Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center Reviews

I had my wedding reception here this past weekend. I also held my rehearsal dinner and morning after breakfast here too. This hotel was so great to work with. Their wedding coordinator Denise was so kind and helpful throughout the whole experience. She gave us her professional opinion but made sure we didn’t get anything we didn’t want.

Even though Covid they did whatever they could to help us. They allowed us to move our date one year later and didn’t charge us extra for it or anything.

The staff was so accommodating right down to the day. We we’re supposed to be under the lakeside tent but due to inclement weather they were able to move our reception to the terraces by the pool. I highly recommend you use the terraces. They are so beautiful and you can get some really nice wedding pictures there. The food they served was phenomenal. I had their oven roasted chicken and it was so juicy and flavorful. I was super impressed.

The rooms themselves were pretty nice. I stayed in the presidential suite and it was awesome. It had a living room, mini kitchenette, two bathrooms and a bedroom with a king sized bed. It was the perfect place for my bridesmaids and I to get ready.

Overall I could not have been happier with our experience.

The Sturbridge Host Hotel is a gem, rooms are affordable, you have an indoor pool AND a lake with a private beach on the other. I don't even want to share this place but I only plan on getting married once.
The indoor pool has a mid-centry chique, our wedding was 50's themed / Jetsons and the setting was PERFECT.
Our Wedding director Lise was attentive, adaptive, and always easy to communicate and get a hold of. She worked with us on Friday night activities at the Pub in the atrium of the hotel and the bartender was great. It was place for the non-Rehearsal folks to congregate and having everything under one roof and a pool for the kids (and adults) of the family kept everyone around and gave a sort of Summer Camp Vibe.
THE FOOD: The food we has was exceptional. We had restaurant managers from New York and Boston attend the rehearsal dinner and ceremony and both spoke about the simple, rich, great flavors. Italian Wedding Soup was to die for (said the Italians).
THE PHOTOS: Not for nothing but this place is amazing for Wedding Photos. You have the Lake, The beach on the lake, the multiple verandas, firepits it has it all.
Its near convience, food, coffeeshops, liquor store (sorry an important element, ICE for no other reason).
If you can snag a wedding here with the new owners your going to love it. It's amazing. Also so much parking, a really large hall for events. A Fireplace in the lobby, all under one roof. Its dated but new rooms have all the modern elements its old school in the best possible way.
Loved it! can't speak highly enough about our experience.

I sent an initial email to the Sturbridge Host Hotel in September 2013, looking to get more information about their wedding packages. My husband and I didn't end up getting married there until June 2016.

There were a few staff changes over the course of the time we worked with the hotel, but everybody was always super friendly and willing to work with us to help make sure the day was exactly the way we envisioned it. Rebecca and her staff were SO easy to work with. She sometimes took a day or two to respond to emails, but always apologized and responded back with ALL of the information I'd requested.

The forecast was a little iffy for wedding day, but Rebecca kept me in the loop the entire time and let me be part of the decision making process. We decided to move everything inside at the last minute, but she and her team pulled it off and many of our guests didn't even realize that that was the backup plan! She was there for anything and everything on wedding day - she even ran across the street to pick up lunch for us so that no one's hair got ruined in the rain!

We planned our wedding for much longer than most couples are even engaged, but Rebecca never once made us feel weird about it. She loved that many of our ideas were "offbeat" or otherwise outside the box. Everybody we dealt with the entire weekend was so friendly - one of the servers even went into the kitchen to fill my MOH's water bottle when we couldn't find anything besides a vending machine!

Accommodations-wise, everything was as expected. We LOVED the balcony and had our first married coffee together overlooking the lake. The grass was well maintained and the parking lot was clean. We knew that wedding food would be delicious, but the breakfast buffet was equally satisfying.

We were here several times for other events before the wedding and will DEFINITELY be back again.

