Hotelaholic

South Lake Tahoe · California

Desolation Hotel

933 Poplar St, South Lake Tahoe, California, 96150

9.8 Wonderful234 guest reviews

Live availability

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Check-in
Nov 24, 2026
Check-out
Nov 26, 2026
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HAPPI EXPERIENCE

The stay, in detail

  • Luxurious Accommodations

    Desolation Hotel, nestled in South Lake Tahoe, offers a serene escape with air-conditioned rooms featuring modern amenities like a flat-screen TV, private bathroom, and balcony with pool views.

  • Relaxation and Recreation

    Indulge in ultimate relaxation at our outdoor swimming pool, sauna, and hot tub. For the fitness enthusiasts, our hotel boasts a well-equipped fitness centre and offers activities like hiking, skiing, and cycling in the picturesque surroundings.

  • Convenience and Dining

    Enjoy the convenience of free bikes, private parking, room service, and a concierge service. Treat your taste buds at our on-site restaurant and bar, promising a delightful culinary experience during your stay.

Book now at Desolation Hotel for a luxurious and rejuvenating getaway in South Lake Tahoe!

HAPPI HIGHLIGHTS

  • Pet friendly

  • Clean facilities

  • Helpful staff

At the hotel

Popular amenities

95 listed
  • Access to health care professionals
  • Accessible parking
  • Air conditioning
  • Baby safety gates
  • Bar
  • Beach
  • Bike tours
  • Board games/puzzles
  • Breakfast in the room
  • Breakfast takeaway containers
View all amenities

Pools & wellness

  • Heated pool
  • Hot tub/Jacuzzi
  • Massage services
  • Outdoor pool
  • Pool bar
  • Salt-water pool
  • Sauna
  • Spa/wellness center
  • Swimming pool

Dining & drinks

  • Delivered food - securely covered
  • Food delivered to guest room
  • Kid meals
  • Physical distancing in dining areas
  • Restaurant
  • Sanitized tableware & silverware
  • Special diet menus - on request
  • Wine/champagne

Fitness & outdoors

  • Cycling
  • Fitness center
  • Fitness facilities
  • Golf course
  • Hiking
  • Outdoor fireplace
  • Outdoor furniture
  • Sun loungers or beach chairs
  • Sun terrace
  • Terrace

Rooms & comfort

  • CCTV in common areas
  • CCTV outside property
  • Heating
  • Lower bathroom sink
  • Non-smoking rooms
  • Open-air bath

Safety & cleanliness

  • Cleaning standards that are effective against Coronavirus
  • Contactless check-in/check-out
  • Fire extinguishers
  • First aid kit available
  • Guest room sealed after cleaning
  • Guest rooms disinfected between stays
  • Guests can opt-out any cleaning services during stay
  • Hand sanitizer in guest room and key areas
  • Physical distancing rules followed
  • Process in place to check health of guests
  • Safety deposit box
  • Shared stationery like menus, pens are removed
  • Smoke alarms
  • Staff adhere to local safety protocols

Getting around & access

  • Facilities for disabled guests
  • Lift / Elevator
  • Parking
  • Private parking
  • Wheelchair accessible

Guest services

  • Concierge service
  • Express check-in/check-out
  • Fax/photocopying
  • Invoice provided
  • Laundry
  • Laundry washed per local authority guidelines
  • Luggage storage
  • Pet bowls
  • Pets allowed
  • Private check-in/check-out

Services & essentials

  • Canoeing
  • Cashless payment available
  • Daily housekeeping
  • Electric vehicle charging station
  • Family rooms
  • Free WiFi
  • Grocery deliveries
  • Higher level toilet
  • Horse riding
  • Key card access
  • Live music/performance
  • Movie nights
  • Non-smoking throughout
  • Packed lunches
  • Pub crawls
  • Room service
  • Shallow end
  • Ski storage
  • Skiing
  • Thermometers for guests provided by property
  • Toilet with grab rails
  • Vending machine - drinks
  • WiFi available

Review in focus

234 reviews
10/ 10
Absolutely luxury and beautiful!
Emma · couple · 2026-07-21

The guest experience

9.8out of 10
234 verified reviews

Loved most

  • Pet friendly
  • Clean facilities
  • Helpful staff
  • Great location
  • Unique amenities

Worth knowing — Bed comfort issues · Early check-in fee · Room design flaws

How guests scored the stay

  • Food and Beverage10.0

    Hotel restaurant received high praise for quality.

  • Location9.9

    Great location noted for accessibility to beach and shops.

  • Cleanliness9.9

    Overall clean and stylish environment, noted positively in multiple reviews.

  • Overall Experience9.9

    Overall positive experience with minor complaints about comfort.

  • Amenities9.9

    Good amenities such as pool, hot tub, and EV charger.

  • Service9.9

    Polite and helpful staff mentioned in various reviews.

  • Room Quality9.4

    Room quality was good but mentioned issues with mattress comfort.

  • Value for Money9.4

    Some reviews cited concerns about pricing not matching perceived quality.

Live guest feedback

Guest reviews

Mixed experiences

80% of 15 recent stays rated 8+

9.8234 reviews

  • Highly recommend - luxury stay!

    10/10

    Emma · couple · 2026-07-21

    “Absolutely luxury and beautiful!”

  • Beautiful Property but lack of staff or service to support luxury pricing

    1/10

    Brett · couple · 2026-06-23

    “The location itself was beautiful and the style and decor of the hotel overall was gorgeous. The rooms were well appointed and the beds were very comfortable. The showers, products, and overall room set up was very nice.”

