Hawthorn Extended Stay by Wyndham Jackson Alpine

I hadn’t visited Alpine in 42 years and was shocked by how much it had grown, but glad we stayed at this hotel. The rooms were large, clean, and comfortable. Matt Cooper, the General Manager, especially stood out. He called to warn me about dangerous winter road conditions on the way into Alpine, then was so friendly that we talked for about half an hour at check-in. I shared some stories about Alpine in 1983, until my wife came to remind me we needed to unload the car. Matt briefly described his approach of encouraging employees and creating a pleasant workplace. The next morning I saw that his staff were professional, polite, and just as friendly. I’d certainly recommend staying here.

The property was under construction during my stay, which added noise and disruption and hadn’t been mentioned when I booked. I also heard staff making racially insensitive jokes toward Hispanic guests on multiple occasions, including racial slurs. That’s unacceptable anywhere, especially in hospitality. Loud personal conversations in the lobby and breakfast area included negative remarks about people’s backgrounds and cultures, which was very uncomfortable for guests who could hear them. There was constant thudding, TVs, and shouting throughout the day and evening. When I reported it, a manager told me to “get over it” because “people live here,” even though I was staying for several weeks for work. One front desk worker was the only good part of the stay, but unfortunately he couldn’t fix the major problems with the property. My experience was very disappointing, and I wouldn’t recommend staying here.

The rooms were spacious and well cared for, and the front desk staff were very helpful. My only complaint is that breakfast was very basic compared with a Holiday Inn.

The room was clean and nice, and the manager, Matthew, was pleasant. But I was charged twice for the room. They called the extra charge a “hold” and said it would disappear at checkout, but it didn’t. I had to bring it up three times and got a lot of run-around. Another guest was at the desk one night with the same complaint. It feels like something shady is going on. The dining room was completely dysfunctional, though the coffee machine was amazing. There’s no turnaround space in the parking lot, so you have to back all the way out to turn around. I wouldn’t recommend this place.