We had a winter wedding reception at the Sturbridge Host after an off-location wedding ceremony. Working with the staff in the planning phase was pretty worry-free, even with a staff change about a month before the wedding, everything went off without a hitch! We had our cocktail hour in the courtyard and reception in the ballroom which was beautiful. We lucked out with a beautiful day in December and even got gorgeous pictures outside in front of the lake! We really enjoyed the "all inclusive" value of having our wedding at the Host, including the plated meal, champagne toast, the cake cutting, set-up of our personalized wedding decor/centerpieces etc. as well as having our own private suite for our bridal party cocktail hour and for the night of the wedding.

My husband and I decided to look at the Host Hotel after 6 different people recommended it to us, and I could not be happier that we ultimately chose to have our wedding here. The hotel offered a beautiful outdoor venue for both our ceremony and reception, as well as our rehearsal dinner and after-party.

Our favorite things about the Host Hotel were that 1) it came with a reception tent to provide shelter from the sun or rain (no extra charge) and had several beautiful indoor rain back-up spaces, 2) it came with an awesome wedding planner, who helped us figure out details we had not even considered, and who stayed nearby throughout our ceremony and reception to help the event go smoothly, 3) it was very flexible in allowing us to change our head count, contract, and even our wedding date when unexpected changes occurred (they even grandfathered us into an old menu that we had chosen but they no longer offered by the time we got married), 4) it didn't lock us into choosing any specific vendors, 5) it was much more affordable than most outdoor venues we had looked at, including state parks, and 6) the catering cost included almost everything--linens, silverware, glassware, champagne, table numbers, a cake cutting knife, decorations, and even centerpieces.

The food was AWESOME (as many of guests raved about), and the outdoor settings for the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception were beautiful. Throughout the wedding, the wedding planner kept checking in with me to make sure that everything was going smoothly, and helped remind my husband and I what traditional things we were doing in what order (because our brains were jelly by the reception). After the wedding, we had an after-party at a firepit that we had rented outside of our honeymoon suite, which was free on the night of our wedding and had an enormous living room for everyone to hang out in. It was a blast, and was the perfect way to keep the party rolling and unwind a bit following the wedding.

We recently got married at The Host. Kristen and Rebecca were awesome to work with. Very professional and responsive to our every need. We planned on having our wedding outside in the grove, but due to October's unsettled weather, we ended up making the morning of decision to change the location to inside the solarium, which was very beautiful.
The ceremony was perfect. The only thing we found as a challenge was the main aisle was small, but we didn't rehearse at that location, so that may have changed the outcome. The reception was everything I dreamed it would be and more. We had a total of 130 guests and the ballroom was a perfect size where it wasn't too crowded or too much space. The prime rib and stuffed chicken were delicious. (Even better than what we remembered from the tasting!)

Altogether, our wedding was more that what we dreamed it would be. Kristen thought of every little detail and took all of the stress away! We can't thank her enough!

We recently got married at The Host. Kristen and Rebecca were awesome to work with. Very professional and responsive to our every need. We planned on having our wedding outside in the grove, but due to October's unsettled weather, we ended up making the morning of decision to change the location to inside the solarium, which was very beautiful.
The ceremony was perfect. The only thing we found as a challenge was the main aisle was small, but we didn't rehearse at that location, so that may have changed the outcome. The reception was everything I dreamed it would be and more. We had a total of 130 guests and the ballroom was a perfect size where it wasn't too crowded or too much space. The prime rib and stuffed chicken were delicious. (Even better than what we remembered from the tasting!)

Altogether, our wedding was more that what we dreamed it would be. Kristen thought of every little detail and took all of the stress away! We can't thank her enough!

My husband and I had a wonderful wedding at the Host. Everyone is so helpful and will bend over backwards for whatever you need. We would not have wanted to get married anywhere else. Kristen, the wedding planner, is a dream to work with. She goes above and beyond for any bride. Kristen truly takes pride in her work and it shows! A million thank yous to everyone at the Host for making our day better than we ever imagined!

We couldn't have asked for a better experience with planning our special day. Working with Kristen and Rebecca was great. They responded to emails promptly and were very easy to work with. The food was great and service was fast and friendly.

The Grand Ballroom is set up so that the parents of bride or groom end up sitting about 15 feet away from the DJ. My grandparents, in their late seventies, were horrified by the loud music blaring in their ears.

