Santa Ana Star Casino Hotel — Attraction in Four Corners States

My wife and I stayed in the hotel for five nights while I attended a motorcycle rally. The rally planning team chose this casino hotel as our rally headquarters, with roughly 160 people in attendance. The bottom line: our stay was enjoyable, and mostly glitch-free. Hotel management bent over backwards for our group, providing us with dedicated motorcycle and trailer parking areas, a bike wash area, nice meeting rooms, excellent food, drink and service at our week-ending banquet, and other great amenities. Check-in was easy and quick, and the elevators were fast (our room was on the top level, 8th floor). Our King room was clean, large, nicely decorated, and had a great view to the south. The furnishings were in good shape, too. The bed was comfortable, as were the pillows. The AC system was up to the task (although the weird thermostat was overly complicated and frustrating to use; a really odd choice for a hotel room). The TV was OK but had the usual limited hotel channels. But we weren't there to spend time watching TV. The bathroom was big, clean, and stocked satisfactorily with linens. However, the hotel designer decided against a light over the shower, which was like showering in a cave. Too dim. Housekeeping service was good (and it's daily, too). The rest of the property was likewise up to par. We did not partake of any of the casino offerings as it's not our style. However, we did pass through many times and really appreciated it being smoke-free. The pool was big, seemed to be well cared for, and the two hot tubs were OK (the jets are simply too weak and aren't on a timer). The bowling center was much bigger than we thought it would be, but we did not use it. Very clean, though. Foodservice was mostly good, with the Mesa Grill being much better than we anticipated. We had four meals there over the course of our stay, and so did many of our group! Very tasty green chile stew and enchiladas were our go-to choices. Oh, and the Asian Szechuan was really good too. Portions were enormous to the point we couldn't fit any more food in the small room fridge. (Note that there is no microwave oven in the rooms, so you won't be able to reheat anything. That's a negative in our book.) Good coffee (Starbucks) and cinnamon rolls at Perks were a morning staple for us. We did not eat at the Juniper Steak House, but did have drinks at the bar that were just what we needed after being out in the New Mexico heat. The only unimpressive spot was the Home Plate Bar and Grill. The food was mediocre, and the service was, well, let's say slow and disinterested. With other available choices, there is just no need to go back there. BUT, the biggest asset here is the STAFF. We were always met with a smile and a greeting (even the Home Plate server got that part right). From the front desk clerks to the housekeepers to the security personnel to the banquet servers to the foodservice folks, we were made to feel welcome and valued. Our appreciation goes out to every one of those people, and to hotel management for finding truly excellent customer-facing team members. That is difficult to pull off.

Finally, this review reflects the opinions of my wife and me only. But...we never heard a single one of our group utter anything negative about the Star all week long. That's about the best recommendation you can get. We will definitely consider staying here again should our travels take...

