Hotel Paradox, Autograph Collection — Attraction in Santa Cruz

This was our 4th trip to the Hotel Paradox. The other trips were welcoming and a treat for two guys and their dog. When we arrived, the room that we had previously paid for, almost 2 months prior, was not available. Ok. We were told by the front desk a DOZEN times that they were booked and that it was car week. LOL. Hysterical. We were given room 120. It's the size of a postage stamp to begin with. The toilet did not flush so we waited a while for "engineering" to arrive. Needless to say, we had to use the lobby restrooms for other duties.||||We were told by the check in staff that if we wanted to change our room to WHAT WE ALREADY PAID FOR, that we should check back with them at 0900 the next morning to see if we could be moved and reminded us AGAIN that it's car week and we're completely sold out and that they don't hold rooms. This was getting boring.||||So, time for drinks and food since we were out of our minds with check in at this point. Kudos to Rainbow and Jeff at the bar. Great to see them again. They remembered both of us and our girl.||||The next morning I thought... before we go back to the check in, lets see if our paid for and booked room was available. Guess what? It was. From our check in day to our day of leaving. We met this horrifically rude girl at the front desk who said... we're sold out and we don't hold rooms. And, by the way, it was car week. Ok. I showed her that our previously paid for room was available for our entire trip. She kept talking... Car week. Sold out. Can't hold rooms at which point, I said... PLEASE DON'T SPEAK OVER ME AGAIN. Her eyes shot darts at my face. LOL. What a pain. What a horrific representation of what customer service should be.||||Then, we were taken to a 4th floor room. We had requested the first floor since we travel with our pet. We agreed to this room anyway. The arrogant girl at the front desk, even helped us move to our new room. Awesome. She didn't ride with us back down the elevator and we witnessed her take a bad step on the wet floor and saw her fall. We asked if she was ok and she said she'd just walk it off. ||||In the new room and the next morning, the sink didn't train. We didn't know that multiple rooms connect to the same drain so other rooms needed to be clear for those engineers to enter and clear the drains. That was resolved and at this point, we really didn't care anymore. We've since learned that Marriott will hold rooms for those higher on the Marriott rewards ladder. Nice. Our room was also booked with a breakfast included. Luckily we took pictures of each and every receipt from the restaurant. Guess what? It took TWO calls to whoever answered at the Paradox to have them removed. Sorta classless.||||There are positives about this place. The restaurant, it's staff and food are awesome as mentioned above.||||Do we go back? Unlikely. It's really sad since the eclectic team and guests are what we really enjoy when travelling. We love the pool, the restaurant and it's staff. The front desk is another story. These are people that should be aces in their field. Not jokers. One exception to our front desk experience was Erik who was always friendly and efficient. Never once did he tell us that it was car week, that they were sold out and that they don't hold rooms....

Like an earlier reviewer noted, I also really, really wanted to love the Paradox. From the room rate and the website, it seemed like it could be a 4-star hotel, as it is advertised to be, and in a great location, easily walkable to downtown. I've stayed in 6-7 different hotels in Santa Cruz over the years, and was really looking for a go-to hotel for future stays. To be sure, there was a lot to like about the Paradox: The hospitality in general was mostly good -- I was greeted warmly upon arriving and entering the lobby. Our check-in and check-out were efficient. It was nice that they offered a late checkout when we checked in. The public spaces, like bar and pool are nice. The pool, bar and lounge area are open until 10pm, although the pool furniture was surprisingly stained and dirty. Really great to see filtered water stations on each floor. We got a suite and there was lots of space in room, and the room was nicely furnished. The location is just a 5-minute walk into downtown.

However, there were also a number of challenges with a hotel that proposes itself as a 4-star hotel, but doesn't live up to the claim. Many of these have to do with the room design and layout.

Our "1 King Bed, 1-Bedroom Suite" had an anteroom within the suite. You entered the room through a door. However, this room was so awkwardly designed that we only went into this room to access the fridge and never otherwise used it. I think you would only get this room if you had extra people that wanted to use this room as a separate bedroom on the pullout couch. There are no operable windows so if you want fresh air, you have to prop your front door open with a shoe or trash can, which we did, and which we saw many other guests doing. You have no privacy if your blinds and/or door are open because there is a walkway outside of our (and almost all) rooms. There is no view of the pool unless you are in a suite with a view of the pool. Our suite had a view of a parking lot. The only closet is in the bathroom. In our room, the floor was badly damaged near the desk. The Internet was very, very slow (measured with Speedtest.net at 4MB down, 2MB up), particularly in the afternoon, when it would slow to a crawl. There was an ethernet cable on the desk in the room, but it did not actually work. The shower water would fluctuate hot or cold while showering, so you had to constantly adjust the temperature. The awkward location of fridge and microwave stacked on each other in suite anteroom. The website did not mention a microwave, so it was a nice surprise, but wish we had known, although the microwave had not been cleaned in a very long time. I had two meals in the hotel restaurant. Food quality was appropriate for the price, but service was haphazard and slow. Housekeeping seevices were available on request if you requested them the day before, but were not provided daily. For a two star or maybe a three-star hotel, this could have been a great experience. But for a 4-star hotel at 4-star prices, this was sadly, a...

I came here on the recommendation from a friend for Wharf to Wharf and the location was perfect for that. As soon as I walked in, I felt that this was going to be a gorgeous hotel and lovely stay.... and that was where the end of my idyllic vision.

The theming of the lobby was so cool--to the point where I took notes to incorporate in to my own home. Jay at the front desk was also so nice when I checked in. He gave me a room on the 1st floor at first, but when I walked in, there was a cleaning rag left on the bed and it smelled like weed, which Im sure was from the parking lot that just seeped in. As a solo female traveller, I felt wildly uncomfortable there, so he moved me to the top floor.

For whatever reason, I was given 2 ADA rooms, which seemed to have been in my favorite with the lack of stones in the shower, but it was weird since I didnt book this style of room nor do I need this type of room. Anyway, the room felt unclean and not because housekeeping did a bad job--many of the furnishing were either breaking or on life support. The drawers of the side tables did not close, the lamps were falling apart, and the bathroom vent was literally falling out of the wall. One of the light switches didnt work and the water made a horrible whistling noise when turned on. The water pressure was terrible and the removable nozzle, when hooked to the wall, wouldnt allow for any sort of adjustment. I also brought my own room slippers because the floor could use some TLC.

I ate at the wildly understaffed Solaire for breakfast. The servers were very nice but you could tell they felt overwhelmed. Service took forever but the food was very good. I really just wanted a quick grab and go, but that breakfast took a solid half hour for a coffee and an oatmeal. I also had to come to the restaurant to use a fork and knife but one of the bartenders was INVOLVED in a deep conversation and didnt even acknowledge anyone else was around aside from the people he was talking to. Another bartender came by and assisted and I was on my way.

For being an Autograph Collection hotel, I would say only the lobby meets these needs. The rooms and walkways seem unkempt and the parking lot felt unsafe at night to me. I was parked next to a car that looks like it hadnt moved in weeks. I had to park next to it one night and I was concerned my car would have been broken in to.

On a positive note, the staff I dealt with (minus the chatty bartender) were great. The hotel needs a good deep clean and for the cost of parking nightly, maybe some security so I don't feel like I am going to get taken. It has so much potential with the good vibes it gives off, but the rooms are lacking and not worth the price. I will say due to the convenience to Wharf to Wharf, I would stay here again but only...