Turf Valley

I went to an event last week at the conference center connected to the hotel. There was a cocktail hour with non-​alcoholic drinks and hors d’oeuvres, then a sit down meal with dessert and awards at the end.
The cocktail hour was relatively nice, but unfortunately rather boring in available beverages and food. They had a large barrel with bottled water (it always brings me down to see thistype of affront to my earth-​loving heart), iced tea, and some kind of red juice. The food selection was the usual boring cheese cubes & crackers, fruit, and a chafing dish of meatballs. I understand that those who book the event get what they pay for, but I don’t think they paid for moldy blackberries. Also, forks continuously stocked near the meatballs would have been nice.
Dinner was truly disappointing. Dry filet mignon with flavorless mixed vegetables and boring brown rice. Have they never heard of seasoning or sauce? Is the salt on the table my only option for adding flavor? Some fool at my table thought we had been served risotto, that made me even sadder when I looked back at plate. I asked for butter, but our server seemed to have better things to do. My request for decaffeinated coffee was also forgotten.
My next invitation to a Turf Valley will not be so eagerly anticipated, I’ve learned now that the place does not live up to the hype.

The public rooms are decent, but the rooms are way tired and kind of shabby. Shower was kind of rusty and the wallpaper was peeling away from the ceiling. Broken tile flooring. The carpet in the hallways have all these bubbles in them, clearly not laid properly in the first place. The trash containers near the elevators were filthy and all banged up.
On the plus side, the employees are friendly and helpful, pool is good and the grounds are gorgeous.
Not worth the price but it’s just about the only game in town if you’re in Ellicott City.

Great bar and service at the bar, but very poor room quality.
Upon entrance, it looked great. There are two bars; one on the lobby floor and another on a lower level. The bar we went to has an excellent bartender: Kevin. The food was also very good. The overall selection is small, though.
Finally went up to the room for sleep… this was when the negative part comes in.
From the fourth floor, I felt that I could still hear EVERYTHING from the lobby (I guess also the party floor). I travel out of state for work and stayed here for a couple of days. Went to my room at midnight. Then heard a plethora of constant laughing and screaming. Then a heavy lady walking (or ‘running’) past my room; I could hear her loud laughter, my lampshade shook (no exaggeration) as she walked (or ‘ran’) past, and everything else that comes with other people being in the hotel. Sleep wasn’t possible till past 3, just for me to have to wake up at 5. So, wall and floor structure is poor, with no soundproofing.
Although I had a good time while I was awake, the fact of being unable to sleep outweighs that, thus the lower rating. So, if you’re a heavy sleeper, don’t need to work the next day, or you’re that fat chick making my lampshade shake as you stomped by, then disregard this review.

I arrived to Turf Valley on Sunday, November 1, 2015, at 9:00 am, I spoke to Spence in reference to my reservation. He stated the guest had until noon to check out the room. At that time, I was the only one waiting for the room with a jacuzzi tub. I informed Spence that I will be waiting for my room. I was sitting patiently on the couch by Spence until 11:00 am. I felt invisible the entire time. When I went to check on my room. Two people was placed in the room with a jacuzzi tub before me. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone.

Came for a wedding. Upon checking in, there were four people behind the check-​in desk in the lobby, but only one person doing check-​ins while 15 people were waiting to check-​in. No one seemed to care behind the desk. Finally someone opened a second check-​in. She opened the desk and said, «next» without looking up. No welcome, nothing. I get a warmer reception at the DMV. In the room, called front desk for maintenance. Four and a half hours later, called again because no one came, and maintenance cane right up. Maintenance man stated he had not received a previous call for our room, which I totally believed. He was very friendly and professional. Had asked a passing employee, Robert, for assistance and he was very helpful and professional and went out of his way to accommodate us. The rest of the staff was great as was the food. Other members of our party all stated front desk nightmares. It was Halloween and maybe they had staffed the desk with Zombies and Witches for the occasion.

We had a large suite with a comfortable king size bed and a huge shower. The room was very clean and folks were very nice

Stayed here 2 nights to attend a wedding held at a different venue. For the price, I thought our accommodations were ok. Positives: nice partial view of golf course, two sinks in the bathroom, water conservation-​minded, and plenty of ac outlets. Negatives: thin walls, the tile flooring in our bathroom was cracked and uneven, the drain in the tub didn’t drain well, no safe, and you had to leave the a/​c on all day (otherwise, room got very hot, even at night).
Other negative was their restaurant (see my review for Alexandra’s American Fusion).
Spencer and the other woman (sorry, didn’t get the name of the woman with glasses) at the registration desk were very helpful though.
There is a small strip mall less than a mile away which has a few restaurants (we ate at Grille 620), a supermarket and a wine store so convenient.
My husband regrets not bringing his golf clubs as the golf course looked well maintained.

