Spa at Equinox, Manchester

Everyone was so kind !!! I had the most amazing Facial with Sharon!! She was engaging and so friendly! She really knew how to massage too!! The Vermont glow had me glowing all day :) much needed for the long summer months! This place is truly a Gem!

My husband & I each had a facial treatment, a gift from our children while vacationing in Vermont this past week. I had a 2 pm appt. He @ 3 pm. After my facial with Sharon (who was wonderful) I thought I would wait by the fireplace, read a book til my husband was done... WELL THAT DID NOT HAPPEN!!! When I saw the fireplace wasn't, I walked to the front desk and I was advised they were waiting for maintenance! We were there 2 hrs plus and not sign of maintenance. I thought ok I will go to the sauna and relax. SAUNA NOT WORKING!! When someone pays top dollar for a treatment which includes these amenities EVERYTHING SB WORKING! Upon leaving I complained about the sauna and was told that I had to hit the reset button underneath??? Well guess what? my husband told me he was told the same thing & he hit the reset in the men's sauna and that wasn't working as well!!!! WE WILL NEVER GO BACK THERE EVER--so much for their ambiance!

Due to unforeseen circumstances, my husband and I needed a room in Manchester this past Sunday evening. We are somewhat familiar with The Equinox so decided to stay there. Website said to book directly through the hotel for the best rate. Arrived there and asked for their lowest rate which was not very low but took it. About an hour later saw on line a rate for their basic room,which we had, for over $100 less. Asked for a price match but they would not comply. Strike one! The weather was terrible that evening, high winds and snow, so we decided to eat in the hotel. Went to their pub. Very poor service, if any, bad menu. Hardly any choices and food was very skimpy and overpriced. Wine was ridiculous! We also checked the full service menu which was pretty much the same with a few very high priced entrees. They seem to feature a ton of salads for some reason. Ordered just to eat something and got out of there. Returned to our room where the wind blew through the window frames onto our bed and made the blinds chatter all night. Also there was a popping sound that went off about every hour and a sporadic banging of the heating unit. Not a restful night! Checked out and bill was even wrong but got it corrected. Just had to vent. The website does not accurately reflect this place. They think they are a five star resort with only three star service. I have stayed in many high end hotels and this place does not measure up. With all of the lodging options in Manchester, I would scratch this one off my list!

When we arrived a spa appointment had never been reserved but had been made. So I can't review the spa. I did not have the experience. However, there was only one restaurant open with limited menu and hours. We had a large group two and a half day meeting and the only bar in the entire complex that was open was open from 3:00 p.m. until 9:00. This was very inconvenient and made for very early nights. Not able to gather and socialize with our group. The night people arrived they could not find food anywhere. None of the restaurants were opened that we're serving anything. People were traveling so weren't able to get in until a bit later. Although the equinox property is very pretty, they lack greatly and having open services for people while staying for meetings. This is the second year our group scheduled a meeting there and they're talking about doing it again. I will most definitely discourage that decision.

The staff at The Marsh / Chop House restaurant need to be better trained at customer greeting and service. Hostess had no eye contact and had a cold and gruff attitude while showing us to our table. The waitress was even worse when we asked to be seated at a different table. Lunch was $60 for one turkey sandwich and one Caesar salad - My wife and I split both - with one glass of Moscato and one Vodka tonic. The hotel is very old and is in need of updating. Be ready to do a lot of walking as the parking lot is in the back of the Hotel, probably 200 yards to get to our room. The elevator was also very far from our room location, no need to go hiking, you can get all the work out you need walking in and out and around the Hotel. The room also had no refrigerator or microwave. There was a fair amount of road noise at night as the highway (Route 7) is right in front of the main building - try to get a room toward to rear portion of the hotel. The people at the front desk were okay - friendly enough, room was clean, enough towels. The maintenance staff were nice, always had a friendly greeting. If you're looking for an old colonial environment - this is the place for you. Booked for two nights - only stayed for one. Good luck. We will never stay there again!