Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center

366 Main St, Sturbridge, MA

300+ guest capacity

This venue can host 300+ guests

About this vendor

Located in Sturbridge, MA, Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center is a hotel wedding venue on the shores of Cedar Lake. Here, the experienced staff delight in helping couples curate the wedding celebration they’ve always envisioned. The venue is situated in the center of the state and is an hour’s drive from Boston, Worcester, Providence, and Hartford. Brimming with charms, it provides a backdrop sure to make for a memorable day. Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center has a traditional New England look that easily complements a variety of wedding themes. In the surrounding area, couples and their guests are able to enjoy arts, history, shopping, and more. Such attractions include places like the Old Sturbridge Village’s living history museum. Other activities include coasting down the side of Wachusett Mountain on skis while taking in the views. In the summer months, boating, swimming, and fishing opportunities are plentiful. Throughout the year, the area around this hotel provides activity and chances to create memories, making it an ideal setting for celebrations. To make organizing your big day simple, the team at Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center provides all-inclusive packages. These bundles can be tailored to suit the clients' needs and the expert wedding coordinators collaborate with couples to ensure each detail is attended to. The venue’s professional team has a number of partnerships with local vendors, streamlining the planning process further. Throughout the hotel, there are 35,000 square feet of space that can be used for events. Both indoor and outdoor areas are available, with the lakeside tent, gazebo, indoor atrium, and grand ballroom among the options. The culinary team at the venue crafts a bespoke menu for each soon-to-be-wed pair, helping to make the occasion even more special.

Amenities + details

Ceremony Area

Handicap Accessible

Indoor Event Space

Liability Insurance

On-Site Accommodations

Outdoor Event Space

Reception Area

Wireless Internet

Covered Outdoors Space

Dressing Room

Guest Capacity

300+

Settings

Ballroom
Beach
Hotel
Tented

Venue Service Offerings

Bar & Drinks
Cakes & Desserts
Food & Catering
Planning
Rentals & Equipment
Tents

4.2

out of 5.0

18 reviews

Search reviews

10/14/2023 • Elena K

The spaces we had our wedding in were beautiful and everything went really smooth overall. What we really liked about having the wedding here was that a lot of things were included all in one vendor so we had our ceremony space, reception space, food, bar, and room blocks all figured out at once. We liked the idea of having all our guests in one place and not needing to worry about transportation if they were staying the night. We worked with Lise who has a ton of experience with weddings and helped us so much just by telling us things she's seen before and kept things all go according to plan! She was also super flexible with us when we were trying to figure out what spaces we wanted to use and how we wanted the day to flow. I will say some of the guests experienced some issues with the rooms but when any of them contacted the front desk the staff was super responsive to any issues or needs. We did have some guests confused during the reception of why their glasses of water kept getting taken away before they were done with them as the staff seemed to be trying to clean up earlier in the night to lighten their load later on but I do wish they had waited until closer to the end of the night. Some of the guests were feeling rushed out early. Other than those few things guests mentioned to us I think the staff were overall really great once I brought anything to their attention and I didn't personally have any issues working with them.

