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    Hotel Ruby Sandpoint | Ponderay

    3.0 (53 reviews)
    Open Open 24 hours

    Services - Hotel Ruby Sandpoint | Ponderay

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    Hotel Ruby Sandpoint | Ponderay Photos

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    The passive aggressive letter the manager had her staff leave instead of resolving the issues with our stay.
    Gabby C.

    I want to add to anyone planning on staying here. Comb through the reviews and see for yourself that this hotel will over charge guests. Everyone in my party was charged a security deposit and never was issued a refund (I have video proof that no damages were done to their property during our stay. Which would be hard to do anyways since we were only there at night to sleep.) If you don't want to take my word for it here's a screenshot showing how they double charged me the first night then we had to ask for the refund the next morning (some of us were charged multiple times and our bank stopped the charges because it was flagged as fraud.) Then you can also see the security deposit that was never refunded to me. It's been six business days. They told me upon checking out that it was already refunded to me and that it would take 3-5 business days for "my bank" to release the charges to me. It was never released because they never refunded me it. We all have had to file a dispute of charge with our bank because according to the front desk girl "there's nothing they can do about it."

    Jann M.

    We stayed in the Back to the 50s Suite for 2 nights. I'm a huge Elvis lover and having a hot tub in your room is pretty fantastic. The decor of the room is a bit kitchy but just added to the fun. Patrick the Hotel Manager was amazing. So accommodating and even gave us a better price once we arrived. When we had to check out 2 days early he was more than understanding A free Continental Breakfast was included but it was so frustrating trying to eat it almost wasn't worth it. It was supposed to be available at 6am until 9 am. Each day they set up was about a half hour late and the young man who I think was supposed to get it out on time had no sense of urgency at all. Then if you got there by 8am it was done. In other words the times meant nothing. I tried to cook a waffle and pancakes in this pre set up arrangement. They took forever and when the timer dinged they were so hard they would have made great rocks. The next day I stopped them early and they were like runny half cooked cake. I asked if they could adjust them to work correctly and they just said no this is how they work The breakfast staff needs to have some training from Patrick on how to treat customers I know many Yelpers have had this same experience so I'm at a loss as to why they don't fix it The website also made it seem like it was close to the lake. It isn't and traffic around it is crazy. They built up too fast and didn't have roads to match the growth If I could clone Patrick I might stay here again but until that's possible I will probably look elsewhere

    Sheree S.

    My mom booked this room before we checked Yelp. I will say that our room is better than most of the pictures posted by others; however, you can tell it was a remodel done on the CHEAP. Very simple things in the rooms were left as they originally were (probably 50 years ago). For example, there is wall-mounted sink in the bathroom - NO COUNTER AT ALL. There's also no mirror in the rest of the room which means there is nowhere to do your hair/makeup easily. The bathroom has linoleum that you can tell is much older than their remodel. There's also one of those old-school twist timers in the bathroom that I haven't seen since my grandmother's house that was built in the 50s. Some of the electrical has been run inside the walls (like what would be expected) while other wiring is run on the outside of the walls under covers. The room appears to be pretty clean, but it has the smell of sawdust when you walk in and the air blowing from the heater smelled like a blow-dryer with burning hair caught in it. The bed was decently comfortable - a step up from most Motel 6's I've stayed at; however, be prepared to wake up several times throughout the night because you can hear EVERYTHING in the rooms next to you, above you, and in the hallway. It's a VERY LOUD hotel with little or no insulation between rooms/floors. With regard to the staff, our main interaction was with the young man at the front desk. I'm really not sure if he was trying to joke around with us or if he thought we were morons and was being condescending. For example, when he told my mom that they were going to charge a security deposit to her credit card and she said she'd never had a hotel do that before, his response was, "well, then you need to stay at more hotels." And when she questioned why we were put in a king room rather than two queens, he said, "You booked it..." Each of these was followed by a pause and then a little laugh - so I really couldn't tell if they were just bad jokes that weren't landing or if he was actually being purposefully rude. I will say there was cleaning lady tin the hallway when we arrived and departed. She was very friendly and wished us a safe drive home. Overall, our room is better than some of the other reviewer's rooms and is decent enough that we didn't leave or demand a refund, but I'd book elsewhere in the future.

