The Stratford Inn — Hotel in Ashland

I am a world traveler and I can safely say that the individual at the front desk of the Stratford Inn when I tried to check in was the WORST. She said she had just recently started at the hotel and unless she gets a huge attitude adjustment, she won't last long in customer service.

I spent $118 and reserved a room by calling what I thought was the hotel's reservation line. Instead, I was apparently talking to a third party company. Nonetheless, I arrived at the Stratford Inn and was told that the pet fee was not $35/night but rather $35 per pet. The reason I called to book my hotel room was because I was traveling with 2 dogs and 2 cats. I call to book all my rooms because I need to make sure my pets can stay and that the pet fee is not unreasonable. I explained all of this on the phone when I booked my room. I was told it was $35 extra for pets and they told me the total with the pet fee was $117 and change. I agreed to the price, paid over the phone to reserve my room.

When I arrived, I was told that I had not paid for any pet fee and that it would be $35 PER PET ($140 more!!). So not only did I pay more than the $87 room but now they wanted me to pay more than double what I had already paid to stay in a 2 star hotel.

This was my very first time trying to stay in downtown Ashland. I have lived in the PNW for over 30 years but always drove through Ashland on my travels. I decided to change things up this trip and searched for a local hotel in the downtown area so that I could spend money and time in downtown Ashland during my trip.

Instead, this extremely rude front desk person made me leave Ashland and drive to Medford where an extremely professional front desk person was so helpful in finding me a room at the very last minute that would accommodate my animals, all under $120. And I spent my time and money in Medford instead of Ashland. Let me repeat, I did NOT stay at the Stratford Inn that night and did not spend my hundreds of dollars in downtown Ashland shops because of this extremely rude front desk person.

All of this is to say that the front desk person was completely unprofessional with her tone and completely unhelpful when I found myself in an unfortunate situation. Instead of trying to keep my business and keep my money in downtown Ashland spending money locally, she was more than happy to send me on my way saying repeatedly that there was nothing she could do. She said that the company knew about this problem and that this had happened before. Any hotel that knows a third party company is scamming people and sharing false information with potential guests and yet does NOTHING to remedy the problem, is a SHADY business. Please do not give this hotel your money. Please know that they are aware of third party shadiness and have the power to fix it. And yet they CHOOSE to not fix the problem (ex.stop partnering with these companies)and this front desk person refused to offer any flexibility to make my stay possible. She used extremely rude language and tone when I was trying to remain professional (ex. "c'mon, you want me to give you something for free?" when I asked if there was a way to cut the extortive pet fee rates in half so I could justify staying there still). She said it was my fault that I got scammed ("The internet is wild place, you have to be careful out there") instead of realizing that the Stratford Inn is responsible for partnering with these companies and can cancel permissions at any time. Instead of calling someone to see what they could do, she gave me nothing but attitude and made me feel like it was my fault that I had been scammed. Don't give this hotel...

