My niece just got married here this past weekend!! Lakewatch Inn handled the officiated ceremony as well as the meal, and all related events! It is a beautiful facility with well decorated and maintained space, both indoors and outdoors. I found Nicole to be very easy, friendly and fun to work with, and both her and her staff did an excellent job!!! We all had a blast and everyone was very happy with the way it went!!! I do not understand some of the other reviews I read here. Noone asked me to write this review. None of the staff was rude to anyone that I know of. I had great friendly conversation with all of them. There was no inappropriately searching of anyone. It wasnt perfect at Lakewatch but it was one of the best weddings I have been to, and i have been to a lot. read more

I went here for an event, and staff were super unwelcoming and rude. Even though event attendees were reminded multiple times before to not bring outside alcohol, they still searched all of us(although no one had any). The method by which they searched us was completing disgusting- groping both the men and women without changing gloves and making every single attendee very very uncomfortable. None of us were informed of this inappropriate method before hand. Owner was consistently hostile and unwelcoming, especially to our unproblematic group. Bartenders were also unwelcoming and SUPER slow & drinks were super subpar. Venue is also not as nice as other Ithaca venues that are known to be much more welcoming. I am horrified that lakewatch inn thinks they can take advantage of young women like this, would absolutely not recommend regardless of your event- they do not deserve your business. edit- a few days after I posted this, they had a "random" influx in 5 star reviews from accounts created minutes before. See attached picture for one that was removed within seconds. Very disappointed to see the owners either posting reviews themselves or making previous patrons post reviews to make themselves look good instead of addressing how they blatantly harassed young women. The words used in the attached review are beyond disgusting. read more

DO NOT HAVE EVENTS HERE Great venue HORRIBLE owner. Nicole might have been the most disrespectful and rude person I have ever encountered. Not only was she sassy and mean to us but she was rude to our guests and I had to apologize to them about how she treated them. Prior to the event I arrived to drop off some items and Nicole didn't even greet me and just started complaining and almost yelling at me. I was shocked but let it go. During the event, she yelled at me in front of our guests and for something I didn't do (and wouldn't have even mattered if I did) and when I even tried to speak she kept yelling over me. She ended up getting heinously drunk and at the end of the night she started yelling at another assistant for maybe 30 minutes about how we "trashed" the venue. It was raining and there were 370 people. The floor was going to get dirty. She also took the assistant's keys as "collateral" for the projector use and after she returned it Nicole stated that she never took the keys. When guests were waiting for their Ubers outside Nicole threatened to call the police if they were still there in 30 minutes. She also closed the door and I still had items inside but I was so scared of her and her verbal abuse that I couldn't go back in. I could go on and on about how awful Nicole was. She purposely bullied the assistants and made multiple scenes. I am still baffled at how a grown woman could be so incredibly rude without reason. Whatever event you are planning - DO NOT HAVE IT HERE read more

The way my organization has been treated by the owner and staff at Lakewatch Inn as been absolutely appalling. My organization had an event there and before we could enter the venue we were met with a pat down to check for any alcohol or drugs. But, it wasn't much of a pat down-- more like a groping. I will spare readers the vivid details, but to convey the gravity of the situation I will say police reports have been filed. In an effort to protect other collegiate organizations from booking this venue in the future, some member left comments explaining the clear and present danger that Lakewatch poses to its costumers. Aside from the blatant sexual assault that took place by Lakewatch Inn staff on Lakewatch Inn property, the harassment by "Lori"--who I posit is the owner or a member of the staff from Lakewatch-- is abhorrent. Below I have attached the vicious and retaliatory comment from "Lori". It has since been removed from this review page because it clearly violated yelp guidelines in several different respects. The Lakewatch Inn owner and staff should be concerned with the fact that DOZENS of young women and men were sexually assaulted on their premises. Instead, they have reverted to creating fake accounts in an effort to not just boost their ratings, but also to silence the victims of an unnecessary (and frankly, illegal) groping that occurred by their staff. Shame on YOU Lakewatch Inn. read more

