La Quinta Inn Bakersfield South

The bed was soft, the bathroom seemed updated, and the plumbing worked. Breakfast was okay, with eggs, waffles, cereal, muffins, Gogurt (though no yogurt), jam, bananas, soggy apples, an orange drink, water, coffee, and tea. Checkout was efficient, and Vinky at the front desk was friendly enough to let me inspect the room first. We arrived around 10:30 Thursday night without a reservation, after losing connection at Tejon Pass, and trusted the La Quinta name. The entry light switch didn’t work, so I used my phone flashlight to check the room while my husband, exhausted, waited in the car. Vinky quoted $84 total even with AAA, close to the booking.com rate, and the paper I signed didn’t show a rate. Once inside, traffic noise, a passing train, then a chopper were all easy to hear, maybe the walls are thin. The walls, corners, and door jambs looked rough, the colors were drab, and there was mold or mildew in the bathroom. I also had a strange crawling feeling on my skin. This didn’t feel close to La Quinta quality. I’m unlikely to stay again. The highway, trains, and choppers make this part of town noisy.

The bed was clean enough for a budget hotel and the AC worked. Breakfast was okay yesterday, but today, when I went in around 8:35 even though it ran until 9, they’d pushed all the dining chairs in front of half the breakfast bar to clean the floor. Kind of a joke. Front desk service was terrible. Staying there felt like an adventure in discovering what was broken, as if they hoped you’d pay, leave, and not need anything or be around.

I called before checking in last night and confirmed the $100 deposit and $25 dog fee. I have a Dalmatian, so I wanted to be sure the place would suit her. This morning, when we returned the keys and asked for the deposit, they suddenly gave my husband a new contract to sign with a $50 dog fee plus a $6 fee. Nobody mentioned that last night. When I pointed that out, the front desk lady said, “I dont know who is lying.” Why would we lie? We’re Diamond members and always stay at La Quinta without issues. The owner came out from the back when we said we wanted to show the contract to Wyndham, then told us we couldn’t take it with us. He tried to justify charging more by saying there was too much dog hair on the floor. We’d barely been there, and she’s a short-haired puppy, so of course there’d be a little hair to sweep up. They accept dogs. It’s only $31 to some people, but why weren’t we told upfront? The way they treat people is disgusting. Stay somewhere else.

There were earwigs in the room, the outlets were wonky, and the mattress had pee stains all over it. The bathroom door wouldn’t close or lock properly. Do not recommend.