Montage Big Sky

Wonderful experience with the family! Trip of a lifetime due to the Montage accommodations. Every single member of their staff provided world class customer service.

Loud noise above our two bedroom vista suite that was reported to the front desk and went unresolved. Woke from sleep and randomly throughout the day and night. We called the front desk in the afternoon and several days of hoping it would end on it's own. There was no follow up and I had to call again after dinner when the noise occurred again. They did offer to send engineers to our room and wait to hear the noise - at 9PM. We were ready for bed at that time and asked if they could remain in the hallway to listen. At 10PM, they offered to move us to another room. We declined as we were nearing sleep at that point and had no desire to pack suitcases when this could have been dealt with in the afternoon had they followed up on the first complaint call. We checked out the next morning and not a word was said regarding the noise or our stay in general. Very disappointing for a luxury resort.

The hotel is beautiful. They did such a great job with design, finishes, optimizing for views and natural light. I know it is relatively new (21/22) and now has competition in town from the OO Moonlight Basin, but I’m sure it will continue to hold its own. It is large enough to have all of the dining outlets, common areas, tons of scattered seating nooks and tables, without feeling too spread out or labyrinth-esque. Many hotels do not allocate enough space for these smaller seating areas - perfect for a coffee break or taking a work call (as I did in the bar during the day a few times). Check in was smooth (we arrived right around 4 pm) and we received a tour of the property right away which was helpful.

Everyone from check-in to each of the dining outlets to guest services/housekeeping to Compass Sports was awesome. Friendly, polite, easy going. We are not the type of family that needs a ton of “service” but just nice to have small requests met with a smile and feel that everyone wants you to feel at-ease while on property. Shout out especially to David in Compass Sports to was always exceedingly helpful readying our family for the slopes, and the team at the tubing hill. Legitimately every single encounter with a staff member left me thinking “Wow, everyone here is so kind”. We had one tiny miscommunication on our first night with turndown service not coming to make up the sofa-bed, however, when I called they were at our door with the bedding within 5 minutes! The next night I called for an extra pillow and a child’s robe and I swear they were at the room in 3 minutes. Rooms were tidied up every morning between us leaving for breakfast and returning for lunch. The aforementioned lighting system was also linked to the “service room” button and ours seemed to be broken (when we pressed “do not disturb” it turned green as if we had pressed “service”) but for the most part didn’t have any issues.

We dined at Beartooth Pub (2x), Wildflower (lunch and snacks), Backcast (one lunch and apres), Cortina (most mornings for breakfast as well as one evening for dinner), and Alpenglow (bar - ate for lunch). Food quality was great at each. Breakfast at Cortina was always fast, easy, and with wonderful service. Dinner at Cortina was also delicious, albeit the service was a bit slow. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and functions well day to night. We loved having Wildflower as an option for a hot lunch without having to have the sit down dining experience - we had delicious soups and pastries every day at the nearby high-top tables with gorgeous views. Montage Deer Valley and FS JH also have these grab and go concepts but do not have seating and do not offer as many hot/fresh options. So shout out to Montage Big Sky for getting this concept right. We ate at Alpenglow (bar) one day for lunch. Also serves as aforementioned great place for taking calls or gathering during the day. They seemed to have live music each night and there was a lively crowd. We are glad Beartooth exists for families with kids for a more casual option, but our second evening eating there the service was incredibly slow. We had been there 15 + minutes before I was finally able to flag down someone to take our order. On our final night, we went over to Lone Mountain Resort to Horn and Cantle and had a lovely meal - recommended as well.

We are not spa people so cannot comment, but I do use the gym each morning on these trips and can report there is a decent sized, clean, and well-appointed gym with separate studio and locker rooms nearby. Everything you would need/expect from this hotel. The staff at Compass Sports was great: My son and his dad were able to catch the first chair on the lift (9 am) and arrive at ski school almost on time (9:33 am) using two lifts and green runs. Montage does offer a shuttle but it is not as regular as Deer Valley (which was every 30 min throughout the day), but they do have morning and afternoon options that you can use to get to/from the Mountain Village. We were told that most kids just do private lessons or family lessons direct from the hotel, which makes sense.

The resort was absolutely beautiful and the onsite amenities was incredible. The best part of the visit was the customer care while we were on site. The customer care manager, Ashley Brown, sets such high standards and is an amazing example - everyone we came in contact with had a true passion for delighting the guest, and it showed! This made the difference between a great visit and a truly memorable, incredible experience! Thank you

The Montage - Big Sky. You just don’t ‘go’ to the Montage, you experience the Montage. From arrival to departure, world class service and accommodations are the standard, however, the staff and the attention to details and needs set new standards for other properties to aspire to.

