Four Seasons Residence Club Aviara, North San Diego — Hotel in Carlsbad

Title: A Disastrous Stay at the Four Seasons: An Incompetent Nightmare

My recent experience at the Four Seasons can only be described as an absolute nightmare, and I feel compelled to share my scathing review to warn others about the abysmal service and conditions at this supposedly luxurious establishment.

Let's begin with the front desk team, whose incompetence reached unparalleled heights. It seemed as if they had taken it upon themselves to set a new standard for cluelessness. Whenever I approached them with a simple inquiry, they consistently wasted my time with their lack of knowledge and their penchant for providing false information. One would expect a basic level of competence from a hotel of this caliber, but alas, it was nowhere to be found.

I thought it couldn't get any worse until I asked them to handle a straightforward task, which they managed to bungle spectacularly. It was like watching a group of befuddled five-year-olds trying to grasp a concept beyond their mental capacity. To add insult to injury, they even had the audacity to harass us outside of our vacation time, proving that they had no concept of boundaries or professional conduct.

In the midst of this disastrous ordeal, the cherry on top of the proverbial disaster sundae was the manager, Alex. Now, one would expect a manager to be the saving grace, a beacon of hope in the darkest of times. But alas, Alex proved to be nothing more than cold, unhelpful.

It was as if Alex had been programmed to display a complete lack of empathy or understanding. Any attempt to seek assistance or resolution from this automaton was met with cold indifference and a mechanical response that made it abundantly clear that there was no human touch to be found. It was like talking to a brick wall, except that a brick wall might have shown more compassion.

It was baffling to witness someone in a managerial position display such a lack of emotional intelligence and the ability to connect with guests on a basic human level.

In any other establishment, a competent and empathetic manager might have been able to salvage the situation, but in this case, Alex's demeanor only served to amplify the feeling that we were stuck in a soulless, corporate-driven nightmare.

To sum it up, the Four Seasons' manager, Alex, proved to be nothing more incapable of providing the genuine care and assistance that a human touch can offer. This, along with the litany of other issues, paints a picture of an establishment that is devoid of warmth, hospitality, and basic human decency. My advice to anyone considering staying at the Four Seasons: steer clear of this emotionless establishment, and seek out a hotel where the staff actually cares about your experience and well-being.

Moving on to the culinary aspect of the experience, I can only describe the food as a dismal disappointment. Not only was it revolting and unappetizing, but it was also outrageously overpriced. I expected to indulge in a fine dining experience, but instead, I was served with dishes that could be generously described as subpar cafeteria food.

As for the rooms, I struggle to find words strong enough to express my disgust. Tired, old, and dated would be understatements. The state of disrepair in the rooms was shocking, with bugs freely roaming the premises and hair scattered all over the beds. It was as if the hotel had forgotten to update their rooms since the Dark Ages.

Housekeeping proved to be equally lacking in their duties. They exhibited a level of laziness that was simply astounding. Basic amenities were rarely refilled, and one had to repeatedly ask for essentials that should have been provided without question. It was as if they were purposely trying to...

Checked in on May 25th to Villa 2611/2612 (2 bedroom villa - 2612 is the studio lockoff). Ground floor unit with no ramp or elevator access to/from parking lot. Was told at check in that the room was on the same level as the parking lot. Not the greatest room management choice by inventory control when assigning a room for a week to a party with an infant and toddler who have strollers that need to go up and down flights of stairs with.

Almost immediately upon entering the lockoff room, we noticed a strong odor in the room. At first it was thought to be remnants of stale cigarette smoke and mold. We asked front desk if they have an ionizer to remove the very stale air in the room. After a few hours running the ionizer and having the doors fully opened the stench didn't dissipate. Called again and had the housekeeping manager, Luis come to investigate the air vent in the lockoff. He offered to use chemicals to deep clean the upholstry and shampoo the carpet. After explaining to him that 3 members of our party have eczema and extremely sensitive skin and that chemicals to mask the stench wasn't an acceptable solution, we decided to leave it for the night and asked for the manager to call us first thing in the morning.