    Our view out fithly window.
    Judy W.

    Our room was a dump The room I was put in was a dirty dump. Walked in and was instantly put off. Room stunk, the window sill was disgusting, bathtub had private part hairs in it. I called to office and was told place was full. I was on the phone to another hotel and placed a hold on another room elsewhere. Heck to the no was I going to stay in that room.  After going to lobby and insisting on my money back, another room magically was available. I inspected with one of their employees. Room was cleaner but what a serious pain. The room they put me in first should be condemned.

    Lobby

    Killed the day when mountain had rain. Friendly staff, a few games to use, pool, hot tub, very clean

    Jacuzzi in Pend Oreille Suite.

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    This is a great hotel with a European accent. The hotel is an unknown gem!

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    Outstanding, friendly service. Clean rooms, great location!! Close to everything. This is the best place to stay in the area.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Hotel Ruby Sandpoint | Ponderay

    Review Highlights - Hotel Ruby Sandpoint | Ponderay

    It has a pool with 2 hot tubs, an awesome outdoor seating area with the fire pits along with a small dog park.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Best Western Plus Ponderay Mountain Lodge - Exterior

    Best Western Plus Ponderay Mountain Lodge

    (21 reviews)

    $$

    WARNING: Hotel is NOT pet friendly. Both Priceline and the best western website had pets listed,…read morebut the website had a separate, tucked-away link, that stated that the hotel should be called directly about pets. No mention of this anywhere else on Priceline or the website itself. Clearly trying to get away with the legal minimum for informing customers I was informed at the desk that my cat was not allowed, despite being cleaner and quieter than most dogs or children. The gentleman at the front desk actually had the gall to suggest I leave my cat in the car. Which would have been for 2 days In the summer. With no food water or litter. If I wasn't so stunned I would have chewed out his stupidity. I was placed in a room right by an exit door and assumed the staff was giving me a wink wink to bring my cat in, that they had to follow policy but were trying to help. Except they called me a half hour later saying they watched me on camera with my carrier and I would be charged 300 dollars if I was "caught" with a cat in the room. Really? Watching me check in on camera? They could have just charged me if there were damages but they went that far? I had to ask a family member to call in a favor to have my cat taken care of. But what if I couldn't? What if I couldn't afford to cancel the room without a refund and go to another hotel? Or risk the 300 dollar fee? What if there was nowhere to board my cat because local vet clinics were closed by the time I checked in? The whole thing was badly implemented and executed The website has a picture of a paw on the amenities for pet friendly but hides that it is DOG friendly which is not the same. The whole process was shady and shameful. 2 stars because the room was mediocre, but fine, the breakfast buffet was good and the view was great. But the whole situation was a complete mess and there was no effort by hotel staff to address it.

    We stayed here January of 2024 for a 4 day little trip. We loved it and definitely would recommend…read more Felt so cozy and the staff were super friendly! Pros: -bed is comfortable -hot tub and pool are nice -good parking -friendly staff -great breakfast selection and lots of eating space -has complimentary lemon infused water daily and cookie of the day to grab. -has gift shop with some souvenirs and snacks and drinks -has ice machine and vending machine on 2nd floor -has key card access to pool -has gym -beautiful lobby with a giant gorgeous Christmas tree, some seating and couches, and a nice big fireplace. -sells little soaps at the front desk in support of small businesses -hot tub has timer on it you can set manually -you can ask for housekeeping service -great selection of espresso drinks at breakfast Cons: -stain on ceiling -piece of hair in shower -heats on high in whole hotel -pillows are small, had to ask for a couple but they are comfortable -microwave was hard to understand -built in bathroom fan isn't the best and bathroom fogs up and everything has moisture everywhere

    Talus Rock Retreat

    Talus Rock Retreat

    (35 reviews)

    I had never been to Sandpoint before and we wanted to have a quick get away to celebrate our…read morebirthdays. I wanted a unique experience a corporate hotel could not provide. Talus was eclectic, artistic and it felt like we were a guest in somebody's amazing house. It was a midweek stay. Maybe there was another couple there. We had the house to ourselves. That night we saw deer grazing out back and it snowed overnight. We woke up to a beautiful scene which included a few people ice skating on the frozen pond. We were in the Kipling suite which had a jet tub big enough for two people to swim is. It had a mini fridge, microwave, small coffee maker with coffee. A definite off the norm place to relax. On a side note, had an over the top dinner at 113 Main.