8/12/2022 • Brianna S

Let me just start off with this: DO NOT GO TO STURBRIDGE HOST. Read the reviews and the owner’s responses will speak for themselves. It’s hard to put into words how much went wrong having Sturbridge be our wedding venue. Nothing like having the brides panicking on their phones the whole time they get ready to get their wedding set up before the guest arrive. A wedding/event coordinator that was so absent that our bridesmaids had to chase her down to get things done. Said coordinator that we worked with for over a year left right after the ceremony leaving someone else in charge who kept saying “I will have to look at her notes.” Everything we said we wanted ended up changing last minute. The notes should have been read prior to the event starting. Thank God we had nobody at our wedding with a food allergy because otherwise they better have an EpiPen handy. I’m gluten free and NONE of the gluten free options were there or labeled, and they completely forgot to make my gluten free hors d'oeuvres. When I asked for my gluten free hors d'oeuvres during cocktail hour, the new coordinator came up to me an hour later and said “yeah, so we just can’t do those gluten free. sorry”. The food we paid for was left in the sun (when we specifically requested otherwise) and then thrown away with MANY leftovers left. There was goose poop literally all over the property, which our guests needed to carefully avoid when walking over from the ceremony to the reception tent. Our families had to set up as much decor as they could before they had to get ready because the staff was not setting up anything at all. The decor for the kids table was thrown in a pile on the floor behind the bar. Thankfully our DJ took matters into her own hands and grabbed a table to set all the stuff on. The photo booth stuff was thrown in a pile on a table in the corner, which again our DJ helped fix and light the area. They had so little to set up since our families did all the decor, but they still couldn’t be bothered to even put out the table numbers in the correct seating chart that we gave them. Families were split up, guests were yelled at by the bartender and wait staff, tables weren’t given water on a 90+ degree day. The sangria and keg of beer we bought for the guests was put in the corner and if the guests did not specify, they were charged for sangria and/or beer. The staff then dumped out the leftover sangria that we would have brought inside to the lounge for our after party. When my dad grabbed a cup to hand to the bartender, she slapped his hand and yelled at him because she “didn’t need his help.” When we tried to contact management after the wedding, they just wouldn’t answer or call back. Guest rooms had broken vents and bugs. The entire Sturbridge staff were disrespectful, dishonest, and an absolute joke. If they had any integrity and wanted to show they have even a little care about their customers, they would at least give us the decency to have a conversation. Not only will us or anyone we know never use them again, we will share how bad our experience was to anyone who will listen.

6/08/2019 • Kerry J

Beautiful venue with accommodating, kind and helpful staff! They even accepted our idea/plan to have a Been&Jerry's ice cream truck drive up and serve ice cream to our guests! Loved working with Ann every step of the way! The tent setting was beautiful, and the lake backdrop for pictures is stunning! If your looking for a fun causal but beautiful setting this is 100% it!

8/27/2018 • Christina P

We had such a wonderful experience with The Host!! All of our guests said it was one of the best weddings they have been to. Everyone loved the scenery, the location, and especially the food. We had originally booked a different place to have our wedding, but then last minute had some big changes to our plans which included changing the venue, and that’s when we found the Host. Our wedding coordinator at the Host, Ann, did a phenomenal job considering the short amount of time we had left to plan our dream wedding. And she nailed it. It was such a pleasure to work with her. Everything was perfect. I can’t say enough great things about the Sturbridge Host.

8/12/2018 • Erica H

We used the host for rooms to get ready for the wedding as well as where we had an after party and our room block. The communication was awful and almost everyone we spoke with had a different answer and price point. If we would have only been contacted by one person the rating would have went up. We were told multiple prices for our rooms and the food we were going to order. We also heard that many of guests were not given welcome bags that we had made. We were also told the wrong rooms for us to stay in they told my now husband he was in the room that I was supposed to be in. Not to mention that many of the rooms are extremely outdated and do not have mini fridges.

12/28/2017 • Jack H

The Host was the PERFECT place to hold our wedding! Our ceremony was down outside by the water, and looked fantastic. The ceremony was done under the tent, which looked great with the lighting on the tent. Ann helped coordinate a great day, as her staff was incredibly polite and knowledgable every step of the way. We held our Rehearsal Dinner in one of the Hotel’s function rooms, and we have nothing but really nice things to say about both the service and the food. I highly recommend going to any of the food vendor tastings that The Host offers, as it really paved the way for great food for our wedding weekend. If you’re looking to hold your wedding around the Sturbridge area, I highly recommend The Host!

9/04/2017 • Catherine H

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.

6/08/2016 • Jen B

The Host was the perfect location for our wedding. We had the ceremony outside on the lake and it was beautiful. The service was great and the after party with the fire pits and the presidential suite was a wonderful addition to keep the celebrations going. There is definitely a rustic feel to the rooms, but everyone loved this about the hotel and staff made sure all of our guests had an awesome time!

