The Westin San Antonio North

The room itself was clean, and the sheets and linens were excellent. The halls were another story, filthy and looking like they hadn’t seen a vacuum in weeks. I could hear the neighbors’ TVs and every cough through the paper-thin walls. Someone even slid a takeout menu under my door, which left me uneasy about security. The beds were far too soft, and I wouldn’t choose to stay here again.

The lobby team were warm and welcoming, but that was the only part of our visit that went well. My girlfriend and I came to San Antonio for the first time over Valentine’s weekend, and the rest of the stay was a letdown. Breakfast cost extra and was unappetizing for a hotel claiming four-star quality. The breakfast staff were rude and didn’t explain the seating process, so we didn’t know we were supposed to wait for a table. There was a $10 nightly parking charge, a fee for the poor breakfast, and $20 for basic Wi-Fi. It felt like there was a charge for everything. The whole eighth floor needs remodeling: old carpet and wallpaper, uncomfortable pillows, and a bathroom that looked worse than an apartment in the hood. I’ve stayed at nicer Extended Stays, Holiday Inns, and Best Westerns. I won’t return to this Westin location and will pick one of those next time.

The manager, Maesha, was the worst part of an already stressful situation. She showed no real apology, ownership, or empathy, and spoke to me as if I were unreasonable for being upset. When I asked how they would make things right, the answer was essentially nothing. The Westin operates under Marriott International, and this was far below the service I associate with that brand. My husband had prepaid for three nights as a rare, much-needed break for me, and I had a confirmed reservation. I arrived at 2 PM, was told check-in was at 4, waited in the lobby, and came back at 3:55. Only then did I casually learn I’d been “walked” to another hotel because this one was overbooked. There’d been no call, email, or advance warning. The alternate hotel was 15 minutes away in peak traffic and clearly inferior. I had to drive across town, unpack and repack, check out at 11 the next morning, then wait five hours before I could check back into the Westin. A stay meant for rest turned into a logistical mess caused by the hotel. Overbooking was their mistake, and treating a displaced guest like a nuisance was a leadership failure. Moving me without notice was bad enough; the lack of apology, accountability, or meaningful service recovery made it inexcusable. What should have been a restful break began with stress, disruption, and astonishingly poor management. I’d strongly caution others before booking here.

The breakfast cost $20 per person each day and was worse than free breakfasts at other hotels. Food containers were often empty and weren’t refilled, the juices had no labels, and I had to ask for coffee. When I asked a staff member what juice I’d picked, she didn’t speak English. Parking was another ripoff: an automated plate reader charged us separately every time we entered or left the unenclosed lot, and we ended up with multiple charges for parking that was already inconvenient. The lobby looks luxurious, but the rooms and corridors were awful. The halls were dated, with wallpaper peeling at the corners and dirty carpet that stayed that way throughout our three-day visit. Our room was small, musty, and old. The room carpet was disgustingly dirty, the beds were too high and uncomfortable, and there was almost nowhere to put anything. The tiny fridge was under half the TV cabinet, leaving only the desk as a surface, with a chair that didn’t fit it. There was no mirror over the desk, the lights were old manual ones, and there were hardly any outlets. We had one old, chipped luggage stand. The bathroom had a very low toilet, with the toilet paper holder about three feet behind it. The “miser” flush took at least three tries, often more. There were no hooks or towel racks, and no extra Kleenex or toilet paper. The few spare towels sat under the sink on a shallow crate-like stand, right on the floor. This was the worst stay we’ve had in quite a while, and it was ridiculously overpriced. It was old and dirty, with poor service and awful rooms, plus every conceivable add-on charge without any real value.