HotelChatter

My friend was visiting from Iowa, and unfortunately I suggested this property. We stayed there from 24-27 September 2007 and was very, very dissatisfied. The room was very small. There was construction, sawing and hammering nearby. Paint was peeling from the ceiling, and the bedspread was torn. When you washed at the sink, the air conditioner blew cold air on your legs and had to be turned off. The room was so small that you had to climb over the bed if another person was putting clothes in the closet to get past them. The TV channel selector listed a PBS station (we wanted to watch the award winning series, "The War" by Ken Burns), but that station was not carried on the Hotel's satellite system apparently. There was no follow up by the hotel's engineer, although he promised to get back to us. The attitude in the office was aloof and unresponsive. The Hotel General Manager at first refused to meet with me, but later got back to me by phone. He refused to meet with me in person. He did upgrade our room to the newer section, but gave us a room overlooking a public bathroom in Mission Bay Park. There was no bottled water provided, the vending machines would not accept dollar bills, the front desk apparently did not have the ability to make change, and after we changed rooms, nobody inquired about our satisfaction. The hotel is located in a public park, Mission Bay Park, which the homeless use for shelter, and there apparently was no on site hotel security. The grounds and walk ways are very poorly lighted. Finally, unlike the nearby Bahia and Catamaran Hotels, which offer a Manager's Reception to guests once a week with complimentary wine, cheese and fruit platters, this property does not offer such a reception. I asked the Manager to get back to me and to refund a portion of our room rate of $160/night, but he never followed up. I would urge anyone contemplating booking at this property to avoid it. It is a poor value, has unacceptable and nonexistent customer service, and is not comparable to other nearby properties.