Comfort Inn & Suites San Marcos near Outlet Mall

The common area carpets were badly worn, with dust piled along the bottoms of the walls. It looked like nobody had paid attention to them for months. In our room, the bathroom fan didn’t work, the fixtures were heavily rusted, and the whole room had a musty smell. One lamp was missing two of its three bulbs. We also waited about five minutes after entering before anyone appeared at the front desk. When the staff member finally came out from the back, there was no friendly greeting, just an awkward look as if they were wondering what we wanted. I forgot some of the other issues I noticed, but I regret paying for a place that needs major renovations and a dramatic improvement in staff quality. I hope the owners or management see this and make serious changes. It feels like the hotel is getting by with very little service, cleaning, or upkeep.

The location was convenient, close to restaurants and stores, but it didn’t make the stay worthwhile. We were in town for a work convention and needed proper rest before early mornings. Instead, we weren’t happy to return to the room, which mostly just provided a roof over our heads. We’ll avoid this place if we’re back in town. Getting a hot shower was out of reach. The water took around 5-10 minutes to warm up, and even then it was only lukewarm. Because of a medical condition, I rely on hot showers for comfort, so I couldn’t get the relief I needed. The coffee wasn’t much better: the lobby machine was broken, and the one in our room didn’t make coffee at the quality we expected. The bed didn’t help us rest, either. The mattress felt flat and stiff. The pillows looked fluffy, but their material felt stiff, and the sheets weren’t as comfortable as what I’d expect at home, much less at a good hotel or motel.

The one person I dealt with at the front desk was attentive and seemed to care. He moved me out of the first room, which was somehow worse than the second: chunks were missing from the wall, and the TV was positioned so awkwardly that neither bed had a proper view. He said customers complain about that room regularly, which says a lot. The staff I interacted with were friendly and seemed to be doing their best, but at $173 a night, I can only give the place one star. The pool and fitness areas were in rough shape. Chunks were missing from the pool walls, there were no towels, and the corroded light switch had to be flipped repeatedly to keep the lights on. The indoor pool was freezing because it wasn’t heated. The building outside also looked neglected, with broken or flickering lights. In the lobby, a huge section of damaged ceiling had been cut away in a jagged, sloppy fashion. It gave the impression that repairs were being done as cheaply as possible. My room had no usable Wi-Fi. The signal existed, but whatever cheap router setup they use couldn’t reach the room properly. The business center was a dusty, ancient all-in-one computer in the lobby. We skipped breakfast because the rest of the hotel had left us without confidence in it. A side door access issue was strange, too: the doors lock after 6 PM, and your room key won’t let you back in. If you go outside, you have to walk around to the front entrance. The place felt dirty, broken, outdated, or poorly repaired in nearly every way. Carpets were filthy, dead bugs were on the floor, cockroaches came out of the sink, the shower had mold, the shower head was grimy, and the vents had so much dust they looked furry. The first room was especially bad, but the room I was moved to wasn’t good either. It feels like someone bought an old hotel and has collected money from it for years without maintaining it properly. Even at $50-60 a night I’d consider it rough, though at least the price might make sense. Nearly $200 for one night is ridiculous. Don’t stay unless you’re desperate. The price is too high for the condition, and given my experience plus other reviews mentioning bed bugs, I’d worry about bringing home more than luggage.

This visit was a letdown. We’ve stayed here a couple of times before because the location works for us, and the staff have always been friendly. But things felt like they’d slipped since our earlier stays. When we pulled out the hideaway couch, there was debris underneath. The only bedding for it was one blanket in the closet, with no sheets or pillows. We skipped the indoor pool because it didn’t look very clean, and the exercise room was closed as “out of order.” Breakfast had good waffles, but the rest was cereal, eggs, and sausage patties that didn’t look appetizing. I’m not usually someone who gives a place a low rating, but this time it felt like the hotel was operating at a lower level than before.