Monterey Fireplace Inn

The worst customer service ever. Booking.com had overbooked on Valentine’s Day, but instead of being upfront, the woman at the front desk acted as if we were lying. She got confrontational, told us to call Booking.com, and left us on the phone with customer service in the lobby for more than half an hour. Then she said they couldn’t give us a room either way. Booking.com had verified the reservation, but she kept acting like we were making it up. The staff were rude and uninformed. Do NOT stay here!

DO NOT BOOK! We booked online a month in advance for Valentine’s Day, and then drove five hours to Monterey, where all the hotels in town were full. You overbooked and turned us away even though we had a confirmation. You ruined our trip. How dare you, owners? If it wasn’t available, you should have let us know. You are horrible people!

The owner and front desk were very kind and helpful, the AC worked well, and parking right in front of the room was free. The location is good too, just minutes from the airport and Cannery Row, with two diners, a gas station, and a 7 Eleven nearby. But the king bed was hard and uncomfortable, and the pillows were completely flat. We had three each, which is ridiculous. The room was run down, with old, cheap furniture and outdated decor that looked nothing like the photos. Black mold filled the bathroom floor tiles, the towels were rough, and cleanliness was questionable. The ice machine still wasn’t working, even though reviews had mentioned it being broken for months. Surely that should have been fixed by now. We’re not picky, but at this price I expected more comfort and quality. If they had one decent pillow, guests wouldn’t need several flat, cheap ones. I hope this review is taken as room for improvement, not just a complaint. We left after two days instead of staying the seven we’d planned.

The bed was very comfortable and the TV was great, otherwise it was an okay motel. The accessible-room shower was in bad shape and the water didn’t drain. The microwave had no turntable, and the toilet’s flush-valve chain kept falling off, so the tank wouldn’t fill.