Sonesta Simply Suites Irvine Spectrum

The staff were pleasant when spoken to nicely, and I appreciate that dogs are allowed. I think they’re doing the best they can with the condition of the motel. But the smell was awful in the lobby, halls, and room. There was flea powder all over the floor when we arrived, the window took all my strength to open, and the refrigerator didn’t cool, so I had to throw food away. Staff spent hours using a sewer snake in the unit above before clearing the drain, and people in another unit were making an incredible amount of noise, like they were doing gymnastics. There’s potential here, but the bathroom perfume needs to go, and the window and refrigerator need fixing. The floors could use a weekly deep scrub with a rug shampooer on each floor. Natural scents from plants like lavender, rosemary, honeysuckle, pine, or cedar would be better. Clean carpets are the best fragrance anyway, and durable laminate might be worth considering instead.

There was no water for more than three hours while I was trying to get ready for work, so I couldn’t use the toilet, sink, or shower. If I’d known about the problem when booking or checking in, I would have stayed somewhere else. Well into the third hour, I called the front desk to ask when it would be fixed. They didn’t know and said all guests had been told it was going to happen. I hadn’t been told. The room had two burned-out bulbs and a very dirty floor. There was dog feces on the carpeted stairs to the room. The remote was an awful Cox cable box remote, so you couldn’t adjust the TV settings. Maybe that wouldn’t bother everyone, but it was annoying. The bed advertised as a queen seemed much smaller, probably full size. I call those “hotel queens.” The mattress felt like a block of jello, wobbling with every movement before settling. The pullout sofa was more comfortable. Staff were either very misinformed or, in my view, purposely making guests’ stays awful. Maybe it’s a common Irvine problem, where people earn very little in a very expensive area and don’t care about their jobs.

The hotel should not do business when the water is shut off. You can’t even use the toilet or take a shower, and they don’t want to refund you. What a lousy hotel. I booked through Expedia and planned to check in at 8:00 PM. Staff told me at check-in that the water would be shut off from 10:00 PM. Since that was still about two hours away, I specifically asked if I could shower, and they clearly said yes. But once I was in the room, I got undressed, turned on the shower, and there was no water at all. That meant no shower and no toilet, despite what I’d been assured. A full water shutdown should have been clearly disclosed online before payment. I don’t think this hotel should be listed on Expedia under those circumstances. When I complained, no one took responsibility; they told me to talk to the manager, who had already left early. They said I’d get a call the next day, but nobody called. I phoned myself and got disconnected twice. Eventually I was told “sorry” and offered just $17, which is completely unacceptable. I expect a proper explanation, accountability, and appropriate compensation. This was far below any reasonable standard of service.

The room was clean and really nice, with a separate bedroom and a kitchen that had a regular-sized fridge, appliances, and a stovetop. There were dishes in the cupboards and plenty of towels. The bed was very comfortable and had lots of pillows.