Extended Stay America Suites Orange County Lake Forest

The staff work hard to keep the hotel safe, clean, and affordable, and it’s both kid-friendly and pet-friendly. Kevin recently took over as manager and has brought a fresh focus on guest satisfaction. Lake Forest Extended Stay is widely considered one of the top extended-stay choices in southern Orange County. Front desk staff can help with questions, though sometimes there’s a wait when staffing is limited. Tipping the cleaning staff isn’t required, but $2-$5 is a nice gesture. The hotel offers a comfortable, accommodating stay. Thank you.

It’s day four of a horrible weeklong stay, and I’m very disappointed by how much I paid for this room. I booked online because my past extended-stay experiences had been clean and accommodating. I have my one-year-old daughter with me, and when we arrived the room was filthy. I brought floor cleaner and steamed the floors; they turned my feet black and left the cleaning pad completely black. The walls are dirty, the curtains are falling down, and the furniture is badly damaged. The kitchen drawers are eroded and won’t close, so they sit open and my daughter keeps hitting her head on them. The refrigerator is rusty, with hair on the shelves and sludgy water in the bottom drawers. The advertised breakfast has been nonexistent every morning. The baskets are empty, with no granola bars, muffins, oatmeal, or other food, and hardly any drinks. I don’t understand why they put the baskets out at all. The first night, after I bathed my daughter, staff came upstairs and said it had flooded the room below. They told me I couldn’t use the bathroom for the next 24 hours, so I still haven’t been able to shower. I’ve never been so appalled by a place. I wish I didn’t have to stay, but it’s a couple of days before Thanksgiving and I’ve already paid.

This was a very dirty and unsafe stay. The place smells like cigarettes during the day and marijuana at night, and it felt understaffed for housekeeping. There was what seemed like a weekly police visit, and the place felt like a live taping of the Jerry Springer show. It seems clear that homeless people are living here, or at least trying to. The rooms are getting badly used and aren’t properly cleaned between guests. Like other reviews say, it’s a shelter, not an extended stay. The front desk did have a few nice people who seemed concerned and helped with toiletries and towel exchanges, so I’m giving service two stars. But I had to clean more than I should have just to stay in the room. I looked at five rooms at check-in because they were all so run-down and dirty. The room I settled on late at night, with no other choice, may have been an upgraded one with hard floors instead of carpet. Even there, there was leftover hair in the tub, sink, and on the counter. I cleaned the floors nightly and still couldn’t get them clean, so I had to keep shoes on unless I wanted black feet. The refrigerator was rusty inside and out. Housekeeping hadn’t cleaned the microwave. Its glass plate was caked with butter and garlic. Under the stove was yellow and full of old cooking residue. The bathroom faucet lifted and moved when used, and the tub had so many cracks that I put a towel down to shower. The two-bed room wasn’t really usable as such because the other bed was so unstable that sitting on it could catapult you. I paid through Booking.com using Affirm, but the location tried to charge me twice. They’d agree I didn’t owe anything after I showed my booking and payment details, but then it happened again. They also gave my room key to a family member staying upstairs without my consent. She wasn’t authorized or listed as an emergency contact. I was told they didn’t check any ID. Someone claiming to be family could be anyone.

The room smelled like sewer, and the kitchenette was empty and unusable. The hotel is old and needs updates. It took more than five hours of trying to move me before I was told there were no other rooms, so I had to cancel the rest of my stay. The new manager, who’d been there for five days, contacted me afterward and was very apologetic and hospitable. The front desk woman wasn’t nearly as helpful. I wouldn’t recommend staying unless the place is updated.