Geiser Grand Hotel — Hotel in Baker City

My wife and I made reservations at THE GEISER GRAND HOTEL in Baker City Oregon. We stayed in their finest room with the best view , room 302, haunted by the “lady in blue” It was a 6 hour drive and we estimated we would arrive just before the 4 PM check in time. We had put a deposit down, with no refunds. We arrive at 2:30 PM since the freeway speed was 70 and we got there faster than planned. We went inside to the front desk and were greeted by a not friendly snob who told us our room was not ready. He was lying. We asked if we could look around and he said no. We walked around the Historic downtown for an hour a bought some Chinese food to take to my wife's mother's 87th birthday in Hells Canyon, another 70 miles away.

We were impressed with the architecture and excited. When we got to the room it had amazing chandeliers and and octagon dining room in the tower with views of the Blue mountains. They advertised the room as having a fireplace, period antiques, a spa, and a plasma TV with cable, A luxurious king bed.

I sat on the couch and it had no padding so I was right on metal springs and it was not usable. The fireplace was an electric heater in a wood cabinet. The TV was 24 inch and off to the side so you could not comfortably watch it from the bed. The lamp was a plastic period looking copy. The big problem was the bathroom where a jetted (4 jets) tub was and had NO HEAT, the floor was freezing. It was SO LOUD when it ran I could hear it in the other room. The spa was a regular tub with a limited hot water supply. My wife took a tub then there was no hot water for me. I got out of the shower and froze. The coffee pot and room service phone were in the bathroom and took up most of the counter space. The shower had black mold in all 4 corners at the floor. The stairway is an accident waiting to happen. NO GRABRAIL, I used to build railings and this is not to code. (Historic though) They have a nice old elevator that works pretty well.

While we were gone, the male chamber maid went into our room and took pictures of a bic lighter, a smudge on the robe and some dirt by the toilet and did not tell us they charged us $250.00 because they claimed we smoked in the room......which WE DID NOT DO. I don't smoke anything, neither of us smoke cigarettes (I have COPD) and my wife smoked part of a marijuana cigarette outside while we waited for our room. She put it out and put it in her purse. Monday before we left she rolled a couple joints before we left. She got ash on her hand and touched the robe. No burn, just an ash smudge. Marijuana is legal in Oregon and OK to possess in our room. WE DID NOT SMOKE IN OUR ROOM !We smoked them in Hell's canyon not the room. It left a little smell or the vanilla perfume my wife used left an odor. They said their inspector smelled an odor.....he was a Mexican chamber maid. No credentials as an inspector. The next problem was out toilet overflowed and they had no shut off valve so I had to hold the float as water poured on my feet and ran out on the floor until we got someone with a special tool to shut off the water. We cleaned up the water with our towels. They never sanitized or cleaned the floor. We did not even know they charged us $250.00 until we got home. Then argued over and over that we smoked in the room, which WE DID NOT.

Our bed had a curtain on the wall at the head of the bed that was so dusty it rained down on our pillows. The bed felt like it was tipping to the side and the pillows smelled like moth balls. I walked from the bathroom to my bed and something bit my ankle and it itched like a flea bite for 30 minutes. The pipes were so loud when our neighbor took a shower we could not hear the TV. ....I added photos of the old marijuana cigarettes that caused the smell that they said we smoked in the room. We just took apart old half smoked joints and rolled them into one good one, this made ashes and smelled. WE DID NOT BURN THEM IN THE ROOM......SMOKED ON THE WAY UP TO THE GEISER, NOT WORTH GETTING A $250 FRAUDULENT CHARGE ON OUR CREDIT CARD WE...

If I could give half stars, I would be willing to give 3.5. It’s a historic hotel, which makes it a neat experience. However, I’m about to provide a super detailed review of each area of the hotel.

Checking in: There is no parking lot, so you have to find street parking wherever you can. The gentleman assisting with my check in was very nice and helpful, however, it took much longer than expected considering I had prepaid. I requested a luggage cart and he indicated he would have someone meet me out front in the yellow loading zone. They must attend the luggage cart and I felt awful, as I had no cash on me for a tip. Once everything was loaded up, my husband and kids headed to the room while I circled the building for a spot to park. I hope you have polished up on your parallel parking skills! It seems many have not, so people had more than their space used up, creating even less parking for others.

The room: The room was actually nice and large. There is a table with 4 chairs in the room, lots of windows, a mini chiller (not cold enough to be a fridge), and a decent bathroom. The beds are so soft, I could not get comfortable. They are very “springy”. There isn’t much of a vanity in the bathroom, which is okay, but if you are a woman trying to do your hair or makeup, be prepared to not have space to put your belongings. There is a beautiful chandelier in the room, which keeps that historic feel alive.