My wife and I stayed here with our two preschool aged children for my cousin’s wedding. We stayed two nights and the wedding reception was at the hotel. Overall it was very nice. It is a very clean up to date hotel. They have almost every amenity imaginable from a 24 hour gym, a spa, and pool to a playground, basketball court and soccer field. Staff seemed to be very interested in helping their guests and the beds were very comfortable.
One of my only grips are that there was almost no hot water to speak of in the shower. My brother stayed in a different room and had the same complaint. The cost of breakfast in the restaurant was also pretty outrageous. I’ve never seen a check that high for 4 adults at breakfast.
I would consider visiting again if the price was right. Otherwise it is probably two pricey for us to stay again.

Just stayed for new years and while the party was great i need to say that cell signal and wifi are completely useless. I believe most people who stay here have business to conduct and this has to be the worst place for it. Our phones are ATT and Verizon and both had problems texting and making simple phone calls. These have to be the nation’s biggest carriers. The wifi is absolutely horrible too. If you manage to find a guest network its terribly slow. Worst part about the guest wifi is there is none outside of the rooms. So where your cell signal fails the wifi doesn’t help either.
As for the new years party, its mostly an older crowd with an average somewhere around 50. The food was excellent, the band sounded great but focussed more on older music. The breakfast buffet was pretty good too. The quality of the food at breakfast was a step above the quality at other hotels.
The room was nice and comfortable. Decent bedding and a very typical configuration. The TV was older. Using the menu system on the TV took 5 – 10 seconds for each click. Just another indication of how behind in technology Turf Valley is.
Summary, if you dont need reliable cell phones or internet this is a wonderful place.

Wow, what an impressive place to visit for a convention. The food was good; they do a real good job. I have had better at some restaurants, but I likely have not had better at any convention. I used to do 2 conventions a year for about 15 years, and this food was better and more consistent, at every meal, than anywhere I had been in the past. Seriously, it was consistently good across the board, an easy 4 – 4.5, any day of the week for the food.
The staff was very helpful, they were exceptional. Everyone I met was a 5, hands down. From the gentlemen at the front desk, which included especially the gentleman with the accent, which I could not place, possibly European, to the people who helped set up the rooms for our educational sessions. I mean some of these ladies were very slight in stature, but hustled up tables for us and got them in place as if they were professional athletes. I offered to help, as I like to think I am a gentleman, but they refused and by the time I had taken my projector out of its case, and this happened in two separate rooms, the young ladies had already set up the table and were adjusting the fresh linen table cloth. Classy, efficient, strong and pleasant, these ladies get the job done.
The bar, wow, we inundated them at times, but they were slinging beers and drinks at a brisk pace. The gentleman with the moustache and the gentleman of Asian descent stood out as exceptionally helpful and willing to please.
Our handlers, as I would call them, the people assigned to us to make sure the event went off without a hitch, were among the easiest to work with out of all the people I had ever worked with in the past when it was my sole duty to put on a convention. I was amazed by their ability to expedite any request. Very impressive.
My room was awesome, I had a suite, and I cranked down the AC and slept like a king in one of the best damn beds I ever slept in, in a hotel. I mean I was tempted to strip the sheets off to see what the brand was. I mentioned the unusually comfortable bed to a colleague and they said the same thing. That colleague had done 8 conventions in 10 weeks, they thought they were just so exhausted, that’s why the bed was so nice. I arrived very well rested so, nope the beds are awesome, at least in the suites.
5 stars, hands down, no questions asked.
The only point to work on would be to speed the elevator up and get the second one running again. I was told it was in the process of being serviced. At any rate, we had a great time, the convention was a success and I have nothing but nice things to say about the staff and the accommodations.

We booked our stay here through a discount website where we found out where we’d be staying after we booked the room. While the décor may be outdated in the room, the service made up for it. Salvo (from guest services) was absolutely wonderful. He went out of his way to make our stay as comfortable as possible. After a slightly frustrating incident, he made a point to come talk to us in the lounge, off duty, to apologize and make sure we were taken care of. I should also mention the incident wasn’t due to anything or anyone at the resort. His genuine concern is so rare today, even in the hospitality industry. We will definitely stay here again just based on the service.

Haven’t stayed here yet but gave up after 35 minutes on hold waiting to make a reservation. I would book online but I’m without the code I need for the event.
If TV is going to block online reservations with codes, somebody could at least pick up the phone for guests without the code or less internet-​savvy guests that still attend weddings.

Besides the furniture the room was really old. I had to hold the toilet lever to flush completely each time. Sink didn’t drain properly and the facet handle was loose so the water temperature was difficult to adjust. This is not resort quality people!