The Montage is a beautiful resort and the entire Southwest Montana area is worth the effort to get there and explore. The Alpenglow was a fabulous place to unwind, eat great food and share cocktails with other travelers and some locals. Try the Duck Pastrami Sandwich....You will order it again. The resort staff certainly go out of their way to accommodate the guests. But be aware, this area is in a constant state of construction. Progress includes new homes and condos and construction is rampant throughout the Big Sky area. You will see construction traffic every morning and every evening non-stop. Progress is good, but if the East Coast Venture Capitalists take their greed too far, this area will only become another tourist nightmare. When Planning the day, leave the area early and come back later to miss the major portion. Start the day with a breakfast at Cafe191. Also, ask about your room with a view. Several of the higher priced rooms and suites will unsuspectedly have construction areas that may disturb the majestic view of Lone Mountain. Ask for Breandon, the Resort Manager. He is the best, and will help make your accommodations as comfortable as possible. We will be back to this Great State. Happy 250th to all.

This hotel is top notch. The service is outstanding, the rooms are spacious and well-equipped, the grounds are gorgeous. The bar is so cozy and the food is great. Felt pampered and so relaxed. Very very happy with this hotel! 5 stars all the way.

Had a great stay at the Montage after 2 nights in Yellowstone. Lovely and spacious. We enjoyed bar, Cortina restaurant, massages at the spa and nearby hiking. Staff are super friendly and effective. We would love to return in the winter Thanks Max, Trevor, Magdalena and everyone for making our stay so enjoyable.

The value just isn’t there for this hotel. If I’m spending nearly $3,000 a night, I expect impeccable service, not service that doesn’t even compare to a $500 a night hotel. The location is stunning. I generally love Montage properties (especially Palmetto Bluff!) but this one fell very flat, especially for the price.

Stayed here in June after another hotel cancelled our reservation at minimal notice, part-way into a 16-day trip. We had an amazing room with great views. All the hotel staff (Associates) were helpful and friendly. They were always willing to help and find solutions to problems such as drying our shoes after we got soaked in a thunderstorm. We ate in Backcast and in Afterglow - both had great food / atmosphere and good drinks and service too. The food from the Cafe was fresh and great tasting too. We had a lovely stay and would love to return.

The Montage is a A++++ resort. Every staff member makes you feel valued and appreciated. They cannot do enough for you. It was so relaxing at this time of year. The view is beautiful. The rooms are spacious. The bathrooms are spectacular. The food options are tremendous offering a variety of choices.

The Montage in Big Sky was a splurge and worth every penny. A hotel on this level, of this price point, of this caliber, you're allowed to judge on the tiniest things, and the whole operation passed beyond flying colors. It's all about the tiny details. When you asked for a whiskey rock, the give you one with a special "M" insignia carved in it. The buffalo wings, a sports bar item that can be easily treated as an ugly duckling was treated with the same respect as any of the food items in the hotel's fine dining restaurant. The staff goes above and beyond with every single member showing pride and a sense of ownership. Even when problems arise, cause nothing is perfect and that's okay, everyone triages the situation coming in clutch make the experience even better. The hotel has personality and it's also inviting and comfortable. The whole vibe is welcoming. Whether the Montage brand is a regular hotel for you or a splurge like for me, it's a brand that should be written about in case studies. No need to read the book Unreasonable Hospitality, just stay at this Big Sky location and one will see in full color what unreasonable hospitality is like.

From pulling up to valet, check-in, introduction to my room, dinner, bar, meeting rooms, house keeping, everything was amazing! Spectactular views and accomodations! Will come and again and highly recommend!

Loved my spring solo stay at the Montage. It had just opened for the season but service was already a 10/10. Took a fun archery/lasso lesson from the guides on-site. The hour drive in from Bozeman airport was super easy (wouldn’t recommend driving in winter) and beautiful. It’s 10 minutes into town and close to an easy waterfall hike. Would have golfed if I had time! This resort has so many room options/formats for families there’s truly something for everyone. The food on-site was also delicious and the staff is wonderful. Highly recommend!

It was ok. Beautiful property, courteous and respectful staff. The food was sub par for the value. We only spent one night, but overall satisfied.

