Paradise Inn, Paradise Inn

well i was searching online for some where to take my family somthing outdoors, but after reading all the bad reviews about how aweful the people are i will not be heading up there, i hope they fix this problem soon, i would realy hate to go where i feel unwanted!

We've been visiting Mount Rainer every summer for like 12 years and almost always stayed at Paradise Inn, the most recent one being in August 2011. The food at the restaurant comparing to previous years got much worse. Entre dinner portions got much smaller and more expensive. For example, Vegetable Napoleon was 1/2 of the last year's size, but price stayed the same, buffalo meatloaf was about 1/2 inch thick slice with a scoop of mashed potatoes for like $25.00 compared to $17.00 last year. I will still go there because, apart from Longmire, there is no other hotel at Mount Rainier.

I am always disappointed when I read bad reviews of Paradise Inn, especially when they comment on the rooms or the value. This inn is in the old tradition of National Park inns and has been lovingly maintained to bring that unique experience to those that appreciate it. If you want to sit in front of a wide screen TV in your room and eat chocolates from room service then head to Seattle and stay in the Ritz! If you are interested in seeing bears in the meadows outside your room and waking up to sunrise on the slopes of Mount Rainier then this is the place for you! I have stayed at the Inn many times and yes, the rooms are small, the walls are thin and the tourists are sometimes loud and obnoxious, but, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world. I will be hiking the Wonderland Trail in September and made a reservation to spend one night here while I am hiking. If I had one wish it would be that people that do not appreciate the inn would never come back. It would leave this incredible place to those of us that appreciate the beauty and grace afforded by this grand dame of inns.

Just got back from a one-night stay at Paradise Inn, and had two meals in their dining room. Service and food were excellent. Reading these reviews I can only assume a big management change has taken place. Yes, it's an old (very old) hotel, and the walls are thin. We were in a hostel-style room, showers down the hall, everything very clean and spiffy. Nothing about the Inn detracted from our experience of the mountain and environs, and in fact the courteous staff and obvious attention to guest comfort contributed significantly to it. I noticed a managerial-type person very much on the ball. Maybe they've taken notice of past complaints.

When my wife and I returned from our visit I went to the computer to send a comment about our stay. I read the other reviews and was rather surprised to find some experiences similar to ours. We met as employees at Paradise 51 years ago; we return when we can but not often. It is the most beautiful place on earth; the new visitors center is really great. You did it right this time (as opposed to the previous VC). About the dining room: you need to replace the manager. We can go into any restaurant and tell by the employees and the food if it has good management. Unfortunately, this year, Paradise Inn, at least the dining room, has poor management. Just read the reviews. So if you visit this magnificant place this summer, eat somewhere else. Maybe Longmire, or go to the Copper Inn just out the gate, or even the deli in the VC.

Hiking was awesome! (but wildlife too friendly). The new visitors center was absolutely magnificent! But, if you're avoiding the crowds, go to Sunrise at mt rainier. Family of four, dinner at "paradise". Lobby looked more like a best western than a historic inn. Nobody was happy working there. I asked why and the two employees said "try working here, we are treated as if we are not human. in management - disrespect to employees is rewarded, and a caring attitude is shunned. the chef is a major alcoholic. if you complain to management, you are the problem. there are so many unhappy guests. they don't know how to run a hotel or restarant" that was the jist of our 10 minute conversation. on top of this, the food was rubbish. bland, over priced, crab mac & cheese had no crab and was old. mashed potatoes were so very salty we couldn't eat them, soup tasted canned, rice was hard. salmon odviously not cooked at the time we ordered. we told a manager (short blond hair 50ish) of all of this (unhappy employees and putrid food) in the lobby and she looked so happy?? she said "i'll check it out", and walked away. no apology, nothing. this was a special time for my family and I, and I just couldn't believe the negative vibes and lack of food quality.

Beautiful location, unforturatly, service took forever, there were many waitress and waiters, and they were not busy, our waiter was unprofessional, we were not offered any other drinks, we had our glasses of water filled only twice when we needed more water. He took forever to take our order, and took forever to bring it to us, my wife had the fish and chips and she said it was good, but my prime rib sandwich was horrible, it had no taste. I asked for ranch dressing for my salad and he didnt not bring it...and it took him forever to come back to see how our food was, and my wife asked for the ranch dressing and we still didnt recieve ranch dressing until the fourth time of asking when he was going to give us the check. He took about 10 minutes to bring the ranch and finally, we got it, and we had to ask another server to get the manager. she was very nice and understanding, and she gave us a choice of a free desert, and yet we still had to pay for my sandwich, that had no flavor or taste to it. We got comped only 9 bucks and still paid for the desert once we got the desert that was pretty good, but we were ready to leave and it took another 20 or so mins to get our check, and every time our waiter came past us to serve the people around us, he didnt even awcknowledge that we were there. Very disappointed with the service and their prime rib.

Supposedly remodeled in 2007-2008, but if so they didn't do much to the visible parts. Guest rooms still from 1940/50 at a guess: small, poorly installed cheap panelling, drooping suspended ceilings, antiquated fixtures. You can hear every sound and movement in the rooms around and above yours. If you want a semi-authentic old national park inn-- it is, but don't expect anything more. The lodge lobby area is nice with logs, big fireplaces, and period furniture. Fire alarms went off at 2:30 AM while we were there. Most guests evacuated. Nobody from staff ever showed up, and after 15 minutes outside (fortunately a beautiful night) we assumed a false alarm and went back in. The next morning the desk clerk said something about water (melting snow?) dripping into alarm system. Has a nice big old inn restaurant, but menu and food quality was only average. Had a buffalo meatloaf with mashed potatoes and broccolli. Even with fancy title was still only a Denny's style meatloaf, mashed potatoes had a few bits of potato skin, and broccolli nearer raw than al dente. Others had a crab macaroni and cheese with only two tiny (fingernail size) bits of crab meat. Was 'ok' but everything very expensive. Staff was mostly college students and very friendly and enthusiastic-- but did not know much. Views of Mount Rainier are beautiful and for that a once in a lifetime visit to Paradise Inn is sort of worth it.

We showed up for a daytime meal and were disappointed. The food was seriously inedible (we didn't finish, we couldn't even really start) and the place was deserted. The service was equally horrid. Can't really figure out how this place stays in business except for their total ownership of this location. Darn shame really because the locale is beautiful. Large party going on at the time we showed up. Plates were returning equally full. Imagine that this is a wedding choice. Our advice is to bring your own caterer. The locale is unsurpassed, but the hired staff is worth replacing.

The hotel is situated on the highest point you can drive. We got the room for $100 per night and stayed two nights. Next time I would eat in the cafe and not the dining room. The dining room was overpriced but the ambience of the inn and fresh snow outside made this a romantic, secluded experience. Our room had a great view of Mt. Rainier.