Desolation Hotel Hope Valley

Driving back to the Bay Area, the snow storm got worse and an avalanche caused a road closure. I turned into the first hotel that I saw and the Desolation Hotel did not disappoint. They had a single room left and so I took it to wait out the storm. The room/cabin was super cute and already warmed by the heat of a gas fire place (looks like an old wood burning stove which was wonderful). The restaurant has indoor and patio dining and the outdoor patio is covered and heated for winter months. We dined in the enclosed patio space and were super happy with the quality of food and kindness of the staff. They have a sauna available to guests with a reservation and while they said that normally, same day reservations were easy to do, in our situation, they had no availability until the next day a

Feb 2026 This should have been a 5 star. The location is awesome. The room, Doug fir, was very nice. Cute and cozy. The bed was comfortable. The kitchen-dining area is well equipped. The staff was friendly. We dined at the restaurant one night and it was great. We also tried the wood fired sauna. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Here is why it was not a 5 star review. The hotel is listed as a place you can purchase Sno-Park passes. To make sure they actually had passes I emailed the hotel a few weeks before our arrival date. I got no response. Two weeks before arriving I called during business hours, had to leave a message. I got no response. To be on the safe side I ordered the pass from the state. It is a good thing I did. As it turns out they were out. The lack of communication could ha

the room is very cozy. love the fireplace! great for family stay. the snow in this place is very powdery. the hike and sledding with my kids made it super enjoyable. the sauna is such a bonus complimentary and is private so that’s really nice. they have a lot of complementaries i didn’t expect e.g. coffee ground to use on room french press, hot chocolate, smore’s, 2 bottled water. snow shoes, sleds. and the bed was so comfortable including pillows made our sleep so good throughout the night. what an elegant experience. i would definitely be going back!

The hotel is in the middle of kirkwood and heavenly resorts so it’s easy to get to either. It’s a cute community with beautiful decoration and covered by lots of snow. Fireplace in the room gives cozy vibe and keeps the cabin really warm (auto thermo controlled) There’re also outdoor fire pit available for social times. The check in and check out processes were so easy. We loved our stay. ||Cherry on top is that it’s super pet friendly. And they have excellent kitchen and utensils, cooking tools, pans, and even a full set of seasonings!! + real fire stove and an oven. Amazing!!!!!

Had the most amazing time. So quiet and peaceful... and the food at the restaurant was very good. I stayed in the foxtail cabin. The entire staff is very kind and welcoming. I snowboarding one day at Sierra and another day at Kirkwood. The air bnb's in Tahoe either didn't have good reviews, but were affordable, or they were nice, but super expensive. I'm so glad I stayed here instead!