Dining: We did not make reservations for dinner, but were able to sit in the bar area. There are both high top and low top tables. With two small kids, we needed a low top, which was hard to find, as everyone seemed to want a low top. The server helped us add a couple chairs to a smaller table meant for 2 and we made it work. Service was a little slow but I highly recommend the flight of clarified cocktails if you enjoy different mixed drinks. It was a new experience and I enjoyed each drink I tried. For the cost of the meals, I had high expectations. My husband ordered a medium rare sirloin, I ordered the coconut prawn and the kids split a spaghetti plate from the kids menu. It seemed like forever to get our meals, so we were starving by the time they arrived. My husband’s steak was medium well at best. My coconut prawns looked as if they had burnt in the oil. Everything was overcooked, including the risotto that was clumpy. Gordon Ramsay would have for sure sent it all back!

The hotel amenities: Being built in the 1800’s, they do not have a pool, which is to be expected. There is a splash pad across the street behind the hotel, which is a good option for littles. They offer a gym in the basement, so we went to check it out. It’s located in a dark room and is very small. There is a stationary bike and a weight bench with barbells. That is the extent of the gym. If you are accustomed to a treadmill, elliptical, balance balls, medicine balls or anything else, don’t waste your time. They offer a gift shop to purchase souvenirs of your stay. They do have a nice dining area with all low top tables which you can make a reservation for. The stained glass ceiling above that dining area is beautiful!

Around town: There are several restaurants or bars in walking distance. They mostly serve the standard sandwiches, pizza, burgers, etc. The winery, brewery and distillery were all closed when we arrived at 5:00 on Monday. If you like to try new/local places like that, be sure to check their hours before booking your stay. There is a really good playground/park just around the corner for kids with good shade. A grocery store and gas station are not too far away making the location very convenient.

Overall, there are definitely some areas of improvement for the hotel itself, but it’s worth the stay if you are prepared for all the...

Short tip: Avoid it! It's an old/historic hotel best viewed via a quick walk through. Don't stay here without knowing what you are getting into.

Why: Let me start this part by explaining I'm an idiot at times. I've reserved lots of hotels in the past and most of them, once I arrive, if I need to change a method of payment they are happy to comply. In this case I was given a gift card for the place by some friends. I reserved a night to extend my wife's birthday a day using my credit card. Normally they will want a card for incidentals, etc. I assumed once we got there a few days later I would use the gift card as the primary payment (See how was an idiot?). We were heading towards Baker City to start with dinner and a movie then would get to the hotel late. The hotel called us along if we were going to be the by 7. I said no, why? He asked if I could try because we are supposed to check in by 7. What the heck? I reserved the room with a credit card and I know they could charge the card if I was a no show. Little did I know, they had already fully charged the credit card and had their money, so why pressure me to get to the hotel at all? My wife wanted to be nice so we went to check in before dinner. As I was checking in he asked for the card and ID, I presented both along with the gift card. I asked him to use the gift card to pay for the room and the credit card for anything beyond. He was very polite, over and over, refusing to refund the original room purchase and recharge it on the gift card. He said the hotel suites not do that. I said why? He said it's their policy. I said it's 2016 and you guys don't have the ability to refund a credit card in order to charge on a gift card bought from you? He stuck to his story, no way! This is how I see it... They had one customer drive 2 hours, buy this gift card as a thank you to us. Then we drove 2 hours for no other reason then to come to this hotel (we could have done dinner and a movie in a much nicer small town). They have their money for the room already, now they are refusing to credit us back on a double payment for the room. The front desk guy says "you can still use the gift card to pay for the taxes on the room". Seriously? Pitiful service and policy. For this reason alone, I will tell everyone I know and meet NOT to go to this hotel. I work with the traveling public and do a Biker Podcast and I'm only going to tell the truth about this place and its a terrible truth. The rest of the story: Terrible service aside, the hotel room is in disrepair and NOT anywhere close to attempting to be original or antique. They have what appears to be metal Ikea furniture, dime store furniture and recycled/refinished furniture. There are holes in the bathroom walls, caked dust on everything above eye level. (Now I'm being picky?? Maybe) there is no place to hang a towel near the shower. There is no fan or opening window in the bathroom. The towel holder isn't retro at all (the one 10 feet from the shower). The entertainment center won't stay open, so I had to prop a chair in front of one door to keep the door it if the walking space between it and the foot of the bed. The entire room had one 18 inch piece of "art" on the wall along with more holes. The old chair fabric is mismatched and stained by sweat. The closet looks like.....I don't know what to say. See the photos. This place isn't worth half what they charge. (the photos are all under a Yelp review)

The good: the molding looks good. The stained glass above the dining area is amazing. The tile is nice. They give you hangers and an iron. Oh yes...