La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Davis

I booked through Expedia for a good price while visiting my daughter at UC Davis. Late Friday night, I got up to get my computer and smashed my toe on the floor. A corner of one tile was lifting because of poor maintenance. I hadn’t noticed it earlier since I hadn’t been on that side of the bedroom. I told the clerk, but he couldn’t reach the manager, who didn’t answer. It was late and I’d driven all day, so I gave up trying to make my case and just wanted to rest. The clerk cancelled my Expedia booking and offered another room at two and a half times the rate. At 11:30 p.m., in an unfamiliar town, I wasn’t going to go out looking for a room, so I agreed. He said I could speak with the day clerk, but she said she couldn’t do anything and told me to email the manager. The manager didn’t get back to me until three and a half weeks later, after I’d called 13 times. During those calls, another clerk said the manager’s business card had the wrong email address, which was why she hadn’t replied, even though staff had given me that card. Corporate gave me the same runaround. They never called back, but emailed an offer for one free night at another La Quinta, which felt like a joke. When I finally spoke to the manager, she said she’d waive the charges, but still charged me the original Expedia prices. I’m extremely disappointed with the whole WYNDHAM CORPORATION. To me, it seems all about money, not people. That’s what happened to me. If I could rate it zero, I would.

The team made a real effort to sort out the check-in problem from my third-party booking, which wasn’t their fault. Thanks, Pablo, for helping me get settled. Customer service was exceptional, and I’d stay again on that basis alone. Breakfast was good, with a waffle maker as a nice extra. There’s one washer and dryer on the 3rd floor. The vending machines on the main floor only take cash, so e-pay would be much easier. The hotel could use some updates, including a more comfortable bed. It wasn’t terrible, just old. Built-in personal care amenities would be helpful, too.

The beds were comfortable and the room was clean, but the pillows were old and extremely flat. They really need replacing. The carpet looked dirty, and the room had a cigarette smell. Outside, the trash cans were overflowing for two days without anyone cleaning them up. Breakfast was cheap and unappealing: cold, greasy microwave bacon and sausage, with only prepackaged hard-boiled eggs and no warm eggs.

The staff were friendly and the room was clean. My only issue was the king mattress. It looked badly worn, like two gorillas had been sleeping on it, and it was tolerable but not very comfortable. I mentioned it in the online checkout, and they texted back that they'd look into it. We'll see next time.