Ski town hospitality never steers you wrong
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The downtown core of Whitefish is full of Montana charm and under the watchful eye of Whitefish Mountain Resort. |
DOC POW
WHITEFISH, MONT. — There is a cliché in the travel business, in that it's the people who make the place. This sentiment couldn’t ring any clearer than in Whitefish, Montana.
For those of us who come from out of town to get some turns in at Whitefish Mountain Resort, you’ll see it, smell it, and experience first class hospitality and genuine care everywhere you turn.
Normally, at two in the morning you’d think twice about pulling over on the side of the road to ask a stranger for directions. But after the seven or so hour drive from Edmonton, my buddies and I were looking for a beer store that might help us take the edge off.
Whitefish hospitality
“No worries,” said our new friend strolling down the sidewalk. “What time is it?” It was 2:04 am. “Everything gets locked down right at two, but I have a couple of beers at my place right around the corner. You’re welcome to have those,” he said. We didn’t want to take him for his last beers so we declined the offer and headed to our hotel, but not before we received a genuine, “I hope you guys have a great time in Whitefish,” from our new bud.
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No need to put a key in the ignition during the stay – shuttles are your call. |
The top notch hospitality certainly was evident during our stay at the Grouse Mountain Lodge. The Lodge features all the amenities you’re looking for: Wi-Fi, pool, outdoor hot tubs, killer on-site restaurant and bar, but then there are the added elements that take things that much further.
The Grouse is located just outside of the downtown core and makes it easy to move about town and up to the ski hill with its complimentary shuttle service. Being in town for the Whitefish Winter Carnival, we had an action packed itinerary. The hotel staff took such great care of us that we even didn’t need to put the key in the ignition once. Any time we walked up to the front desk, if they didn’t have one running, there was a special trip made.
Canadian comforts
“We recently put in an NHL package to ensure our guests enjoyed their stay even more,” said Alicia Thompson, the Grouse Mountain’s Marketing Director. “We had to switch cable providers and secure some bigger screen TV’s for here in the bar, as we wanted to ensure that when the Canadians come down and stay with us they can get their hockey in. It keeps après that much more interesting, watching the game instead of the Weather Channel.”
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Everything is pretty spacious at the Grouse, a perfect spot to kick back. |
“The team here is extremely recreation-focused and they know the town so well that they can size up the guest right away and are able to recommend things based on their character,” said the Grouse’s GM Karen Baker. We took her up on that note and had their front desk manager Eric Schmidt make the call on the Saturday night stops.
His direction to get in on the action at the Craggy Range Bar & Grill did not steer us wrong. The band that was on stage, More Than Lights (similar to The Black Eyed Peas), had us rocking and the energy in the room was over the top.
Gotta love that Montana hospitality. With it, life can get pretty easy.
For more on the Grouse and its options, surf over to www.grousemountainlodge.com.
Read about the WhiteFish Winter Carnival