Do not have a formal or date night here. Sure, the venue itself is nice, but the staff were beyond rude. The security sexually harassed multiple women at the event I was at. Their security was more intense than airports, 5 star nightclubs, sports games, etc. This should not be taken lightly. The bartenders were also very rude. They tried to pressure me into leaving my tab open after taking nearly 30 minutes to serve me. This is unethical behavior. In addition to all this, the owners/staff have the gull to write/tell their friends to write reviews slandering and further harassing Cornell women aka a sizable proportion of their business (EDIT, see picture, it has since been removed!!!) I'm all for supporting local businesses. Do not support this business. They are evil and prey on university students. Many better venues in the area. read more

Absolutely terrible venue. Upon entrance for our event, staff illegally groped men and women without replacing gloves. When confronted about the sexual harassment, the owner was incredibly rude and threatened to shut down the event. The "bartenders" were old women who have clearly never made drinks before as they were absolutely disgusting. The owner actually threatened me when I ordered a drink because I closed out my tab and she said "I better not see you here again tonight." Completely unprofessional behavior from all the staff. The food was cheap and nothing like what we were promised. Do not recommend this venue for any event EVER. Ithaca has so many other promising event venues (Gratitude and Grace, The Dock, etc.) that you should avoid Lakewatch at all costs. read more

This venue sexually harassed every single attendee of an event I was at over the weekend. They told us we were going to be pat down to ensure nobody was bringing alcohol or drugs into the event, but we thought it would be a normal, appropriate pat down of the arms and torso and legs . Instead, everyone was asked to "spread their legs" while someone groped the inside of our thighs and genital areas. Everyone was extremely uncomfortable with this, and the head of our organization tried to raise concern with the owner about this harassment. The owner gave them an ultimatum: have them shut the event down, send over 200 people who just got groped immediately home, and have a discussion about it; or keep the event running and not discuss what happened. I absolutely do not recommend ever holding an event here in order to protect your friends and loved ones. read more

I had my wedding here in 2019 and the entire experience could not have been better, all the way from booking the event, through the planning process and on the actual day. Nicole was so helpful and acted as a sort of planner, helping my wife and I choose and set up decorations, letting us borrow materials they had in storage and was there every step of the way to make our big day unforgettable! The food was INCREDIBLE too and we still have attendees talk about it two years later. The entire staff was so warm and welcoming and all worked so hard to make the entire experience go off without a hitch! They really do go above and beyond and exceeded our expectations in every way. read more

I can't say enough about Lakewatch Inn and more importantly Nicole and her crew. She was extremely accommodating and helped our group stay on budget. Nicole and her staff helped to set up our decorations, AV set up, centerpieces, linens, designed a versatile buffet menu, with minimal stress to our party and planners. She helped us pull together this 100 person formal in a short amount of time. Nicole is the one that deserves the 5 stars! Thank you for having our group and making it such a memorable event. read more

Lakewatch Inn was extremely unprofessional and their security staff were inappropriate and disgusting. I planned an event here which took place about a month ago. The woman we were in contact with to plan it was very unreliable and unresponsive, leaving our messages on delivered for over a day and excusing her unprofessionalism by just complaining about another bride she had coming who was making her do too much work, despite it being her job to help clients. On the night of the event we were met at the door with security "frisks", which we were not informed of, and were more invasive than airport pat-downs. Many of my guests were very uncomfortable and were upset coming into the venue which affected my event. My guests, including myself, were groped extremely inappropriately, touching their breasts and genitalia. The security guard even reached into the undershorts of one of my guests. After the event I wrote an email to Lakewatch explaining the situation and making a complaint with the security, to which they responded by essentially saying that their security is "trained and certified" and since this is their policy for "college events," they would not change their processes. I would strongly recommend you do NOT have your event at Lakewatch Inn- they do not deserve your business. It is frankly unsettling and appalling that this venue would be okay with touching their guests inappropriately, whether they are college students or not. read more

