Home2 Suites by Hilton Corona

We’ve stayed at tons of Home2 Suites as Hilton Honors members, so this place was a shock. The wet carpets and an elevator that was out of order were bad enough, but on our fourth day a piece of what looked like poop came out of the washer’s rim when our laundry finished. The other washer was out of order too, so we had to take our clothes to an outside facility. That was the point we decided never to return. We tried contacting manager Michelle twice. I called and left a message, but she never responded, and when we went looking she seemed to have disappeared. After Hilton replied to my review, I called the number they gave three hours later. It was 3 p.m. on a Friday in California, but the GM was still unavailable and nobody else in leadership could help. Unbelievable customer service, especially in Dos Lagos. It felt like a cheap motel. Don't stay here. Go to the other hotel in the Dos Lagos area, where they'll treat you better.

Our suite was impressively spacious, and I liked having a kitchen, though the pots and utensils need updating. The hotel sits in a community with shops, a lake, restaurants, a movie theater, and a bowling alley, with apartment complexes and townhomes behind it. It's a great area, but quite noisy. The AC was louder than expected in both the bedroom and living room. Check-in went smoothly, though we had very little interaction with staff and they didn't seem especially friendly or engaged. I also didn't like having to use the key card to turn on the electricity. Paying $10 for overnight parking felt unnecessary when parking around there is free. And the front desk had signs listing charges for things guests may have forgotten at home, items many similar hotels provide for free.

I never ended up staying at this property. I'd booked with Hilton because it was near relatives for our holiday weekend, even though we usually stay somewhere else, and the experience was disappointing from the start. The app showed a rate of $166. I tried booking several times, entered my details and card information, and was charged each time, but never got a confirmation number. Hilton later returned the money all four times and sent alerts saying it was having technical problems and I should try again later. The issue still wasn't resolved. When I called the hotel, the room was suddenly $195 because the earlier rate was no longer available. I explained what had happened, but the front desk employee suggested it might be “my app,” as though I controlled Hilton's app. Nobody tried to honor the rate I had seen or take responsibility for the technical problem. I was told they were sorry, but if I wanted the room I'd have to pay more and there was nothing they could do. There was no effort to accommodate a loyal Hilton Honors member. I can't comment on the rooms or the property itself, but the customer service and handling of this situation were poor. Customers shouldn't face a higher price when Hilton's app problems force them to call. Very disappointing.

The staff were friendly and VERY helpful, and there's a Trader Joes in the same parking lot, with lots of coffee and food places an easy walk away. Getting to most places from here is easy, so we'll be looking to come back. Our room was nice, but it smelled as if something had been painted or installed with adhesive, and that caused us some issues. We didn't tell the staff because we kept expecting the smell to go away. Breakfast was good.