Kristen and Rebecca did an amazing job helping us plan and make decisions. Very responsive and helpful during the whole process. Kristen and her stuff did an amazing job of coordinating everything on our wedding day, and kept us on time and on track with graciousness ac's professionalism. The food was outstanding. We could not have asked for more!!!!

I didnt know how the day of my wedding was going to turn out since a none stopping rain prevent us from having our reception outdoors at the Host Hotel as it was planned. I was very sad but there was nothing that I could do besides, to appreciate the fact that the Hotel had a contingency plan. This saved the day for me, and the reception took place in a beautiful garden-like indoors. It turned out to be the best desition we could have done, plus the air corditioner during such a humid day, could not have been more handy!
Ashley, the event coordinator, was so pleasant, professional, and personable. I thank her so much, her help was so valueble and I love how shee took great control of the day. Donna and Joe are also a great part of the staff, they took great care of my guest trough the night, bartending and waiting on them. Steve the Cheff, was so graceful to personalize a dish that I desire to be in my menu, I was very impressed and delighted went I tasted it. All I can say is that the Host Hotel is an excellent venue, with a fantistic personnel that made the they of my wedding a day to remember!

I have vacationed at the Host for over 20 years now with my family so it was only fitting to have our wedding there. It was a pleasure to work with Courtney Mooney the Catering Sales Manager, to plan our event. They paid attention to detail and it was a truly beautiful wedding and reception. I highly recommend the Host not only for weddings but any large event,

We were planning a lakeside wedding ceremony at the Sturbridge Host Hotel for our 265 guests on 10/01/11, but mother nature had other ideas. Due to a consistent drizzle/sprinkle, we were forced to make the decision to move the ceremony indoors, and the Sturbridge Host was very accommodating in assisting us in the move in to the poolside courtyard. Our planner, Courtney Mooney was very much involved in the planning and execution of our ceremony & reception. I will definitely refer friends to the Sturbridge Host Hotel for any event, not just weddings!

We recently had our wedding here and the coordinators were phenomenal! Our reception took place in the tent and It rained all day..it didn't even bother us. Kristen, Ann and Rebecca made sure everything still fell into place. There were 3 or 4 weddings on our day as well as a show and I NEVER felt like I was brushed off or interfered with! I felt like we were the only ones there. I have lived in Sturbridge most of my life and I chose this venue for the convenience for family and friends. My guests were beyond satisfied with the service and the food.

First, let me say this is a 3 star hotel. The hotel itself doesn't deserve 5 stars.

The rooms are dated, but fairly clean. The price was good, and some of the suites are huge. There is a nice pool, a small arcade, an even smaller gym.

However, the interior of this hotel is huge, and beautiful with trees and gazebos.

The hotel is convenient, centrally located, and on a beautiful lake.

Now, the reason for my 5 star review. We had our wedding here, and it could not have been more perfect. I must have driven the staff crazy, but they never let it show. Dawn and Marisa worked with me every step of the way. They were excellent with communication. Its the only wedding I've been to where nothing went wrong. The day was perfect, the scenery with the lake was beautiful. The food was great and they were very accommodating and willing to work with our menu. The pricing was fair and they tell you the prices upfront instead of adding a gratutity onto the back in small letters. They had plenty of rooms for our guests, and everything was right here.

There is a bar and restaurant in the hotel, another bar in the parking lot, and the biggest liquor store in New England. Right across the street from Sturbridge Village. It was absolutely wonderful. Everyone told us it was one of the best weddings they have ever been too.

Did I mention its an hour from Bradley, Boston Airport, and providence? 30-45 Minutes from Hartford ct, Worcester Ma, and Springfield.

I just had my wedding at the Sturbridge Host Hotel and it could not have been better! The whole day was absolutely perfect.