PLEASE DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY HERE. The Lakewatch Inn was nothing but trouble. From the awful food to the unpleasant service to the bugs on the floor! Everything was just so terrible. The manager made the night especially unpleasant with her aggressive attitude and inappropriate comments. Probably the worst service I have ever experienced. The food was extremely low grade dining hall food. I'm not one to complain about food quality while with a group of people but I just could not finish my meal, it made me sick within minutes. There were even bugs on the floor! This is a terrible place for large groups. Took hours just to receive the first course. This worst part about this experience is that they tried to scam us out of $2000! They refuse to present a receipt of all that was ordered to justify the 2000 dollar over charge. It was unbelievable. Please please please do not make the mistake of going here. I promise you will regret it. From one yelper to another, do yourself a favor and avoid the Lakewatch Inn at all costs. Because it will cost you.. read more

The security at this inn was extremely inappropriate in how they searched us. Being told by an adult to "spread your legs" and then being invasively groped was a horrifying and violating experience. read more

This establishment may be the worst in all of Ithaca. Absolutely terrible staff who were rude and unorganized. Staff also touch you inappropriately in the effort to search you. More invasive searches than if you would be getting searched by TSA at the airport. Aside from that, in terms of the food and drinks, you have better luck getting better quality food and drinks from your local liquor store. Bought one drink from the rude staff for about $9. I would give zero stars if it was an option. read more

Went to an event here where multiple girls were groped and touched inappropriately upon entry. Lakewatch inn had the audacity to call them "spoiled drunken sorority pigs" and said they were "slumped over laying in men's crotches", "letting men grope their breasts" and "falling down drunk." The way they responded was incredibly out of pocket, especially when their employees were groping girls upon searching them. Also the bartenders were terrible. Multiple people had to wait for a long time and eventually left the bar area because it was hopeless. In addition when people were paying for their drinks the bartender would get upset and snobbishly ask if they were done drinking for the night because it was so much of a hassle to close the bill and give them a check as opposed to having an open tab. This pressured a number of people into opening a tab including myself. Then when I tried to order again on the tab I gave her my ID since I didn't want to say my name in front of everyone so they could use the tab, but she just gave it back and kept asking for my name. Finally when I went to close the tab and pay she didn't give me a receipt or require a signature. And I had no clue how many drinks were purchased and how much any of the drinks were. Terrible establishment and experience. Would advise everyone to go else where. read more

Horrible staff, horrible place, more than horrible experience. Do not go there or book it for an event. Bartender cursed out a couple that just wanted to close a tab and treated guests disrespectfully through the whole experience. read more

Attended many events here from weddings, retirements, roasts, grad parties you name it. Food has always been great and many different selections at the different events. Food is prepared perfectly and I have been pleased with service. Bar is well stocked and bartenders are attentive. Service has been impeccable at all events. I would say all events are very well run. Keep up the great work. read more

Some of the worst catered food I've ever had. For two years in a row, my employer used the Lakewatch for our Christmas party. It's always been terrible. Last year, there was terribly dried out, flavorless underseasoned chicken, with roasted root vegetables that were undercooked and hard, and a salad that had a lot of browned, wilted, and dying leaves. I would avoid this food at all costs. read more

I have never dealt with such inappropriate staff. They groped not only the people at my event but also at a previous event from my school, inappropriately touching many women. The owner called members of my organization "drunk sorority pigs" for trying to call them out on this behavior. Last year when I came to this venue, I wasn't groped (thankfully) but the owner was just such a hassle to deal with. I would leave 0 stars if it was possible. This was probably one of the worst places I have ever been to in my life, and trying to handle this situation has made me lose even more respect for them. read more

Had a normal and pleasant experience here. I thought the food was very good. The reception was also fantastic, so that put me in a good enough mood to relax enjoy my experience. read more

