Western Holiday Lodge Three Rivers

The condition of the room was awful: stained chairs, dirty mirrors, and everything looked old, worn, and neglected. Cleanliness was nowhere near acceptable, especially for what we paid. We had a small child with us. It seems the bed our child slept in was free of bed bugs, thankfully, but my husband’s bed was infested. He woke with 5-6 bites across his torso and had a severe reaction. The bugs seem to have come home with us, and now we’re dealing with an infestation in our apartment. It’s caused a lot of stress and extra expense. We can’t recommend this hotel.

The room service was good, the desk staff were friendly, and there was plenty of parking in a clean area with a small playground for kids. But the room itself was basic, and its old, rattling AC was so loud we couldn’t sleep. It also never seemed to cool the room, even when we ran it full blast. The “upgraded” king’s room was right under the stairwell (see pic), with windows looking onto the parking lot and no privacy. Be careful booking online and don’t rely on the pictures. We reserved a double room with a table and balcony, but were given a standard room at check-in. The manager kindly upgraded us at no extra charge, though it shouldn’t have happened to begin with.

If you’re just passing through and need a place for the night before Sequoia National Park, this works. There’s an adequate pool, and food and a store are a little way down the road, still fairly convenient. Just don’t expect first-class service. They overcharged us, and it took a while to sort out. The woman at the front desk seemed kind of pissed off.

Mario and Maria were wonderful when they stepped in, but my experience with HEATHER made this a deeply upsetting stay. Mario, the maintenance manager, apologized for how HEATHER handled both check-in and checkout. He also seemed confused that she had asked for my passport, rejected my military ID, and acted unprofessionally over the receipt. He called two receptionists for help. Maria mediated between us and HEATHER, made sure my profile would be deleted, and explained the receipt issue thoroughly. Mario is clearly someone the owner has assigned to handle situations like this. The workers also said the owner wouldn’t be back for a couple of days because of an emergency. That contradicted what HEATHER had told us earlier. She had made it sound as if we’d have to wait for the owner, though she apparently knew they wouldn’t be back soon. At checkout, I left the key at the office window because nobody was there. We came back later when HEATHER was present and politely asked for a receipt showing there were no charges on our card, and for her to delete my profile because I was worried about my passport number and credit card details being stored. She said she couldn’t give us a receipt without the owner, who supposedly would come in later. There was a business card, so we called the number, and the phone rang right in front of us. She’d made it seem like the manager had that phone. When we kept asking for documentation because we were uncomfortable with how we’d been treated and with the personal information she’d collected, she said she’d had enough, threatened to call the police, and said she would get Mario to deal with us. We were relieved when he came. If the police had arrived, we had evidence of the discrimination and of her refusing to help, and we hadn’t been aggressive. The room was spacious and the location near shops and Sequoia National Park was convenient. For the price, the stay itself was decent. But the check-in was shocking. HEATHER, who was temporarily working reception, asked for the usual information, then insisted her system required passport proof. I felt racially profiled. Hotels have only ever asked me for ID, usually a driver’s license, even when I traveled internationally to Germany or France, or to smaller towns like Joshua Tree and Sedona. Instead, she demanded my passport and kept insisting. I felt uncomfortable with her manner and what seemed like racial discrimination, so I offered my military ID. She said she didn’t know what it was and still needed my passport to enter the numbers. I eventually gave in. After looking at it and staring at me, she asked where I was coming from. I gave the city. Seeing that I was born outside the US, she said, “Oh, and you are from [said country], huh?” I told her I was coming from [insert city] and that her questions didn’t make sense. I then asked whether my California ID would do, and she said, “Oh yeah, that’s perfect!” It showed she hadn’t needed my passport after all. I left in shock. At first I wasn’t sure if she was being racist, but thinking it over, her behavior had a clear racist undertone. It’s disgraceful and heartbreaking for someone like that to represent the hotel. I won’t come back while she represents the place. Mario and Maria were great, but one employee’s discriminatory behavior spoiled what could have been a pleasant stay near Sequoia National Park.