5/29/2014 • Taren R

We initially dealt with one women who was very pleasant and accommodating. She set up our room block & our after party block. For the after party we were told that the bar was open to 12 and during that time no outside alcohol was allowed. Our party was to go 11-2 so we figured that was fine then we would bring our own. Then she either left or got fired because we were transferred to another sales associate and was told she was no longer with them. This is when all the issues began. I was informed that not only was our per room price more than their advertised online price (I'm bringing you a GROUP of people and supposed to be getting a discounted rate!) but they were charging extra to have 3-4 people in a room with 2 queen sized beds. ( to me that room is for 4 people!). The room charge was never discussed per person. We. We're told single king rooms and double queen rooms would be blocked for the one price. I had to argue and basically scream back and forth with the women to get her to honor the original pricing. They also require 80% of the room blocked to be filled or the bride and groom pay for the remaining rooms. I was calling day by day to get an update on how many rooms we had left to fill and couldn't get answers for days at a time when the deadline was right around the corner. Lastly less than a week before the wedding they "reiterate" the alcohol policy. Informing me there is no outside alcohol period. To bad I had already spent 350 on alcohol for the after party. Luckily they moved us to another room and allowed us to have our alcohol in that room. They did redeem themselves however by allowing us to stay in the party room for an additional hour because everyone was having a good time.

11/23/2013 • Jessica L

My husband and I got married a month ago.. Our reception at the Host was so beautiful! The staff was so great to work with and were so accomodating. We had nearly 300 guests at our wedding and they made everyone feel special. Great venue, great staff, great food! Highly recommend. !!

11/28/2012 • Alison C

The wedding coordinator was wonderful to work with; however, the wait staff cleared plates and drinks before they were finished. They were a bit pricey for the service, but overall had a wonderful wedding.

10/27/2012 • Kirsten S

My husband and I got married at the Sturbridge Host Hotel on October 6 and I couldn't have asked for a better day! The wedding coordinator, Courtney, was amazing! Through every little bump (because you know there will always be a few!), she was so reassuring and handled the problems with ease. She even convinced our DJ to set up for the ceremony outside after it had just downpoured on the ceremony earlier. All I had to do was frown at the suggestion that he wanted to do the ceremony inside because he was worried about his equipment, and Courtney was on it. The venue is far from an ordinary hotel wedding. I enjoyed the comfort of knowing that our guests would not need to drive anywhere, but also had a unique, picturesque setting. Oh, and the food was amazing! I would definitely recommend the Sturbridge Host for weddings!

10/24/2012 •

Brian (front desk manager) - was very accommodating. I had some issues with the coordinator in the beginning, to the point where I was going to walk away and go elsewhere, and she was going to freely let me do so. This is where Brian stepped up to the plate and assured me all along - and it went perfect! Although the check in time was after my transportation was picking up guests, they managed to get everyone into rooms in plenty of time to make everything perfectly smooth sailing! I and my guests did find the hotel floor map to be quite odd and rather confusing at first. But all in all - great place, great staff and beautiful setting! Thinking about holding a family reunion there in the future!

7/26/2012 • Nicole M

This is the place to book your picture perfect wedding. Great value, yummy food, helpful staff, and beautiful setting. Thank you for making my wedding perfect!

5/23/2012 • Maura B

We used the Sturbridge Host Hotel for our room block. We didn't have a lot of rooms, but I inquired about a free room after so many roomnights. They offered a free upgrade, not a free room. I think my mom got the room upgrade instead of me...which was OK, and she certainly deserved it, but a bit sloppy on their part. The rooms were supposedly renovated recently, but there were a lot of water stains on the walls and ceilings in a few rooms. I would have expected it to be a little cleaner based on the rates they were charging. The front desk staff was really nice, helpful, and a lot of fun.

10/04/2011 • Ellyn F

I loved working with the sturbridge host hotel. They were great for helping us plan, knew the answers to all my questions and were very reasonably priced. Everythign went perfect and it was a great day, great location, beautiful pictures,etc. Courtney and team at the Host are great.

8/09/2011 • Debbie H

The staff at the Sturbridge Host Hotel were helpful and caring from start to finish. The hotel itself is a little outdated but the outdoor tent was amazing right on the water. It was a perfect day. I have seen their ballroom space and it is equally as nice. The staff was wonderful. Prepared all my decor exactly as I had wanted it. They really did a great job and I felt totally confident letting them be in control. They are pros.