We had an amazing stay at the Montage Big Sky. From the moment we arrived, everyone on the team was incredibly welcoming and accommodating. The level of service truly stood out and made the entire trip feel special.

One of my favorite parts of the stay was the housekeeping team. The attention to detail in the room was next level and it always felt perfectly taken care of when we returned each day. It’s those little touches that really elevate the experience.

We also had a great experience with one of the bar backs who had just moved there in November. He was genuinely one of the nicest people we met during our stay and went out of his way to help us every night we were there.

Overall, it was an incredible experience and we can’t wait to come back. The property is beautiful, the service is fantastic, and the staff truly make it memorable.

I feel like TripAdvisor needs a "Very, VERY Good" because The Montage Big Sky is better than good and their managers are superb - beyond excellent. My only concern here is really about environmental sustainability, as detailed below. However, first, the great stuff:

I. LOCATION and SPORTS ACTIVITIES = fabulous. You will enjoy speedy access to the slopes (I assume everyone is here to ski just because I am but there are tons of other activities as well, from tubing (gratis every afternoon) to snow shoes to cross country skiing to bowling (yes, really - in the Beartooth Pub on the Montage's lower level). For the more adventurous, the concierge is eager to arrange excursions and there are plenty of trails to go trekking on. A word of caution for those who crave scenes like Aspen - Big Sky is not really like that. There are a series of outdoor musical concerts but they're more low key and less of a "scene." There's also very little shopping and the town center is pretty small. Do not come here for the shopping. It's a place to enjoy the spectacular outdoors and reconnect with family and friends. That being said, there are definitely plenty of bars and there is a small party scene but it's just not over the top.

II. FOOD. I like healthy, plant-based whole foods (stop judging me) and this can be tough in the area. I recommend using an app like Happy Cow to find good restaurants. That being said, I have four places I'd happily give 5 out of 5 stars to and who I'd return to again and again.

At the Montage:

(1) Wildflower Market has phenomenal wellness "shots" (think ginger and carrot juices), salads, fruit bowls, oat milk lattes, teas, and just overall great breakfast and snack options that will keep you healthy and energized.

(2) Hand's down, my favorite restaurant at Montage Big Sky was the Beartooth Pub & Rec on the lower level of the hotel. It's relaxed, laid back and the manager, who I met my 2nd night there, is a bright shining star of awesomeness. She was so helpful and helped my spouse to an off-menu double decker, fully loaded Impossible (vegan) burger that was absolutely out of this world delicious. They also have a quinoa bowl that is anything but bland - it's super fun, plant based and packs you up with a huge amount of protein. My other favorite here is their phenomenal pizzas which can be both veganized with a very scrumptious, healthy non-dairy cheese AND made gluten-free, should you so desire. One thing I noticed when I ordered (I'm not sure if this always happens or not) was when I ordered the gluten free (I'm not generally gluten free but I wanted to try it just to see), it came as a typical-looking round pizza pie and was great. When I ordered the "regular" (wheat) crusted pizza, it came more like a flat bread, oval style. Equally delicious, just a different shape and presentation. The other great thing about Beartooth is they have so much fun stuff there - from a games room to pool to a bowling alley. You could spend a whole night there. Last but not least, their bartender is wonderful. Both the cocktails and mocktails were A+.

(3) The spa. SO, if you get a spa treatment at Montage Big Sky (I had many), you will get access to the spa pool and jacuzzi which also has food and beverage service. The veggie wraps and smoothies there were out of this world.

(4) Off site but well worth the short drive is Tres Toros (145 Town Center Ave Unit B, Big Sky, MT). Fantastic vibe, super fun, incredible tequila flights and they offer diary-free vegan cheese and tacos. Just ask. The elote, which they call Street Corn, is mouth waveringly good, as are their nachos, which we veganized and were so, so, so good. One thing to note is the wait is pretty long (it's not just me - everyone loves this place) and the waits can be long. They don't take reservations. The trick is to go a little on the early side of when you actually want to eat, put yourself on the waitlist and then go shopping and explore the town center a little while you're waiting. It works out beautifully.

