Seasons Hotel and Convention Center

The one thing I like is how close it is to Aroma Baywalk-beach. I come to SJ every month for business, though, and the room is too small for the price, including the bathroom. I changed to twin beds at the last minute, so the rate was for a twin room. The room also didn’t match what I expected from the hotel’s exterior. I was carrying a lot, and nobody offered to help. When I asked where to go, they just pointed the way. The staff weren’t attentive enough, and that was disappointing. I travel a lot and have stayed in many places more worth the price.

The hotel felt very safe, with a gate and an armed security guard. When I arrived at San Jose airport, they provided free transportation to the hotel without me even asking. For my birdwatching visit to the sublayan prison, they also arranged a private driver for $5k pesos for the day.

We chose Seasons Hotel after our flight to Manila was stranded because of typhoon Leon. The food was good, with a full, filling breakfast costing $2-2.50, and direct booking is a lot cheaper. A security guard was helpful and called a ride for us to the downtown market. The tricycle fare was $0.45 per person, or 20 pesos in their local money. It’s 0.6 mile from San Jose Occidental Domestic Airport, and they provide complimentary shuttle service for guests flying. When we asked to move to a more comfortable room, they accommodated us. The room was nice and clean. We pushed two twin beds together to make a wider mattress for sleeping with babies. The bathroom is wet style, but the water heater and flushing toilet made it comfortable to use.

The room wasn’t ready for us at all. Furniture, the TV, and cabinet were dusty, and we ended up with runny noses and coughing from allergies. There were mosquitoes everywhere, the TV didn’t work, the key card wouldn’t operate the lights or air conditioner, and traffic noise was intolerable. The towels looked used by previous guests and had makeup smears. The toilet wouldn’t flush, and a screw for the seat mount was missing. We ate at the restaurant too. The chopsuey was spoiled and I got sick afterward, while dishes like the Kare-kare were very salty. We brought these problems to the front desk, but got no apology or help beyond hearing that the manager wasn’t there. We couldn’t get an upgraded room that night, and nobody answered the phone. At check-in, staff said everyone had gone to the year-end staff party. They focused on the party over customers. The rooms should have been checked before guests arrived. My family and I stayed overnight at Season’s Hotel on December 29, the day before our flight to Manila. It was the worst hotel we’ve ever stayed in. Staff weren’t trained to resolve the problems, and we heard nothing useful from them.