Upon check-in, I was asked to pay for the room, which I did. However, I noticed the amount charged was higher than the total from my original booking. I asked the receptionist (I believe his name was Raul, though I’m not entirely sure) why that was. I explained the amount I had been quoted during booking. He then mentioned, almost as an afterthought, that a $150 deposit is taken at check-in.
I told him this should have been communicated before processing the payment, as it’s standard practice to inform guests of such charges upfront. While I wasn’t pleased, I went ahead and paid.
I also mentioned that I had submitted a request in advance for a room away from the elevator with a good view. He told me the hotel was fully booked, which confused me, since I had booked well in advance and included my request at the time. He assigned me Room 503, which was directly across from the elevator, not away from it.
I didn’t want to complain as I had just traveled over 12 hours from London to San Diego and was extremely tired. I planned to grab some dinner and get straight to bed. However, the room was quite noisy—there was a lot of hallway activity, and the family next door had their TV volume quite high. I decided not to go downstairs and complain, hoping I could just fall asleep.
Unfortunately, I was woken up around 3 a.m. by a crying child, and again at 5 a.m. At that point, I was extremely frustrated and went to speak to the receptionist on duty, Matthew. I explained everything to him, and he was very understanding. He said there was availability and offered to move me immediately…this was surprising, considering the earlier claim that the hotel was full.
He moved me to Room 204. While it wasn’t far from the elevator either, he assured me it would be quieter since there were no large families on that floor. He was right—the room was much more peaceful, and I appreciated his help.
At checkout, I saw the same receptionist who had checked me in and decided not to approach him. Instead, I spoke to Antonio at the other desk. I asked about the deposit, and he informed me it would take 2–3 business days to be released. Naturally, I wasn’t thrilled to hear this, especially after the earlier issues, so I shared my entire experience with him. He apologized sincerely and mentioned the initial receptionist may need additional training, which they would look into.
Overall, the stay was decent for a short 3-night visit, but the start could have been handled much better.