I attended an event here as a college student and was appalled at the way my friends and I were treated by the staff. We were all inappropriately grabbed in their "pat downs" and their security guards told women to "spread their legs" before they reached up women's dresses. Just because we are college students does not mean we are allowed to be treated so poorly. We are adults and we payed for an event to celebrate the semester. Following the event, slut shaming and derogatory comments were made by the staff towards the women which were hurtful and disgusting. They tried to justify this behavior by saying women were intoxicated which in itself is incredibly problematic. No woman, no matter their age, should be treated this way. read more

went to Lakewatch Inn for a formal. felt super uncomfortable after the invasive pat down which consisted of employees touching female's genitalia without changing gloves to make sure we weren't sneaking alcohol in... not sure how that's even possible. our president tried to speak to the owner about this as it made everyone feel violated, she threatened to shut down the event. Appears this same owner posted this comment in response to us with a fake name, apparently they took pictures of us too! even worse! read more

Terrible service for our event, bartenders were rude and tried to overcharge for drinks. Manager was also unhelpful and threatened to shut the event down when concerns were raised. read more

During my night at Lakewatch Inn, I was groped by a security guard immediately upon entering, as were the fellow attendees. This included touching women's breasts without their consent, asking whether our bras had underwire, and demanding that women "spread their legs" and reaching hands up women's dresses during an inappropriate and unnecessary pat-down of everyone entering the building. I have never experienced something to that degree, even at an airport. Further, I waited over an hour for drinks as the bartender/owner spent the majority of her time unprofessionally complaining to us. read more

I can't tell you how dissappointed I was with this venue. We rented the hall for our end of the year gathering for our student group. The food was horrible and over priced, the management was extremely rude and the bar tender fed so many drinks to one of our underage members that we wound up having to get her a taxi home when she got sick. At one point the manager spilled water into the purse of one of our members, destroying her Blackberry and Iphone and then refused to apollogize. I will say that the view they have is very nice, but there needs to be a total shift in management before I will ever go back. I would not reccomend this venue to anyone who is trying to hold a professionaly staged event. read more

I had the most unpleasant experience of my life at this venue. The staff was extremely unprofessional. The bouncers were aggressive and became physical. The manager was one of the most difficult people I have ever encountered. She called someone at the event a "c*nt" and screamed at people to "get the f*ck out". From previous reviews, it is clear this is a pattern. They were difficult at the bar and would not let people retrieve their cards at the end of the night. Couples were yelled at and had to go back a few times after the event to try and get their credit cards back. Horrible venue. read more

My cousin recently had her wedding here. My husband and I drove 15 hours from Atlanta to attend, so we arrived a bit tired. Our exhaustion was immediately cured by the gorgeous views of Upstate NY. It's kind of a rustic venue, which I think is part of the appeal. The ceremony was help outside on a hillside, which I believe overlooks the lake, but I never did verify that. As the ladies said their vows, a gray, dreary Ithaca day gave way to sunshine beaming upon them. There wasn't a dry eye in the place. Later, we moved inside for dinner and the reception. The lights they have strung around really give it a cute feel. There was plenty of room for a wedding around 50 guests. We had some really great wedding food here. I generally think wedding food is crappy, but I loved the vegetarian pasta dish I had. My table mates all had steak or chicken, and everyone enjoyed their food. I was a little disappointed that the "cash bar' was quite literally that- they didn't have the ability to take cards. As someone who never carries cash, that was a bit of a downer. Also, 2 bathroom stalls in the ladies room just doesn't seem like enough with that many people in one place. All in all, a lovely place for an intimate wedding. read more

Great food and fun at Lake watch last night! Venue is so pretty and the fireplace welcomed! Very attentive and accommodating staff. Loved it! read more

I'm here for a wedding & the inside is beautiful & the food is OMG DELICIOUS. I'm really thinking about having my 10 year wedding anniversary here. read more

