, on an entirely different floor.
"Oh," she replied, "Well my manager just told me to charge the pet rooms $50 and only give them back $150 for cleaning the smells."
Initially I was told the room would be checked over when I was ready to leave, after which they would release the $200 hold, so I reminded her of this and requested that she, a manager, or a housekeeper accompany me to my room to do this check so they could see that there were NO DAMAGES, or to account for any damages they might find, and she refused.
She flat-out refused to check herself or call anybody. She was just there to take my money.
This is the service you will receive if you stay here, which I do not recommend.
I stripped my room of the housekeeper's tip (sorry, housekeeper, but if I'm being shaken down by your business, I am not voluntarily leaving you more- they should have $50 for you at the front desk) and took down the 1-800 phone number so that I could talk to someone more reasonable once I got back into the US.
I have called them since, and they informed me that my room was "messy" and they "had to clean everything" and the "bathroom had a blood splatter" on the tile floor and it smelled. I explained that it is very easy to randomly list off some flaws or issues now, but the fact is, they refused to look for any of these so-called damages when I was there (like they were supposed to) making it very easy for them to be making things up now. And with the sketchy treatment I've already received by them, I do not believe any of these damages even existed- except for the occasional piece of straw dragged in from our boots. The entire parking lot outside the rooms was being used as sled dog grounds, and it was impossible to avoid having some straw fragments from their bedding on your clothing if you even so much as petted one. So, yes, I am sure they had to vacuum up some straw. They should probably vacuum the rooms out after every guest anyway, though. And still, NONE OF THIS WAS DUE TO PET DAMAGE.
However, they keep repeating themselves that it smelled and they had to clean it (honestly, I hope they clean it more often than apparently they must for the fit they were throwing over it).
So, I have opened a dispute with my credit card company and am waiting to hear back from them.
Avoid this hole like the plague! I will never recommend that anyone waste their money here. Awful experience all around.