One of my best friend’s wedding reception took place at the Turf Valley Resort this past weekend, and my husband and I had the best experience!
We just stayed for only one night, as this was a quick weekend trip for both of us. I had called ahead and requested early arrival as we arrived in Baltimore very early, but that was not granted as the previous night was sold out of rooms. This was fine, but because we had to get ready for a wedding ceremony at 11AM, we asked if there was a place to freshen up. Terrence, one of the front desk associates, assured me that we could use their spa downstairs and packed us a bag with towels, shampoo, soap, and other amenities. This was waiting for us when we checked in on Saturday morning. I want to add that Faith, another front desk associate, was extremely accommodating, and made sure that we had everything that we needed. My husband and I were extremely thankful for her help.
Our room was very comfortable, and had a great view of the golf course. The cocktail hour room that was set up was very nicely done, and the appetizers were very delicious. The wedding reception took place in the Wedgewood Ballroom, and it was arranged very nicely. The entrees were arranged buffet style, and the food was DELISH. Beef tenderloin, pasta salad, antipasti… and the chocolate fondue station was the biggest hit. We enjoyed every bit, and would visit again soon.
I sent the hotel a personal thank you card, because I believe that the written word goes such a long way when it comes to thanking someone or a company/​department for their services.

Weddings, Weddings, Weddings! The only 2 times I have been here is for weddings. Came here over the past weekend for a good friend’s wedding, and we had an overall great time. It’s not hard when you are surrounded by good friends and a ton of booze. There can only be two outcomes… epic stories of drunken shenanigans (mostly involving naked streaking) or projectile style vomit tales of the stupidly tanked.
My review of this place mainly has to do with the hotel itself. I had some issues to start off my weekend, and it got a little more annoying before it got better. Since this is the only place around for a couple of miles, they have no real competition, and thus I feel their hotel is just a little lacking. The hotel front desk fairly accommodating, aside from maybe 1 or 2 people that seemed a little standoffish.
The first snafu was when we were finally called to let us know that our room was available. Got the electronic key cards and went up to the room to relax. Cards didn’t work after several tries and had to go back downstairs to get new ones. Once to the room, opened the door to find that the room was already occupied! No thank goodness we knew the people in there but imagine if we didn’t. I could have walked into God knows what. I mean what if I walked in on a hooker mid stride? Might have been slightly awkward, just sayin.
We were a little annoyed after that fiasco and finally was able to get a new room, which was a upgrade from what we originally were going to have. Throughout the night we had 2 more incidents with the keys not working, and we were just a little fed up.

The one thing that I will say about this place is that they owned up to their mistakes, and did everything to make it right. The Director/​Manager was very apologetic, and made sure that we were taken care of before we left. If it weren’t for him, this review would have been a totally different story.
So instead of remembering what a terrible experience I had, I leave with stories of countless Jameson shots that resulted in our entire crew finishing 10 bottles, and a night capped off with 65 Cheeseburgers and 2 or 3 bags full of fries from the local late night fast food shack.

We were here to attend our niece’s wedding reception, which was in both the Cameo room and the Grand ballroom.
What a party! Kudos to the hotel staff and kitchen staff for handling a cocktail-​appetizer hour and a sit-​down banquet for 320 wedding guests!
The cocktail hour started promptly at 6:30pm and included shrimp casino (bacon-​wrapped shrimp on a skewer), Teriyaki beef, crab dip, spanakopita, assorted fruit and cheeses. They even made Shirley Temples for the kids!
The servers were pleasant and efficient; pretty much all the tables were served wine, bread and salad at the same time. The main course was filet mignon (mine was medium, other guests at our table was rare to medium-​well), crab cake (very moist and flavorful) and seasonal vegetables (they were tender-​crisp and cooked perfectly).
We had lemon sorbet and wedding cake for dessert. Late-​night dessert included turone (fried plantain bananas) and sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves, but I couldn’t eat another bite.

My Daughter’s wedding reception went off without a hitch. The planners did a wonderful job with their suggestions and all the guests had a great time. As most of our guests were from out of town, we took up many of the well appointed rooms. Pete and his staff are truly top notch and we will recommend the facility to everyone.

We were treated like royalty at Turf Valley. We were seriously upgraded into a beautiful suite with all the amenities we could ask for. One of the best lodging experiences EVER!

Pretty nice. Stayed for only one night and it was great! The pillows were super soft

If you’re looking for lodging in Ellicott City proper, Turf Valley Resort is it. Otherwise you’re heading at least 9 miles down to the road to Columbia. Lack of competition must keep Turf Valley from feeling like it needs to wow the customer, because as a hotel there’s nothing particularly outstanding about it. [It’s also a country club with golf course, about which I know nothing, so I’ll leave that to another reviewer… anyone? Anyone?]
There’s nothing particularly offensive about Turf Valley, either, tho. I’ll give them that. It’s a large facility with a ton of run-​of-​the-​mill type rooms — navigating the place can be a bit of challenge. It’s one of those joints with different elevator towers going to different floors and different wings. Gotta keep your head in the game to get where you’re going.
Staff is fine, and room rates will run you about $ 160 per night. Not the costliest, but not the cheapest. And it’s in the middle of nowhere — even «downtown» EC is a hike. Still and all, a fine option if you happen to find yourself in America’s second-​best city to live.*
*According to «CNN Money,» not me. No way.