Desert Sand Resort — Hotel in Avalon

Disappointing Experience Despite Initial Promises I WAS TOLD BY A STAFF MEMBER THAT WE WOULD BE REFUNDED… maybe get your staff Trained properly before they make promises to customers.

We booked our stay at this hotel through Expedia about three months in advance, but unfortunately, our experience was far from what we expected.

A week before our stay, we needed to change our reservation from three nights to just one. I called the hotel directly, and the staff member I spoke to assured me it wouldn’t be a problem. He confirmed that a refund for the two unused nights would be issued, and even stated that if Expedia needed confirmation, they could contact him directly. This was reassuring, especially since the hotel had a strict cancellation policy. The hotel said they had no way of knowing who was working at the time and day I called ( I find this hard to believe since there has always been one person working the desk every time I have stayed here).

Expedia followed up by calling the hotel to confirm the change, and the same staff member verified the modification and the refund. I even called the hotel again to double-check, and everything seemed set.

However, on the day of our original check-in, I received a text from the hotel about our check-in time. Confused, I called the hotel only to be told they had no record of our reservation change and no intention of refunding the two nights we wouldn’t be staying. Ariel, the staff member I spoke to, was sympathetic and promised to do everything she could, including having a manager call me back. I gathered all my information, including screenshots of transcripts and records of calls, but after two days, I never heard back from anyone. She told me a manager would contact me and they did not.

When I called Expedia, they confirmed that they had a recording of the conversation with the hotel staff member, but the hotel still denied any such communication and refused to honor the refund.

Upon arriving at the hotel for our single night’s stay, the experience was mediocre at best. The hotel itself was just okay. However, the fact that our room’s entry code was simply our room number felt unsafe, especially considering our door didn’t lock properly. It was also nearly impossible to find any staff members to address these concerns.

Thankfully, Expedia stepped in and refunded us for the two nights, and they mentioned they might consider dropping the hotel from their website. It’s frustrating that despite a clear recording of the hotel staff agreeing to the changes, the hotel refused to honor their word or communicate with us further.

Overall, while the hotel’s physical accommodations were passable, the handling of our reservation and the lack of communication left a lot to be desired. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel unless you’re prepared to deal with similar issues. Oh and maybe not make the room entry code the room number.. totally...

Disappointing Experience Despite Initial Promises||We booked our stay at this hotel through Expedia about three months in advance, but unfortunately, our experience was far from what we expected.||A week before our stay, we needed to change our reservation from three nights to just one. I called the hotel directly, and the staff member I spoke to assured me it wouldn’t be a problem. He confirmed that a refund for the two unused nights would be issued, and even stated that if Expedia needed confirmation, they could contact him directly. This was reassuring, especially since the hotel had a strict cancellation policy.||Expedia followed up by calling the hotel to confirm the change, and the same staff member verified the modification and the refund. I even called the hotel again to double-check, and everything seemed set.||However, on the day of our original check-in, I received a text from the hotel about our check-in time. Confused, I called the hotel only to be told they had no record of our reservation change and no intention of refunding the two nights we wouldn’t be staying. Ariel, the staff member I spoke to, was sympathetic and promised to do everything she could, including having a manager call me back. I gathered all my information, including screenshots of transcripts and records of calls, but after two days, I never heard back from anyone.||When I called Expedia, they confirmed that they had a recording of the conversation with the hotel staff member, but the hotel still denied any such communication and refused to honor the refund.||Upon arriving at the hotel for our single night’s stay, the experience was mediocre at best. The hotel itself was just okay. However, the fact that our room’s entry code was simply our room number felt unsafe, especially considering our door didn’t lock properly. It was also nearly impossible to find any staff members to address these concerns.||Thankfully, Expedia stepped in and refunded us for the two nights, and they mentioned they might consider dropping the hotel from their website. It’s frustrating that despite a clear recording of the hotel staff agreeing to the changes, the hotel refused to honor their word or communicate with us further.||Overall, while the hotel’s physical accommodations were passable, the handling of our reservation and the lack of communication left a lot to be desired. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel unless you’re prepared to deal with...

I rarely write reviews, but I had to write about the Desert Sand Resort. My husband and I took our 2 1/2 year old daughter for a 2-night stay here last week (June 22-24). We booked from a LivingSocial deal and got a great price, but were uncertain about our trip since we had never been to Avalon or this hotel before. We staying in a King 1-bedroom with full kitchenette. We were so impressed with how updated the rooms were, not to mention they were spotless. The cleaning crew came through on our second day there and left the place looking amazing, they even did our dirty dishes! The location couldn't be better. Just one block off the beach, and one block from Stone Harbor. The beach was family-filled and not too crowded. There was plenty of shopping and cute restaurants/coffee shops within walking distance. Next beach trip we will absolutely...