The service was worse than the food. If possible. Venue was tacky and outdated. Wallpaper was peeling, bathrooms was dirty, and employees were unresponsive and impolite. Only giving it two stars because it had a good bar. read more

I give it a 0 worst food, service and experience I have ever encountered at a wedding. The couple deserved so much more than they were provided. The woman running the place should find something else to do with her time. She is horrible at this and seems overwhelmed and unable or unwilling to provide good customer service to guest and then clients after she gets her check. You will not get what you pay for. Even the few staff members she has working have bad attitudes and continue with the poor customer service provided to guest. It is a pretty area too bad it is run SO POORLY- STAY AWAY from The Lake watch Inn read more

We rented this venue out for a private event and let me tell you that will never be happening again. The trouble began upon arrival when every guest was screamed at and told to "shut the f up". All the ladies and men were then touched inappropriately by the security when were were in tight dresses already. The food was terrible, the toilets extremely dirty and the bartenders were very slow. We had paid to have the space from 9-12 but at 10pm they called the cops on us for "reasons they couldn't disclose" and kicked us all out. Overall a very disappointing experience that nobody else should have the endure. read more

The absolute worst experience I've had at an event. We rented out the venue from 9pm-12am and were removed from the venue without being given reasoning at 10pm. When we asked staff why we were being removed we were either scoffed or sworn at. The food at the venue was removed before we were, despite guests attempting to eat food that THEY PAID FOR. Staff was extremely rude and scammed us out of money we paid for the venue. read more

We have been planning our wedding for about a year now and the wedding takes place on 10/14/16. Obviously, we've had tons of big questions and little questions and everything that comes up in planning a wedding. Nicole @ Lakewatch has been beyond amazing. Nicole has saved us hundreds of dollars with items she has onsite, compared to us having to buy them on our own. Every question we have, she has amazing answer to: Yes we can do that, sure we have that, that's not a problem at all. Lakewatch has been the easiest vendor we have dealt with so far. Nicole gives you tons of attention and really cares about the details. We couldn't possibly be happier. If you want stress free wedding planning, GO WITH LAKEWATCH. You will be taken care of. We will write another review after the wedding and I'm sure it will trump this one. read more

Lakewatch is a beautiful facility and the owner does a beautiful job (check out the facebook profile for pics). When meeting her in person, she is awesome and seems willing to do whatever you'd like. She emphasizes the importance of communicating well and being upfront with each other. Unfortunately follow-through is not a strong suit of the business. Four days after visiting in person, I sent an email requesting a price quote (which she recommended doing). After waiting ten days without any response I emailed again. Two and a half weeks after the initial email I called and left a message. Meanwhile I had other facilities waiting for my final decision. After not hearing anything again for two days I finally got ahold of her on the phone and she stated she had never gotten any of my emails or phone message. She promised to send me the price quote that day. After not receiving an email that day, I called the next day to ensure there were no kind of technical difficulties (as I was under the impression there were previously). She told me she was in the middle of writing the price quote and it would be to me that afternoon for sure. Again no email. The next day (3.5 weeks from our meeting) I finally received a very sarcastic and rude response to my email she had claimed to never receive, stating that I was very impatient and suddenly there were new rules making it so that our wedding could not be held at the facility. If you want to work with someone who treats you professionally and honestly, I do not recommend this facility. read more

The venue itself was quite nice, however for our group the evening absolutely plummeted once the event ended. Not only were we rudely herded out literally the second the clock struck eleven, but we were forced into the foyer with literally hundreds of people who were a combination of drunk, belligerently drunk, sweaty, and downright aggitated at being forced into this overcrowded space. We were unable to wait civilly for our transportation services and many people were trampled and shoved. It was also quite a chilly night and many ladies were not wearing jackets, myself included. When a friend and I asked if we could wait inside the hall we were rudely told no and that we needed to vacate. I have worked at many events myself and could not imagine treating paying guests in such a manner. Horrific management. The end of the evening was nothing short of miserable. read more