Los Gatos Garden Inn Hotel

I’m a single mom who came to visit my son just after he left for college, and the hotel’s failures cost me more than $2,000. We spent the ENTIRE day at the impound lot after my rental car was towed. They repeatedly took ZERO responsibility, ignored me, and ignored Airbnb, which also did nothing to fix it. What I’ve described here isn’t even the whole story. Zero stars. Do NOT stay here. Run away! There was no parking guidance or communication about the parade, which had been happening on the same day for decades. Staff seemed unaware of it, and my car was towed and impounded. They told other guests they’d do EVERYTHING they could to help me, but did nothing. I never got the building access code. When I went to the office, no one was there despite assurances someone would be, and no one answered any of the three phone numbers I tried. I also didn’t get the room I requested. When I complained, they gave us a cot with no mattress, smaller than a loveseat. The rooms were disgusting, there was zero parking, and the staff were awful. The owner, Melissa, and onsite manager, Max, truly don’t know how to run a business.

Our stay itself was nice, with no complaints. But I left an expensive jacket behind, and it disappeared after I tried to get it back. When I first called, they told me it had been found at the front office and said they’d mail it if I sent a prepaid box. A couple of days later, while we were driving back up from Santa Bárbara, I called the Los Gatos Garden Inn motel to ask if we could pick it up that evening. They said the office would be closed and they couldn’t wait for us, but offered to mail it instead. The next day I paid a good amount at FedEx to send them a prepaid, labeled box. FedEx tracking and the front desk guy confirmed it arrived. After that, nothing. The return box was never sent to FedEx, and both it and my jacket vanished. The man at the front desk seemed completely unconcerned about the jacket or the loss. Someone at the hotel stole it, and they showed no concern about my loss or the possibility of a thief there.

This has happened to me more than once during my stays at Los Gatos Garden Inn in Los Gatos, California: I was charged twice for the same room. The repeated double charges are concerning, but what’s most disappointing is how little follow-through there was. At the front desk, they’d apologize, say they’d cancel the transaction, and assure me it would be handled. Nothing happened. When I called the next week, I was told again and again to wait “2-3 business days.” That time would pass without a refund or update, and only after I kept calling would I reach a manager. Right after that conversation, the charge would suddenly show as pending cancellation. It seemed nothing had been done all week. Billing mistakes can happen, but the front desk staff seemed unprofessional and unable to manage basic billing and customer service responsibilities. I hope management takes this seriously and improves its processes. Repeated charges and slow resolutions aren’t acceptable.

We arrived at 8:25pm to find the reception already closed, despite the window saying rooms were available 24/7 and office hours ran until 10:00pm. The sign said to call a number for check-in after that, but we called several times and nobody answered. After nearly an hour waiting outside in the freezing cold, we gave up and found another hotel. This was appalling service. If guests can’t reliably check in around the clock, and the office isn’t open during its stated hours, they shouldn’t be running a business. We had booked a couple of rooms for one night. Avoid this place at all costs.