Surestay Plus Hotel By Best Western El Cajon

It's been a better stay than I expected over the past few days. The rooms are spacious and clean, and the bathrooms are nice, which matters to me. There's a pool, though the hot tub isn't working right now. Some lower-priced rooms have hot tubs inside, and maybe we can try one someday, though a long stay in one is out of our budget. The front desk's main guy is laid-back, it's usually quiet, and shops and restaurants are about a 5-10 minute walk away. They offer fair weekly rates, too. The TV has lots of channels and on-demand options, the curtains block daylight well, and housekeeping checks each morning to see if you need anything. I'd stay here again.

The room seemed okay at first, somewhere between good and bad. But sleeping was a problem: the lights had motion sensors, so after I switched one off, pulling the covers over me made it turn back on. I ended up putting the microwave in front of the switch. Breakfast was advertised as hot, but what I got was a paper bag with instant oatmeal, yogurt, a muffin, and a Nutri bar. I wouldn't recommend it for a restful night or a decent meal in the morning.

The room smelled of bleach, half the lights had no bulbs, and many outlets were missing or barely worked. There was a used bandage, a cockroach, and unexplained stains on the sheets. The online and front desk listings both advertised free breakfast, but the manager told us they'd stopped serving it because too many guests complained. We were also told housekeeping would come every other day, yet nobody came during our 5-day, 4-night stay. The hotel photos were very misleading, and our room didn't seem finished or ready to rent. I won't stay here again.

I'm a truck driver and travel from state to state daily. I booked a room here, then had to cancel at the last minute because the product in my truck needed to reach its destination earlier than expected. That was back in April, and I'm still trying to get my money back with no success. The front desk was disrespectful, and the customer service has been awful.