Hotel California

Breakfast had good choices, and the staff were polite, but our fifth-floor room felt neglected. The lift ride gave the impression that floors four and five had been forgotten, almost like a deserted building from a video game. I can’t say if the lower-floor rooms are any better. There were several problems in the room: loose shelves, a leaking shower, a broken bedside light, and very weak pressure from the waterfall shower head. The layout was odd too. The shower opened into the room, with a clear glass panel, not even frosted, along its side. The door took several tries to close securely, and after the third night we realized it could simply be pulled open. That didn’t feel safe.

The breakfast buffet looked nice, but ants were running across our table while we ate. I counted four. The room itself showed very little care, and the photos didn’t reflect its current state, at least for ours. The toilet area smelled awful and still stank after we aired the room for hours. The shower and sink looked unclean and worn. The shower head only dripped from a few nozzles. When I tried the hand sprayer, it came off as soon as I switched to it and sent water up to the ceiling. If you could manage to shower among the few drips, water ran into the room and bathroom. For $120, it wasn’t worth it. We’ve paid less for better rooms, and this one is going on our skip list.

It’s adequate, though showing its age. The rooms were tidied every day, reception staff were friendly, breakfast was OK, and the kitchen staff kept things very tidy.

There were mirrored ceilings and pink champagne on ice, and I was satisfied with the service. But I had a problem with the idea that apparently you can never leave the hotel. You can check out any time you like, which is certainly a bonus. When I arrived, I couldn’t tell if the place would be heaven or hell. Voices in the corridors were saying something like “welcome to the hotel california”(?). Overall, it wasn’t a great stay.