III. BARS AND DRINKS
The bartenders at Montage were all top notch. I did not have one drink anywhere that I didn't love and I got one from all the places on property. That being said, here is my first complaint: the service at Alpenglow was not great. Especially after the wonderful service at Beartooth, for example, I was really surprised by the vibe at Alpenglow. I went the night I arrived for a cocktail to just settle in and relax and a waitress whose name tag read Fernanda ignored me for a long while even though hardly anyone was there. When she finally came to take my order, I asked about food options (there is food on the menu) and she rolled her eyes and said, "We get our food from Cortina and they're just so buys so I will have to ask the chef if you can order." I pointed out the food on the menu for Alpenglow and she said, "The chef says no, it's out of my hands, nothing I can do." Unless she spoke to the chef via ESP or can time travel or bend the laws of space and time, there's no way she asked the chef or that the chef said no while I was showing her the food options on the menu. That was so bizarre and off putting, I just left without ordering. Luckily, I found the waitress at Backcast to be super kind and happy to help me out. A few days later, after experiencing great service at Backcast and Beartooth, I decided to give Alpenglow a 2nd chance, figuring I'd just try to avoid Fernanda. I went back and got a different waitress but very similarly, she ignored our table for about 25 minutes before she came to take the order and then, when one of my friends asked for water, never brought it at all. An hour later, I went to the bar and asked for a water for him and she ran over and TOOK THE WATER AWAY FROM ME and said she'd bring it to the table ... and didn't. That was enough for me. I didn't return again. 1 star for Alpenglow because their bartenders are great, but the waitstaff needs improvement.

III. MANAGERIAL STAFF
Phenomenal. If you have an issue, the managers swoop in without even being asked and make it right. Really. The hotel had a water issue that required them to access our room while we weren't there. Constantin, one of the managers, made sure he was there to greet us and explain when we returned, upgraded our room without us even asking and left us a handwritten note later that night with a tower of sweets. WHAT?! This man is amazing. We love him forever now and he turned what could have been a negative experience into a cementing of our loyalty and a desire to return to the property every year.

IV. ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
This is my only true substantive critique (beyond the odd experience with the two waitresses at Alpenglow) and it really applies to Montage corporate, not really any of the on-the-ground staff at Montage Big Sky. Montage corporate really needs to do better in terms of their environmental commitment. Luxury consumers do care and we do notice this stuff. So, for example, there are both trash and recycling containers in the rooms. Great, right? Except we watched as housekeeping dumped them both into one big garbage bag and, when I asked about it, they told me they don't recycle at the property. Bad not to recycle. Worse to pretend you do by giving guests recycling receptacles which we had painstakingly sorted our recyclables into. Likewise, the hotel offers (and I love this) recyclable and re-useable metal water bottles which your room is stocked with daily, gratis. This is awesome. However, people just throw them out because there is no option to recycle them. You can't really even re-fill them unless you're ok with tap water, which some of us were and did re-use one bottle throughout the trip, but most don't. There is recycling available in Big Sky, just not at the Montage, apparently. It may be complicated or challenging for the hotel to work with the local govt to get their stuff recycled and/or composted, but they should. Especially if they care about the gorgeous environment that is the reason we all go to stay there.

Finally, the to-go food containers and cutlery, and straws. (1) The to-go food boxes and cutlery all say COMPOSTABLE on them. That is great! Unfortunately, Montage does not compost. As the containers say on them, they only will break down in "industrial" composting, not regular trash. Yeah, so...better than plastic, yes, but like the recycle bins for a place with no recycling - kind of annoying. Finally, (2) the straws. I thought most of us had determined we really like sea turtles and sworn off plastic straws so I was very disappointed to see Montage still using plastic straws. Plus, who wants to consume the microplastics from them?

If you're greenies, as I call my family, you'll collect your recyclables and take them to one of the town recycle bins and you'll re-use one water bottle and then take it home with you and you'll remind everyone "no straw please" when you order your drinks. We did that. But most people won't and I don't really blame them - they don't want to be inconvenienced and they have a finite time for their holiday. This is not a burden the hotel should shift to the guest. Montage is a wealthy entity that can absolutely afford to devote more time and resources to true, not just superficial, environmental custodianship.

V. Overall, service, amenities and staff were lovely. Even with the funky experiences at Alpenglow, I would have given 5 stars but for the environmental concerns. Otherwise, this is a top tier place that my family enjoyed immensely.

There aren't enough perqs to justify staying here. Just save your money and go into the big sky village, where you can still have ski-in-ski-out, but better food and more easily accessible ski lessons.

Beautiful resort, great dining options. Need to improve their offerings for families and ski valet needs to improve. Very limited complimentary shuttle service to Mointain Village (where kids ski school is) and coordination of shuttle times with ski school and ski lessons is poor.