Lumea by the Sea — Hotel in Long Beach

BEWARE, THEY WILL CANCEL YOUR BOOKING WITH NO NOTICE.

If I had the option to give this hotel 0 stars I would. I booked this hotel back in Feb of this year for an event I was attending yesterday June 22nd. Me and my partner showed up and we checked in smoothly. They gave us room keys, I went to go park my vehicle (in which there parking is at a different hotel and they charge 20 in cash, SHADY) while my partner was going to the room up stairs to put our bags away, he was approached by the same person who checked us in and was told there was a problem with the room. I immediately came back and was told there was a problem with priceline and they have no reservation. He then told me to email him the itinerary that showed the reservation number and I did. He then "called " Priceline to see what was going on . I log into the website in where I made my reservation and it was still showing active. 30 mins waiting and I then called Priceline to confirm . Priceline re assure me that my reservation was still active and they put me on hold to call the hotel to see what's going on . The Priceline rep then tells me that the hotel have indicated that I supposedly had called & cancel my booking back in May over the phone directly to the hotel and that they have forgotten to call Priceline to cancel . I was very furious because that was a lie. I told the front desk and they began getting defensive and said they had records I have called , I asked why did they check me in then and was given room keys if I supposedly canceled. They have indicated they accidentally check me in under the wrong name . I asked for the manager or someone higher than them or even a phone number and they kept pretending to be manager or supervisor. I was still on the phone with Priceline and Priceline offered to cancel my reservation at that moment and refund me back for a reservation I supposedly cancel on back in May . I agreed since I wasn't getting anywhere with the front desk staff. I then approached one of the cleaning ladies and asked her for the supervisor or manager of the hotel . She indicated that he is only there Monday-Fridays. I had asked her if the front desk people were supervisors or a manager and she said no they are just regular staff. I then approached them again and I asked for a number to their higher up and they said they don't have one. I was really upset and was all ready running late to the event that I had planned for since February. I told them that the cleaning lady had said the manager is there Mondays through Fridays and I needed the phone number of the manager , front desk personnel told me she doesn't know anything and that they don't know her . I was appalled at his comment and told him how do you not know your staff that works here ???RIDICULOUS HOTEL AND 2 MALE FRONT DESK PERSONNEL. I ask for a refund on my parking pass and went to go retrieve my car and return their pass card for parking. One of the personnel then hands me a paper where it shows an email "proof" that it was cancelled back in May in which the itinerary number doesn't even match with what I book originally. PHONY HOTEL . THEY ARE GREEDY . A lot of people were here for this event and they just wanted to sell rooms for a...

Summary: I would be suspicious of the positive reviews for this hotel, given that the management tried to blackmail my husband into removing his negative review in exchange for “forgiving” an incorrectly applied credit card charge. Now his review is drowned out by several fake-looking positive reviews from accounts that have no other reviews.

Pros: The room had a white noise machine and a very quiet and effective mini split AC There was a small shared room at the front with one desk and both coffee and water machine (with various syrups if you’re into that) and a locked case of drinks (sunny d, soda, etc.) that you can request from the front desk. There was also a small table where they said they serve breakfast in the mornings. We only used the room to refill water bottles so I can’t comment on any of the other amenities, but it’s nice that they’re there The location is very walkable, particularly for seeing a show at the Terrace Theater. Additionally, Rose Park Coffee is right down the street and has incredible lattes

Cons: The main issue was service. After checking out, we received a call where they claimed we stole a hair dryer and had put a $500 hold on our account (though it was actually $250). I checked our belongings and we had no hair dryer. They refused to remove the charge, and when we asked to speak to management they hung up the phone on us. My husband wrote a negative review, then received a phone call where they offered to remove the charge in exchange for removing the review. I wonder how many times they have done this with negative reviews in the past. Since his negative review yesterday they have been drowning the review sites with fake-looking reviews from accounts with no other reviews that give 5 stars and just say things like “Good Hotel.” The room was very small and the closet and bathroom were extremely tiny. The closet was literally maybe one foot deep, and the shower was hard to get in and out of. The bed was very hard and uncomfortable Things felt generally pretty cheap and tacky. The window slider was installed incorrectly and the window wouldn’t close until we pulled it out and flipped it around. The toilet needed to be flushed multiple time and the fixture was dripping. The walls were coated in cheap vinyl. There was no gym The sidewalk right outside smelled very strongly of urine, and there was a small homeless camp right nearby.

Edit: The management's response indicates some confusion about who I am. I am the pregnant wife who stayed in the hotel. My husband and mother-in-law (who paid for the stay) also wrote reviews based on their experiences. Collectively, we've had dozens of phone calls at this point trying to coerce us to remove our bad reviews. It's pretty wild. I would recommend staying somewhere else just to avoid the chance of having to deal with this--it really has ruined...

Don't stay here, they might accuse you of stealing a $400 hairdryer! I gifted my son and his pregnant wife (both professors) a stay at this hotel for his 40th birthday. Now after check out, they're calling all of us about a missing hairdryer and charging us $400. Or $500. Or $250. Depending on the moment and what they say. I can say SCAM ALERT! We in no way took their hairdryer. Any enjoyment obtained from this stay has completely been undone. I was hung up on twice among the many phone calls today when I asked for more information. They did call back both times but it was exceedingly frustrating. I paid extra for the club revive room experience and late checkout, thinking I was giving my son and his wife a really nice gift. Now we're all just fuming. None of us has ever been accused of stealing something. Update: They called to request I remove my review if they "compensate" me by removing the hair dryer charge. I explained that this is not compensation because we don't have their hairdryer. And they ruined the vacation. Update 2) Keeps getting better. They have now hung up on me at least six times after saying just a moment, they don't call back, and they don't answer my phone when I call back. I have had to call repeatedly and let it ring for almost 2 minutes to get through. Today they are saying no one contacted me to ask about taking my review down if they reverse the hairdryer charge. I told them you record your calls and somewhere you have a recording of "Ash" saying that very thing, so you are outright lying. Avoid this business at all costs. UPDATE: We have made every effort to communicate directly with the hotel, roughly 50 phone calls in 24 hours. We do not have the hair dryer and do not appreciate being accused of theft. Perhaps they should secure these expensive hairdryers, since they say they are often taken. We have not posted multiple or repetitive reviews, just one per person affected. Their transparent and aggressive attempts to coerce us into removing legitimate reviews has been reported both here and on Yelp. CLARIFICATION: The initial phone call from Pria was bring back our hair dryer or we are charging you $500. The next phone call it was $400, but they now deny those numbers were ever stated. These are some slippery folks. The merchant claims they have issued a full refund. By this they mean they reversed a $250 charge for the missing hairdryer. They are in no way refunding the cost of our botched stay. Just wanted to clarify what they mean by "full refund". Days later: I have not seen ANY refund yet. Hairdryer charge has posted...