The next day its obvious the smell isn't stale cigarette smoke but it is the ventilation system itself. It smells musty or as if an animal died inside. Around 9:30am, the on-duty manager, Alan came back to the room with Luis and the head Engineer to investigate. According to Alan, the lockoff didn't have any smell issues, but the main area had stale air. The engineer acknowledged it was indeed the lockoff ventilation system that was the issue and they went to work to replace the air filter, check the exterior A/C unit, and fix the thermostat which the engineer found wasn't working. Before they started their work, the air vent in the lockoff room had cobwebs, a thick layer of dust and sticky grey substance on the grill. Several hours later and the air quality was marginally better but still strong enough that there's no way anyone can sleep in that room. Since its Memorial Day weekend, we are told the resort is full and we are told there are no other 2 bedroom villas we can be relocated to. We are offered to have housekeeping come and make the pullout couch in the living room into a bed for 2 people to sleep on. A nice touch for Alan to offer housekeeping to be given a set time to come for each subsequent day of our 7 night stay to make the pullout couch for us for the remainder of our stay!

Day 3 - Get a phone call in the morning from a new manager on duty, Jenna - Explain to her how horrible the last 2 nights have been, not being able to sleep in the lockoff, made to sleep on an extremely uncomfortable can feel every spring double mattress (not queen size) pullout couch (that dips in the middle and has metal bars running across your back). Explain that waking up in the morning on the 2nd day with a sore throat from the horrid air quality. Since it's now Memorial Day, many guests have checked out so they are able to offer a new 2 bedroom villa for us to move into later in the day once it's been made up by housekeeping. In the meantime, Jenna offers tea to make up for the sore throat. We politely decline. 3:30pm, our new room is ready. Move into the new room and that's it, that's all. Called again to ask for the GM to have a follow up (third time asking), told he will be back on Tuesday.

Day 4: Tuesday AM, still waiting any sort of follow up.

Otherwise, the beds are very comfortable, the toiletries are good L'occitane brand, but the rooms are now dates and in need of a...

Unforgettable and unparalleled personalized experience!

The management and staff at Four Seasons gave us an unforgettable and personalized experience. There is truly no other service that compares.

The mobile app is easy to use and communicate with the staff at any time (pre-stay, during stay and post-stay). The Check-out process was as expected - seamless and effortless. I just typed “check-out” on the chat within the app, and I was emailed the folio right away.

During our stay, Four Seasons surprised us every day. Beginning with our arrival, we were surprised with an upgraded room that had a gorgeous and picturesque view. Moments later, we received freshly made pastries, a bottle of Proseco and a strawberry cake pop that had a touching note by the Manager, Mathew. We had assistance with our luggage (thankfully because there are no elevators) as we were driving to the room. Someone was always willing to help.

As our week progressed, room service was efficient and shuttle services within the property were a joy - especially with Robbie, Jake and Diego. Being from the south, I got chilly with the wind in the evening. Robbie noticed so instead of taking the golf cart, he chose the van. The next time he picked us up, guess what he took? The van. It is details like these without saying a word that made us feel appreciated and noticed in the best way.

When we went by the pool, my daughter and I were looking at something dark at the bottom trying to figure out what it was before we got in. Without asking for help, the pool staff immediately asked if all was good and then brought a net to pick up what ended up being a black napkin. We thanked the staff and asked how he knew we were wondering what was inside and his response was “it was his job to know and take care of us”. The pool set up included various plush towels. Relaxing feeling!

I booked the first spa appointment for my daughter after her last soccer showcase and she had an experience to remember. First, we got greeted by the lobby staff wishing us a relaxing spa time after the shuttle service (how did they know?). The spa concierge attendant checked us in and handed the bathrobe, locker and slippers. Elizabeth was the aesthetician who had the softest hands, explained what would happen and made sure my daughter and I were comfortable. She made my daughter feel appreciated, and to our surprise, we arrived to our room to a fruit platter and thoughtful-inspiring card with a drawn soccer ball by Danielle - guest experience concierge. The spa later sent a couple of samples just like Elizabeth said.

Housekeeping and turn down service were fast and effective. I enjoyed their company as well and got to know more about San Diego.

The hotel has lush fields we used to practice soccer moves as we saw the beautiful horizon, sunset and felt the nice breeze.

On our last day, management sent another delicious fruit platter and a thoughtful card signed by the majority of the staff that had helped us. It was a touching and unexpected moment and we loved seeing the names of everyone that made us feel special.

Four Seasons provided the right environment that helped us achieve our goals in the soccer showcase and at the same time relax. They must have an integrated system that keeps EVERYONE aware of our requests, likes, dislikes and experiences because it was just seamless and personalized. They learned our preferences quickly.

To stay at another hotel where Four Seasons is not available will be challenging because they just raised the bar.

Thank you Four Seasons...