Residence Inn by Marriott La Mirada Buena Park — Hotel in La Mirada

I had a bad experience at the Residence Inn La Mirada at Buena Park on February 2, 2025, and I want to warn others about how unprofessional and disorganized this hotel is.||I had booked a stay the day before that I could check in early at 12:30 PM because I needed to pick up some disabled family members from the airport. The hotel assured me it wouldn’t be a problem.||When I arrived around 12:50-1:00 PM, the front desk person told me the hotel’s system was down and that they couldn’t check me in. I get that technical issues happen, but when I asked what I could do or if there was any solution, she just kept repeating that there was nothing she could do. No apology, no offer to help—just “come back at 3 PM” and wait in the lobby if I wanted.||Since she couldn’t give me any answers, I asked for a manager. After waiting a while, the manager finally showed up and said that the internet was down and wouldn’t be fixed for at least three more hours. I asked if that meant I might still not be able to check in at 3 or even 4 PM, and he admitted that yes, that was possible. When I asked about a manual check-in, he flat-out refused saying it was not possible.||At this point, we were still trying to figure out what to do, and trying to come to a solution. That’s when things got really bad. The manager raised his voice at me and said:||“You must not be from here, because you’re not understanding what I’m saying. I’m telling you—NOTHING can be done!”||Then he threatened to cancel my reservation, which was odd because I never asked to cancel—I just wanted a solution. When I told him that didn’t help, he suddenly announced that he was canceling it anyway and that we were “not welcome” to return later.||I was shocked. My husband and I stayed calm the entire time, and we were simply asking for help. But instead of handling the situation professionally, the manager kept raising his voice, accused me of being “aggressive,” and later said I was being “passive-aggressive.”||As a Black person, I couldn’t ignore how racially charged his comments felt. I was speaking in a neutral, matter-of-fact way. If the hotel has cameras, I hope they review the footage, because it will prove that I was never aggressive.||To make matters worse, when I asked for his name, he refused to give it—which says a lot about his professionalism (or lack of it).||After we s[oke with customer support. I spent hours on the phone with Bonvoy Guest Services, who were super helpful and understanding (unlike the hotel staff). I finally found a room at Residence Inn Anaheim Resort Area/Garden Grove, but because it was a last-minute booking, I had to pay double—around $400 instead of the $200 I was originally going to pay. I am following up with a formal complaint through the bonvoy guest services and the code/rate that I used to book. ||Final Thoughts:||This was honestly one of the worst hotel experiences I’ve ever had. No guest should have to deal with:|❌ Being refused check-in because of the manager’s lack of patience|❌ Being treated rudely and unprofessionally|❌ Having their reservation canceled for no reason|❌ Being accused of being “aggressive” just for asking questions|❌ Being stranded last-minute and forced to pay way more for another hotel|❌ Having a manager refuse to give their name||I’ve stayed at many Marriott hotels and have never had this kind of experience. The staff at the Garden Grove location were professional, friendly, and helpful—the complete opposite of what I dealt with at La Mirada.||If you’re considering staying here—DON’T. There are plenty of other hotels nearby that will treat you with basic professionalism...

I had a bad experience at the Residence Inn La Mirada at Buena Park on February 2, 2025, and I want to warn others about how unprofessional and disorganized this hotel is.

I had booked a stay the day before that I could check in early at 12:30 PM because I needed to pick up some disabled family members from the airport. The hotel assured me it wouldn’t be a problem.

When I arrived around 12:50-1:00 PM, the front desk person told me the hotel’s system was down and that they couldn’t check me in. I get that technical issues happen, but when I asked what I could do or if there was any solution, she just kept repeating that there was nothing she could do. No apology, no offer to help—just “come back at 3 PM” and wait in the lobby if I wanted.

Since she couldn’t give me any answers, I asked for a manager. After waiting a while, the manager finally showed up and said that the internet was down and wouldn’t be fixed for at least three more hours. I asked if that meant I might still not be able to check in at 3 or even 4 PM, and he admitted that yes, that was possible. When I asked about a manual check-in, he flat-out refused saying it was not possible.