  • Excellent hotel with high quality of build & well maintained / good value for money

    10/10

    T_and_A_SE11 · Couples · 2026-03-11

    “Excellent fit-out...build quality very high (rooms & public areas)...very different to the standard US hotel. Also rooms are equipped with everything you need...fully equipped kitchen with all utensils thus you are not dependent on going to restaurant each night. Friendly staff and good communication. Good central location (but lacking a direct walkway across to the gondola because there is a huge construction site). What they could improve is their concierge service and information pre-arrival: the infos I received from the team were of bad quality and were lacking interest in us as customers. For example I inquired about restaurants or if they could send a list of suggested/proposed places..and the answer pretty much was: "there are a lot of restaurants..please check on google". I got similar answers (or even wrong information ) when I inquired about how/where to book skiing lessons or guides or other things to do. Even if you dont have a concierge on staff it would be easy writing a few pages of information materials that you can send out...we were first time visitors and getting information from locals would have made a difference and saved us time and made it a better experience in planning for the trip.”

  • Our dog says we should return!

    10/10

    Judy · couple · 2025-12-03

    “Very pet friendly, polite and helpful staff, clean and stylish. Superb stay!”

  • Amazing hotel- great for kids year round. Awesome experience

    10/10

    barbaram703 · Family · 2025-11-24

    “Wow.. What an amazing hotel. My daughter and I had the best time. She wanted to move in and live there forever. We had our own apartment over two living floors, hot tub, fully fitted modern kitchen, two balconies - one had a tub..., incredibly comfortable beds, amazing food at Maggie's restaurant upstairs. We stayed two nights.. we want to stay longer. Definitely coming back. Love the artwork from Ted Hesser and the Jimmy Chin book. So many exquisite details. Outdoor pool, hot tub and gym were amazing too! A wonderful experience in a beautiful place.”

  • Guest review

    10/10

    Priscilla · partner · 2025-10-13

    “Our room had all the modern touches in a relatively small space: small compact kitchen with stove, microwave, pots/pans, glasses, cups, bowls, plates, utensils. Tools for making coffee and coffee grounds were provided. Unique features on our balcony: bath tub, cozy dining nook. Lots of places to plug in your electronics! Decor was modern and stylish. They thought of just about everything!”

  • Guest review

    10/10

    Nicholas · partner · 2025-10-11

    “After staying numerous times while visiting SLT at a pricier hotel just around the corner, we decided to give the more reasonably priced Desolation Hotel a try. For a couple of nights earlier this week we stayed in one of the ‘Townhouse’ rooms. It was great. The room was spread over three floors, garage, living & bedroom. There are two decks, one with an outdoor dining table, the other with a soaking tub, a fully equipped kitchen, 1.5 bathrooms, two fireplaces and a proper garage. The hotel is close to the beach & Heavenly Village. If you’re looking for a nice place to stay & are willing to forgo some of a larger resorts amenities - large public areas, resort fees, parking charges etc., this is ideal. It’s like your own vacation home. The hotel has a good restaurant, Maggie’s, a pool & spa etc. Checkin was pleasant & efficient and included a complimentary bottle of wine. My only ‘complaint’ would concern the slightly marginal motels that are scattered throughout the neighborhood. Other than that it was great and we would certainly recommend it and will return.”

  • Just ok, not worth the cost.

    6/10

    Bruce · 2025-10-06

    “Overall, this place is very overpriced for what’s offered. They try to charge an extra $50 for “early check-in”, which in this case means 3:00 p.m. instead of 4:00 p.m. The “private beach access” they advertise is misleading. What you actually get is free access to a public beach during the off-season, and paid access during the busy months. The rooms themselves are nice and include a few extras, but the rear of the building faces a public road. So, if you’re using your “private” balcony hot tub, be prepared for passing pedestrians and vehicle noise. The location is just okay, a few blocks from the lake and tucked behind Heavenly Village. It’s surrounded mostly by older motels and budget inns, some a bit dicy, so don’t expect a quiet or scenic walk to the water. All in all, it’s fine. But had we known what to expect, we could have found something similar (or better) nearby for about half the price. ”

  • Guest review

    10/10

    Mackenzie · 2025-10-05

    “Amazing! We will be back!”

  • Guest review

    10/10

    Roya · partner · 2025-10-03

    “Very nice & chic hotel! loved the fact that it was very pet friendly. The Dyson blowdryer was the highlight for me.”

  • Annoying.

    4/10

    Kathleen · solo traveller · 2025-09-12

    “Room was spacious.”

  • Guest review

    9/10

    Hsiao ting · family with children · 2025-09-08

    “Facilities/EV charger/private beach”

  • Guest review

    10/10

    KIRILL · 2025-08-28

    “Great rooms. Cabin-like cozy feel, yet very modern and updated. Great location too. Staff was very nice and pleasant. Highly recommend.”

  • Guest review

    10/10

    Ayed · 2025-08-23

    “Stylish, clean, comfortable. Parking on site is convenient. Chemex and coffee in room a nice touch. Location is great. Would stay here again.”

  • Guest review

    10/10

    CHRISTINA · 2025-08-19

    “Beautiful aesthetic, super clean, friendly staff and hotel restaurant was delicious. Will be staying here again!”

View all guest reviews

Hotel info and reviews come from third-party sources.