Best Western New Oregon — Hotel in Eugene

When we arrived to check in shortly after 4:00 pm, I told the front desk staff (Madison and Nicki) that I'd tried MANY times over a period of weeks to reach the front desk and nobody ever answered.  Madison rudely informed me that they were too busy to answer the phone.  As I was checking in, I noticed that the charge ($207) was a lot more than I was quoted when I booked the room ($140).  Madison said it was because of a pet fee and a fee for incidentals.  I asked why I wasn't informed of the pet fee at the time I made the reservation, and Madison did not have an answer for me.  She told me that if I was unhappy, she could cancel the room and I could stay somewhere else.

I said "Just a moment, I need to consult with my husband."

She said "Nevermind, I've canceled your room and you need to leave.  You've been disrespectful to me and I won't tolerate any disrespect."

"What disrespect?!" I asked.  "I have not used abusive language, insulted you, cursed at you, or spoken to you in any way that could be construed as disrespectful."  She didn't have an explanation for her accusation of "disrespect," but simply repeated that she would not tolerate it.

At this point my husband stepped up to the counter and said "If we pay the pet fee, can we still have the room?" and Madison agreed.

I asked to speak to a manager.  I was handed a card for "Matthew" and told he wasn't there.  I called the number on the card as soon as I left the lobby, but the number was not in service. I returned, told her that the number on the manager's card was disconnected, so she wrote the front desk number on the back of the card.

Our stay in the room was almost as bad as our treatment in the lobby.  The TV remote could only do two things: turn on and off, and change the volume.  It could not change any channels and it would not respond to any of the other buttons.  The air conditioner leaked water all over the floor underneath the unit.  I cleaned it up, but it kept leaking.  I informed the desk clerk of these issues when we checked out, but her only response was to say "oh ok."

On Monday, August 22, I called Matthew and explained everything that had happened.  He said he would speak to Madison and Nicki and review the video (which he said did not have any audio).  He asked me "What do you want?" and I said I wanted either an apology from Madison or a discount on the room.

I called him again on Wednesday, August 24.  He said that he spoke to the desk employees, reviewed the video, and he also claimed to have contacted another guest who was in the lobby at the time.  He said that according to the other customer, I "seemed mad."  I asked how being visibly upset was equivalent to the "disrespect" that I'd been accused of, or justification for being told to leave, and he did not have an answer.

He said Madison claimed she offered to remove the pet fee, which was absolutely, 100% UNTRUE.  My husband was present and affirmed that at NO POINT did Madison offer to remove the pet fee.  Matthew said that Nicki agreed with Madison when Madison claimed to have offered to remove the pet fee.  Nicki was not honest about Madison's claim.  The proof that Madison and Nicki were not telling the truth is on my bill, which clearly shows I was charged the pet fee at the time of checkout.

Matthew said he'd already spent "too much time dealing with my complaint," suggesting that my concern was nothing more than a nuisance, and asked me again what I wanted.  I repeated that I wanted an apology or a discount on my room.  He said that he would remove the pet fee from my bill.

I asked him, "When you have an unhappy customer, do you normally cancel their reservation and ask them to leave?  Is that how Best Western treats their guests?"

Matthew said "No, that's not what we do," despite the fact that that's EXACTLY how I'd been treated, but at no point did he actually apologize for any element of this disaster: Madison's behavior, the problems with the room, or the fact that he implied I was a liar because Nicki's and Madison's version of the events was...

Well.....if comedy could be explained in a few words, it would be Best Western New Oregon in Eugene!

We purposefully were looking for a nicer place to stay in Eugene earlier this month, while visiting some friends and wanting to stay overnight. So we splurged, especially after seeing the photos of the hot tub, sauna, and there was even a steam room listed under amenities. We had booked via AlaskaAirlines.com to earn miles, even if we could have received a slightly lower rate elsewhere.

Imagine how it looked as I walked around the pool area in my bathing suit looking for the hot tub only to be told by another guest they had removed it.....and went on to explain that's why they booked as well since they had kids. Looking in the corner, we both laughed at the cemented area where the hot tub used to be! Hilarious! I asked about the steam room and he shook his head, same about the sauna. Funny, there's even a sign stating the jacuzzi hours outside the door!

So it turns out..........not only do they not have and never have had a steam room..........the hot tub was removed some time ago. Asking the front desk, she explained that it 'hadn't been taken care of so they removed it', they just forgot apparently to update any of their advertising for the hotel and their rooms. As if this wasn't funny enough, I asked about the sauna. No sign on the property whatsoever for it. Turns out they weren't lying however, they do have one for men and women.......in the men and women's restroom. A tiny 1 wooden bench mixed in with the toilets.....nice! Epic cleanliness to be sure, and no wonder there wasn't a sign.

The room was just okay..........but old carpeting that was bunching up. A little worn overall, but that's fair, especially with 2 years of Covid and no guests. You cannot expect an expensive overhaul. All the more reason to offer the best service possible. You can expect a hot tub though and other amenities they advertise. Please understand we certainly believe in paying good money for a good room and thought we were getting what was shown and listed for the hotel amenities. It was the entire reason we wanted to stay there. A guest shouldn't have to call to confirm that something like a hot tub physically exists!

Unfortunately, the comedy show didn't end there. The reception staff, while polite and doing their best, explained that no refund could be offered because we had booked on a third party website! Well considering the majority of customers book on any number of 3rd party sites, Hotel.com, Trip Advisor, Kayak, etc., you can see where their commitment to service seems to reveal itself.

For our part, we contacted Alaska who did their best, but were told because we had already stayed there and the booking was complete there was no refund offered from the hotel owner. If that doesn't deserve a standing ovation for an encore I don't know what does. Imagine actually having to stay there and "complete the booking" before knowing half the amenities offered don't exist! Excuse after excuse. We would have gladly accepted a 50% refund and an apology. Suffice to say, we obviously cannot recommend staying here ever again and the next time we visit our friends, we'll certainly choose one of many other properties around Eugene. We'll just call first to see if they have doors and windows installed just...

I always liked these exterior corridor hotels and this one was pretty unique! This is one of several hotels that are on approach to the University of Oregon alongside a busy expressway. We came during spring break which prices can be a little bit lower. Right as you come in you're greeted by a very friendly lady thats happy to explain all of the areas of the property. There were two main buildings of rooms one which is a classic '60s motel stock room that only has one floors and an exterior corridors, these are rooms that start with 100. There's also another building that has two floors and these ones houses room collections 200 and 300, with 200 being the bottom floor and 300 being the top floor. Depending on each area there's also different layouts of rooms. The one that I was staying in was the 100 area of rooms that had only one floor so parking was easy and easy to unload from the car, which I heard a lot of people appreciate. There's also another building that houses the breakfast area and the pool and also the sauna (thats made by finlandia) and fitness rooms as well as self-serve laundry that has speed queen appliances for $2.50. there are also vending machine scattered throughout the properties, living Pepsi products and other snacks. Overall, it's a pretty quiet property especially in the rooms and they even come with their own little hvac. I also like the big Google TV that i dont see too often in hotels, but the disadvantage was that there was no TV guide so I have to figure out all my own from 29 to 74 (?) usually there's supposed to be a card for all this but I assumed that the room just didn't come with it or someone lost it? Finishing up the room. There's also a refrigerator and a microwave and a coffee maker in the room as well. There's also a sizeable closet near the back thats near the tiny restroom. But the restroom at least is well built and has nice materials in it for the price. Breakfast was also pretty nice as the front desk lady touted! There is also free Wi-Fi here that is protected by a password and does not need a log-in which was...