I have stayed here at Santa Ana in the past and it was always a great stay. Today, I called the number listed to check on my reservation and to see if I could check in early. I spoke to a woman named Janice, and confirmed the information, as well as my request. She told me that the rooms were not ready and to check back in an hour. This was around 2 p.m. and check-in is around 4. So, I called back after 3:10 and she told me that the rooms were ready and I could check-in. I had confirmed the request of two connecting rooms on the 4th or 5th floor. When I spoke to Janice she said that it was noted. Anyway, we checked in and were told that the only connecting rooms available were on the 3rd floor, and if we wanted the fourth floor, they would not be connecting. So, we settled for the third floor with connecting rooms AND we were told it would have the Mountain View. That is what the lady checking us in, told us. I heard it, and I agreed. We had help with our bags and when we got to the room, I noticed it was a view where the HVAC is located- also known as a “golf course view.” We immediately told the bell hop this was the wrong room and he said that they could fix it for us and to call the front desk. We called the front desk and told them this was the wrong room, because the lady at check-in told us what we would get. The front desk was no help so I went down to the lobby in person to speak to a manager. Now, this manager was Cathy, or Kathy. She would not let me get a word in. She spoke over me and as soon as I began to talk, she would speak over me and kept saying, “it doesn’t matter.” I had the receipts and the documents that clearly stated the request. I was so confused as to why she was being rude and saying the opposite of what I was told over the phone before checking in. Imagine being in a good mood and just wanting to get what I paid for, and being talked down to. Kathy was giving me a dirty look and a rude tone. I left feeling awful and attacked. The lady would not even let me talk, and other customers were looking. I told her I wasn’t trying to argue or attack her, but she was very defensive and even told me that I wrote a request for the third floor and that they explained to me I was getting a golf view and it would be a hassle for housekeeping to re- clean the room that we just stepped foot in. But, we were told we were getting the Mountain View. She was not even the one to check us in but she was so sure and positive that we were told what she believed. That was untrue, so she pretty much said I was a liar. I tried to show her the paper work on my phone as proof, and she still told me, “that doesn’t matter.” I didn’t want to argue with her or even deal with her after that. What happened to accommodating the customer, or at least listening to what they have to say? And this is the manager?! She needs to work on her customer service skills and straighten up, or Santa Ana needs to have a different manager. Before this, she was getting upset with a elderly couple as well. It left a bad impression. If you’re going to stay here, just be aware that the staff are not on the same page. One person will tell you one thing, and the next one will tell you...

Hotel: My husband is disabled and we booked a handicap King Room with roll-in shower that was confirmed on the phone with the hotel. When we arrived, the front desk rep said I upgraded you to the 7th floor to have a better view, handicap accessible, etc... The bell person was great and had our luggage in our room when we got off the elevator. And the room was very accessible to the ice machines and elevator, right across the way. The room did not have a king bed, however. Upon visiting with the front desk on the phone we were told that the only king accessible with a roll-in shower was occupied. The room with the queen beds seems like it was a modified regular room into a room that they tried to adapt and denote as handicap. It was difficult to maneuver a wheelchair in the room and bathroom. Bathroom: Had the raised toilet with bars. However, the sink (too high) and shower were not handicap friendly. The shower has a seat and a grab bar near the seat, however, there is no grab bar to help support a disabled individual when coming out of the shower. The wheelchair did not fit in the shower. Also, they hung the shampoo and conditioner pump stations 4 feet away from the shower seat. It should have been right next to the special shower seat. That seems like an easy fix. Lastly, the bed was sitting too low and was way too soft for a disabled person to be able to transition easily to their wheelchair or from wheelchair to bed.

The Juniper Steakhouse was great! The food was excellent in taste and presentation. Michael was our waiter and he was awesome; very attentive and personable. The only suggestion I would like to mention is entree portion size, they were too large. They could have priced the entrees down and lessened the quantity. Everything else on the menu was priced appropriately. Personally, I would have liked to have sampled more of the menu, like a salad and small cup of french onion soup, for instance. I enjoyed the Wagu Tri tip, it was delicious, but let's be realistic, they could have given me 7 ounces instead of 14 ounces. The garlic mashed potatoes were very, very good. My husband’s queen size prime rib, could have been 6 ounces instead of 12, for example. The rolls, oh my goodness, the rolls…trust me, they are better than Red Lobsters and Olive Gardens rolls. We were celebrating our 31st wedding anniversary and MIchael brought us a piece of key lime pie on the house. That was a very nice touch. We decided to have it wrapped up to eat later when our stomachs recovered a little. But, like I said, I would suggest downsizing the portions to be able to sample more of the menu.

The casino is clean and COVID safe with lucite separators between each slot machine. We could never find any tables for 21 or blackjack or craps though. But we only played the slots for about an hour because we were tired from the drive and the huge meal. Honestly, I won't return to this resort. The accommodations were not up to par with other casinos. I enjoy Winstar in Oklahoma and Margaritaville in Bossier City...