I am a world traveler and I can safely say that the individual at the front desk of the Stratford Inn when I tried to check in was the WORST. She said she had just recently started at the hotel and unless she gets a huge attitude adjustment, she won't last long in customer service. ||I spent $118 and reserved a room by calling what I thought was the hotel's reservation line. Instead, I was apparently talking to a third-party company. Nonetheless, I arrived at the Stratford Inn and was told that the pet fee was not $35/night but rather $35 per pet. The reason I called to book my hotel room was because I was traveling with 2 dogs and 2 cats. I call to book all my rooms because I need to make sure my pets can stay and that the pet fee is not unreasonable. I explained all of this on the phone when I booked my room. I was told it was $35 extra for pets and they told me the total with the pet fee was $117 and change. I agreed to the price, and paid over the phone to reserve my room.||When I arrived, I was told that I had not paid for any pet fee and that it would be $35 PER PET ($140 more!!). So not only did I pay more than the $87 room but now they wanted me to pay more than double what I had already paid to stay in a 2 star hotel. ||This was my very first time trying to stay in downtown Ashland. I have lived in the PNW for over 30 years but always drove through Ashland on my travels. I decided to change things up this trip and searched for a local hotel in the downtown area so that I could spend money and time in downtown Ashland during my trip. Instead, this extremely rude front desk person made me leave Ashland and drive to Medford where an extremely professional front desk person was so helpful in finding me a room at the very last minute that would accommodate my animals, all under $120. And I spent my time and money in Medford instead of Ashland.||All of this is to say that the front desk person was completely unprofessional with her tone and completely unhelpful when I found myself in an unfortunate situation. Instead of trying to keep my business and keep my money in downtown Ashland spending money locally, she was more than happy to send me on my way saying repeatedly that there was nothing she could do. She said that the company knew about this problem and that this had happened before. Any hotel that knows a third party company is scamming people and sharing false information with potential guests and yet does NOTHING to remedy the problem, is a SHADY business. |Please do not give this hotel your money. Please know that they are aware of third party shadiness and have the power to fix it. And yet they CHOOSE to not fix the problem (ex.stop partnering with these companies)and this front desk person refused to offer any flexibility to make my stay possible. She used extremely rude language and tone when I was trying to remain professional (ex. "c'mon, you want me to give you something for free?" when I asked if there was a way to cut the extortive pet fee rates in half so I could justify staying there still). She said it was my fault that I got scammed ("The internet is wild place, you have to be careful out there") instead of realizing that the Stratford Inn is responsible for partnering with these companies and can cancel permissions at any time. |Instead of calling someone to see what they could do, she gave me nothing but attitude and made me feel like it was my fault that I had been scammed. Don't give this hotel...

Gotta be grateful for happy accidents. I was fortunate enough to visit Ashland for the first time. Btw, what a beautiful place, Ashland. I thought places like that only lived in the movies.

I needed a place to stay unexpectedly and happened onto the Stratford Inn. No reservation, saw it online and walked over. Super friendly lady quoted me a price, but immediately honored the lower price I had seen online.

I came up from San Francisco, so for the price I was being charged, I wasn’t expecting much, although the lobby and little enclosed swimming pool behind the front desk seemed really clean and welcoming. I am also a hospitality industry veteran so I can get really obnoxious in judging a place. I inquired about the pool because I hadn’t been in one in years. Because of COVID, it was operating on a reservation-only basis. Nothing could have made me happier. I was gonna have the pool to myself for an hour! I made a reservation for 7 am, got my key, and made my way to my room.

Again, I am waiting to find something wrong with the place, I can’t help it I’m old. Super clean elevator and hallways. Nice warming wood decor. My room was at the end of the hall. The room was pretty enormous for just me. It had two queen beds, the single king-bed rooms were all booked. Little fridge, big microwave, coffee-maker, big bathroom. Rooms get bigger from there. Some with kitchenettes. My room was immaculate. The microwave I thought was new. The inn is right next to a Safeway, so after a few days of restaurants, I just wanted to kick back with snacks and tv. So, perfect. I bought a rather huge amount of munchies including ice cream for breakfast and settled in. I had great sleep. Bed(s) was comfy, clean.

I made my 7 am reservation at the pool. So nice. The pool is heated, there’s a little Jacuzzi, to veg in. Swam a few laps until I realized I am very out-of-shape and soaked in the jacuzzi the rest of the time. The pool is small but kinda perfect for the place. A couple of changing restrooms, towels, and pool toys. When I checked in the pool dude was there doing maintenance, so I knew again they are on top of cleanliness. They offer a free little breakfast and serve it from what used to be a coffee shop overlooking the pool. I had ice cream waiting for me in the freezer, but if the coffee shop was still operating I wouldn't of minded a latte. Check-out time is at 11. If I wouldn’t have had a prior commitment, I would have stayed the next night before returning to the city.

So yes, in conclusion, the place is very very legit. Super clean, super friendly. The only thing I would suggest is equipping rooms with some cutlery or eco-friendly disposable utensils. But, honestly, it was a great stay. I’m already planning a longer trip to beautiful, surreal, amazing Ashland, and for sure staying at this place. I just found out I can take a train up there from SF for 100 bucks. Shh, don’t tell...