We stayed at Margaritaville South Lake Tahoe through the Amex Hotel Collection and were really disappointed with our stay.
On paper, the hotel looks like a good value because you get a suite at a reasonable base rate. In practice, that rate is just the entry point. Once you’re on the property, everything feels designed to extract more money from you, and not in a way that’s paired with good service or a premium experience. Signs with a QR code requesting tips sit throughout the property but end up feeling like a reminder of the suboptimal service.
The biggest issue was service, which was consistently poor. Valet is mandatory and extremely slow. They do not let you call ahead from your room, so we regularly waited 15 to 20 minutes for our car, and on one occasion ended up in an argument with the valet staff over delays and confusion. We were originally told online that valet would be around $40 per night, and then it showed up as $60 per night on the bill with no explanation.
Housekeeping was minimal to the point of feeling neglectful. They made the bed and that was it. Trash was left, used cups were left, and nothing was actually cleaned or reset in the room. For a hotel positioning itself as a 4 star resort, this was surprisingly bad.
The breakfast buffet is not worth it. It is about $20 per person and is honestly worse than many complimentary hotel breakfasts. The food quality was poor and selection was basic. You are much better off going to a local restaurant or a grab-and-go spot and paying the same price.
What made this especially frustrating is that the hotel pressures you into using their services, valet, dining, and on-property amenities, but then those services are understaffed, slow, or low quality. You don’t feel like a guest. You feel like a revenue source. We are normally fine paying for all of these amenities when we've stayed at true luxury resorts and received incredible service. But here, it just felt transactional and unwelcoming.
We booked partly because of the Amex statement credit, but in hindsight, the extra fees and poor experience more than wiped out the benefit. We would not have stayed here if we had known what the actual experience would be like.
The location is good and the rooms are decent, but the overall experience is not worth the price or the hassle. We would not stay here again and would not recommend it unless you don't mind excessive extra fees coupled with poor service.