Pros:
-Hotel staff were amazing, the event planner was SUPER helpful on the day of and kept us in line with order of events, and making sure everything ran smoothly
-The outdoor grounds are GORGEOUS! Seriously, beautiful setting. We had our wedding at the gazebo and at 4:30pm the lighting was just right. The lakeside setting is spectacular and the reception tent was beautiful
-The hotel staff set up all of our reception decorations and everything was just as I wanted (with really minimal direction too!)
-Restrooms located right near the tent with easy access for guests
-The food came out on time and we had many compliments on food
-Affordable

Cons:
-The hotel is an older hotel and definitely has a "rustic" feel. I didn't feel that having a super updated hotel was extremely important. I overlooked this because of the convenience of having the ceremony and reception walking distance from where guests are staying
-At times communication had a bit of a delay and required a second email. However, nothing was ever an issue and responses were always given and followed up on, just several times it did take a few tries to get ahold of someone
-Front desk staff on the day before the wedding was confused about where decorations were being stored-- not a big deal but was somewhat stressful right before the wedding.

I would say that this hotel is the ideal wedding location for a Spring/Summer wedding. I didn't see the ballroom but would say that the outdoor setting for weddings/receptions at this location would be tough to beat. I would book here all over again if I had to do it over.

I recently had my wedding here and they did an amazing job! Ashley was always there when I needed her and was very helpful. I highly recommend this place if they would like to have a beautiful stress-free wedding!

We got married at the host on 7/30/16 and we had our ceremony outside by the gazebo and the reception in the tent and it came out even better than I expected. We had been planing for about 2 years and when Rebecca took over helping us plan our wedding she made sure every last detail was gone over multiple times and made sure everything was exactly or as close to what we wanted. If you are looking for an outdoor wedding but are on a budget this is the place to book! Our family loved staying overnight since everything was right on the lake and it was just so easy and relaxing. I gave only 4 stars on flexibility just because there were little things we wanted changed that could not be done such as the lighting in the tent which was a blue rope light around the whole thing, this was frustrating since we wanted to hang old fashion light bulbs or do string lights and we count not. But all and all I would suggest this venue for anyone looking in the area. P.S The food ended up being 10X better then it was at the tasting, the guests were raving about the chicken marsala and the surf and turf!

Beautiful spot for an outdoor wedding. The gazebo was the perfect back drop. The tent was just as nice. Over looking cedar Lake , nice breeze off the water and no mosquitoes!!! The staff and all the waitress were awesome. Great Job to make our special day perfect!!

They did a great job with my wedding. There was some confusion about my reception times though. My reception with cocktail hour included was supposed to run from 6 to 1130 but wasnt told they were shutting it down at 1100 until right before. The Dj had to think quickly and rearrange a few things. It was only a half hour but felt like the communication could have been just a tad better. It is an amazing venue though!

The outdoor setting is a beautiful place lakefront to get married in the fall!!! The wedding coordinator will also work with you if you want to pay extra to extend the time frame of the reception !!

We looked at several locations before finally falling in love with this hotel. It has several ceremony and reception locations both inside and outside. It is located on a beautiful lake with lots of places for great pictures. The food in great and the prices are wonderful.

Overall I was very satisfied. We signed our contract in February for a September wedding, and in May (after already having purchased my dress) we found out I was pregnant. They allowed us to transfer our deposit and all of our previous arrangements to a July date to make things easier. They were very helpful the day of, and handling everything--the behind the scenes happenings were seamless. However, part of the package we ordered included champagne and hors d'oeuvres, and they never came. We did complain (myself and my bridesmaids were all starving, it was a 4o'clock wedding and we were planning on that as our lunch, however they seemed to just brush us off, and offerred no suitable replacement or refund. Other than that we were very satisfied.

You get what you pay for. I mean, it is a lovely rustic venue, right on the lake. The prices were decent and the people were nice. However, there were so many little things that happened wrong. For example, we were supposed to have butternut squash and they served summer squash; it was supposed to be open soda bar, but they charged people until we caught the mistake; we were supposed to dine and then do the dances, not the other way around. They changed hands with three different catering managers and didn't notify us. We were displeased.

However, it is a *beautiful* location. It is moments away from Old Sturbridge Village and many other nice touristy things to do. The food was good. Except for the dust on the chandeliers, it was clean.