Hotel Review: Element Bozeman
As the only Starwood hotel in the entire state of Montana, the Element Bozeman is a bit of an oddity. Element, being an extended stay property, is smack in downtown Bozeman, MT. It also commands a bit of a premium price during the summer. Bozeman is a perfect starting or stopping point for a trek down to Yellowstone.
The hotel is situated just a quick 10 minutes from the airport, so as soon as we arrived and picked up our rental car, the ride was easy. You can tell the property is new as it still has that new paint smell.
Element Hotel Bozeman
We checked in after midnight so we went straight to bed and passed out. We woke up the next morning to take a look at all the offerings the hotel has to offer.
How did we book?
At 25,000 points a night vs $235 plus tax, this was a no brainer with points. Considering the signup bonus from the Chase Marriott card and the SPG card from American Express, you can get between 3 and 4 free nights just from the signup!
Platinum Benefits
Since Breakfast is included in the cost of the room, when we checked in we were asked if we wanted the points or an arrival gift. I’m always one to ask what the arrival gifts are. Sometimes they are really unique (Port Wine in Porto) and sometimes they’re downright strange (a coaster in Bellingham, WA).
This was, without a doubt, the strangest welcome gift that I’ve ever had.
“We have a corkscrew, if you’d like…†– she said with a look of embarrassment.
“A corkscrew? Sounds cool. Can I see it? Does it say ‘Montana’ or ‘Gateway to Yellowstone’ or something unique?â€
“Ehh, nope. It is literally a blank silver colored corkscrew. The same ones that we use in the rooms.â€
“Huh?â€
“Yea, so we don’t know how it happened, but all of a sudden we got a box of about 250 corkscrews, and since we don’t know where they came from or how they got here, we just decided that we would give it away as our local gift.â€
How stupid is that? You’re in a town that has local ice cream, local breweries, and nature at your doorstep, and you give away a shitty corkscrew? Check out the photo.
Wow, just wow. Thank God the rest of the hotel made up for the stupid arrival gift. We took the points.
Hotel Public Areas
The view from the room shows you just how dead Bozeman’s downtown is on a Sunday morning.
Electric Vehicle stations are available right in the front of the hotel.
Don’t have a car and want to get around down? There are almost 10 different bikes for you to borrow and get around town.
Not sure what the hell this is though…
A large and new fitness center (virtually untouched, or just really well maintained)
Small indoor pool. Great idea, considering the winters can get pretty harsh here.
And for those awesome summer evenings, a huge outdoor area with tables, umbrellas, and even a grill for you to use.
Hungry? The Breakfast is awesome. Not only do they focus on healthy options, they’ve got TONS of options. It’s included in your stay.
Fritattas, potatoes, sausage, Homemade Bread Pudding, fruit, cinnamon rolls, and juices
Bread and muffins baked in house
Every week they come out with a new option for breakfast. This week they had the Breakfast Taco Station! Check out the fresh ingredients, prepared right before your eyes.
Feeling like something a little healthier and lighter? There is a Chobani yogurt station with tons of fresh fruit to accompany your meal.
The Room
Because of our platinum status, we were upgraded to a corner one-room suite. The extra room was much appreciated as Ben was going to be working from the hotel room all day.
The hotel was decoratred in gray undertones and still after being open for as long as they have, it looked new. As soon as we walked into the room I was impressed! The room was well appointed, clean, and had everything you’d need.
The small kitchenette was off to the right with dishwasher, stovetop, sink, silverware, plates, fridge, and microwave.
Just next to that was a pullout sofabed, desk, and chair. There was a TV and two extra seats as well.
A tall pantry was at the entrance with two more stools and folding table stashed nicely away.
In the bedroom there was another closet and TV. The king size bed was comfortable and plush, and the nightstand had USB chargers (THANK YOU!!)
Clean, bright bathrooms finished the suite.
Thoughts?
I’m glad that there’s a new Marriott/SPG property in Montana. At least now when we go visit Yellowstone (which happens pretty frequently) we’ve got a place to earn some points and stay in a new comfy room.
Don’t hesitate to look up this hotel as a clean, crisp, modern, fresh option when you stay in Bozeman.
October 2, 2018
We stayed at Days Inn West Yellowstone and Super 8 Gardiner during our last visit to Yellowstone in August. The bar rate for both stays was above 250 USD so it made sense to use Wyndham pts for the stay, although both motels sucked….I was even yelled at by an old man from the front desk of Super 8 Gardiner!
October 3, 2018
Thanks, Nomascoach for another great review.