    Hi Heather, Thank…read moreyou for taking the time to respond and engage with the feedback--it's clear you care deeply about the property. We hope that on a future visit, you might experience TRR from the perspective of a first-time guest--someone arriving with the hope of finding a peaceful retreat, but instead feeling somewhat like they've unexpectedly stepped into someone else's private space. While you see meaningful memories and personal touches, guests may interpret these items, photos, and instructions differently. The feeling of intrusion was heightened when the resident innkeeper prepared their own family's meal in the middle of the great room, making the shared space feel less like a guest retreat and more like someone else's home with lingering odors. There's so much to love about the property--the architecture and setting are truly stunning. With a bit of refreshing (particularly in terms of dusting all the bric-a-brac) and a shift in focus back toward creating a getaway experience, TRR could easily return to the high ratings it once enjoyed--as a place where guests can relax, reset, and grow.

    Best Western Plus Kootenai River Inn Casino & Spa - Exterior

    Best Western Plus Kootenai River Inn Casino & Spa

    (34 reviews)

    $$$

    Nothing but high marks here! Staff was super friendly and accomodating. For an older hotel it has…read morebeen updated nicely. The rooms are spacious with warm cozy lighting, a comfortable bed and your own private balcony with a Bistro set overlooking the water! There was a heron on a log looking for fish which kept us entertained. Excellent food in the restaurant too. We're not much for gambling but the drinks in the casino were super cheap! You can walk to the older downtown core using the tunnel under the hwy which is super convenient. Cute little shops and restaurants great you on the other side. Great little getaway!

    Absolutely fantastic hotel for the tiny little town of Bonners Ferry, ID. Even though there is a…read morecasino in this hotel, the room and the public dining areas were quiet and pleasant. The front desk staff was easy to reach by phone when making reservation. We even had to call to change it because of my illness, and they made it easy-peasy. Then we needed to check-out a few days early, and that was no issues either, and no penalty. The price of the rooms were reasonable, even with the riverside view that we had. The view is stunning, with the river and the mountains. The room itself was impeccably clean and impressive. Very up to date. Each room has a small patio with a very nice table and chairs in which to sip on a beverage and chill. They have a lovely dining room with floor to ceiling windows in which to enjoy two selections for for the full-service breakfast. You also have a choice of $3 off any additional dish on the breakfast menu. We also dined outside on the patio along the river for dinner one evening with our family, who lives in the area there. The service with both our breakfast and dinner meals was excellent. Food was very good too. There is a bar on-premise in the restaurant with a nice selection of cocktails, beer and wine. The lobby of the hotel has a large rustic fireplace with a very comfortable and beautiful seating area in which to relax if you choose. There is an underpass from the parking lot to the cute historic downtown area that we took advantage of for shopping, browsing, strolling and drinks. The hotel also has a full-service spa which I wasn't aware of until we got there. I WISH I had had the time to take advantage of some pampering! We did NOT come to gamble or use the casino services, but we did stroll through the casino game rooms just to check them out. There is one room dedicated to smokers, which was very smoky and cramped. The other rooms are pretty tight with machines also. But I supposed it's par for the course. In summary, I'd travel back here just to stay at the hotel. A Fall visit would be a feast to the eyes. Don't expect much from the small downtown area, but there are a few fun places to check out. I'd recommend more time hiking the stunning trails in the nearby mountains, or checking out the local farms for homegoods. Sandpoint is only half an hour south of town if you're wanting more shopping and social options. Honestly just a relaxing weekend at this LOVELY hotel is a treat. You won't be disappointed!

    Hotel Ruby Sandpoint | Ponderay - hotels - Updated May 2026

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