At this point, we were still trying to figure out what to do, and trying to come to a solution. That’s when things got really bad. The manager raised his voice at me and said:

“You must not be from here, because you’re not understanding what I’m saying. I’m telling you—NOTHING can be done!”

Then he threatened to cancel my reservation, which was odd because I never asked to cancel—I just wanted a solution. When I told him that didn’t help, he suddenly announced that he was canceling it anyway and that we were “not welcome” to return later.

I was shocked. My husband and I stayed calm the entire time, and we were simply asking for help. But instead of handling the situation professionally, the manager kept raising his voice, accused me of being “aggressive,” and later said I was being “passive-aggressive.”

As a Black person, I couldn’t ignore how racially charged his comments felt. I was speaking in a neutral, matter-of-fact way. If the hotel has cameras, I hope they review the footage, because it will prove that I was never aggressive.

To make matters worse, when I asked for his name, he refused to give it—which says a lot about his professionalism (or lack of it).

After we s[oke with customer support. I spent hours on the phone with Bonvoy Guest Services, who were super helpful and understanding (unlike the hotel staff). I finally found a room at Residence Inn Anaheim Resort Area/Garden Grove, but because it was a last-minute booking, I had to pay double—around $400 instead of the $200 I was originally going to pay. I am following up with a formal complaint through the bonvoy guest services and the code/rate that I used to book.

Final Thoughts:

This was honestly one of the worst hotel experiences I’ve ever had. No guest should have to deal with: ❌ Being refused check-in because of the manager’s lack of patience ❌ Being treated rudely and unprofessionally ❌ Having their reservation canceled for no reason ❌ Being accused of being “aggressive” just for asking questions ❌ Being stranded last-minute and forced to pay way more for another hotel ❌ Having a manager refuse to give their name

I’ve stayed at many Marriott hotels and have never had this kind of experience. The staff at the Garden Grove location were professional, friendly, and helpful—the complete opposite of what I dealt with at La Mirada.

If you’re considering staying here—DON’T. There are plenty of other hotels nearby that will treat you with basic professionalism...

I had stayed at many Residence Inns before, but this one was by far the worst I had ever stayed. First off, the road closure and detours due to the freeway construction nearby made this hotel very inaccessible. Even with the help of my GPS, I had to circle around the area many times before I could figure out a way to get to the hotel. I understand the hotel couldn't do much about it, but perhaps some warnings on the website would be nice. The room was a lot bigger than I had expected and looked very nice, but it was pretty much the only good experience I had about this hotel. As I tried turning on the TV, I found the remote control not working, possibly out of battery. Then, I took a shower but found ants crawling in the bathroom. I had some evening plan that night, and it was around 1:30 AM when I came back to the hotel. To my surprise, there were a lot more cars in the parking lot than I left for the evening. Some of them were utility trucks and heavily damaged vehicles, which made me wonder if the parking lot was open for the public and raised my concern about security. It was very late, and I was very tired. I just wanted to go back to my room and call it a night. However, I couldn't open my room door with one of the key cards. After a few tries, I tried using another key card and finally got in. I got into the bedroom and was getting ready to bed but found the carpeted area right next to the bed all wet. That area was near the bathroom, but the bathroom was completely dry. I was just staying there for a night, and I was way too tired to investigate the problem any further that night, so I just opted to sleep in another bedroom instead. Not sure why, but I just couldn't sleep well that night, and I found a few insect bites on my legs the next day, perhaps from the ants? Anyway, I survived the night and went to the complimentary breakfast in the morning. I didn't expect much from the breakfast; the food was on par with other hotels in the same category, and the dining area was nice and clean. After breakfast, I went back to my room, but I had trouble with the key lock again. This time, both of my key cards didn't work. I had to fight with it for a few minutes before I could get back into my room. At last, when I was ready to leave, I went back to my car but found nearly half of it covered with water stains, possibly caused by some sprinklers pointed at the parking space instead of the trees nearby. Did I mention I just had my car washed the...