Snowy Owl Inn

Located centrally, The Snowy Owl Inn provides easy access to dining and entertainment. Guests appreciate the friendly staff, homemade cookies, and restored, spacious rooms. However, no negative comments were mentioned.

Appears modest at first blush but rooms are clean and comfortable and on a par with typical "ski lodging" hotels. Facilities include sitting rooms, in house restaurant/bar, passes to use community indoor pool and fitness center, and literally across the street from shops and restaurants in Waterville town square. The perceived shortcomings in certain recent reviews were nowhere in evidence. Rates are reasonable, and includes breakfast. Having stayed in other Waterville lodgings, which may appear to be more modern but are typically overpriced. This place is a keeper.

Go anywhere else. We stayed at the Snowy Owl during a hockey tournament with three other teams, as it was required lodging for the event. Unfortunately, the experience was terrible from start to finish. The hotel was dirty, dated, and smelled awful throughout. The staff were incredibly rude and unaccommodating, making an already what we thought would be a fun trip, stressful and disappointing. Basic amenities like towels and toilet paper were hard to come by, we had to fight just to get those. Although we were offered daily housekeeping, they never once cleaned our room, and our trash bins were overflowing. The conference room, which their website refers to as a “knee hockey room,” was dirty, uncomfortably hot, and overpriced for use. Despite advertising the space, they refused to let anyone use it and didn’t allow knee hockey in any part of the hotel. Quiet hours began at 10 PM, even on weekends, which seems extreme for a family-oriented hotel hosting youth sports teams. We were repeatedly kicked out of common areas for simply chatting or having kids use iPads. The front desk even called the police on guests multiple times, creating an unwelcoming and tense environment. During our stay, we lost power, and there was no emergency lighting in the rooms, including those with lofts and steep stairs. Navigating in total darkness was dangerous, and the lack of functioning emergency exits was a serious safety hazard. The one elevator was out of service for most of our four-day stay, with an expired inspection certificate to boot. Breakfast was a joke. For the $1,000 we paid for four nights, we were offered a waffle maker that couldn’t cook properly, Hostess cupcakes, and dirty water from a gross communal Keurig. Rooms lacked coffee makers, and even if they had them, there were hardly any outlets to plug anything in. The showers were broken, and everything about this hotel felt neglected and poorly maintained. I strongly recommend that any teams or travelers avoid the Snowy Owl at all costs. For the price, there are undoubtedly far better options in the area. Save yourself the frustration, and stay elsewhere.