Empeiria High Sierra Hotel — Hotel in Mammoth Lakes

Let me open by saying, there are so many nice places to stay in this area. Do NOT under any circumstances spend your hard earned money on this establishment. The only reason that I am giving a 1 star rating, is because there isn’t an option for zero stars.

It would probably be okay if you don’t run into any issues. However, if you do, be prepared to experience the most unimaginable treatment by of all people, the management. Specifically, a female manager by the name of Lucero.

We arrived on a hot summer evening to find that our thermostat was not working and had no power. I immediately went to the front desk to inform the staff. I gave her my room number verbally and physically showed it to her. Meanwhile, we opened the window for some air and discovered that there wasn’t a screen. After my children and myself were bitten repeatedly by mosquitos, we opted to close the window. After about an hour and a half of no response from the maintenance person, I went back to the front desk to see about the delay. The representative at the front desk tells me that she had given the maintenance person the incorrect room number. Room 205 instead of my room, 105. He knocked and no one answered so he left. Now he was on a break and wouldn’t be back for a half an hour. She appeared shocked that my room had no screen. About an hour later a gentleman knocked at the door and appeared equally as shocked that there was no screen. He reset a power switch on th power cord of the wall unit and the thermostat was back in working order. At this point, I was just happy that the problem was rectified.

The next morning, we had an amazing breakfast. The staff was great and they made chocolate chip pancakes for our kids. We returned to our room and my wife took a shower. At approximately 9:30 am my wife came out of the shower and we heard a knock at the door and immediately a housekeeper walked into our room. My wife standing there in a towel. At this point I am livid. I go to the front desk and ask for a manager. Staff person said that she hadn’t arrived yet.

We were told upon leaving that the manager still hadn’t arrived and that my phone number would be left with her. I was told that she would call me immediately when she arrived.

After about 4 and 1/2 hours had passed, I decided to contact the Best Western and ask for the manager. This is where real fun begins. I spoke to a woman named Lucero. The lying started almost immediately. Every complaint that I had was turned around into something that I was being either dishonest about, or something that I was purposely fabricating. I was hung up on 3 times. I was told that our call was dropped and that she had even left a voicemail. Lies. She told me that none of the room had screens on them and that we were helped immediately. Lies. I asked to speak to another manager and was told that she was the only manager and that she dealt directly with the owner of the property. She was the final authority. Lies. She said that no housekeeper had walked into our room and that I was abusive toward her staff. Complete and disgusting lies.

I have read multiple 1 star reviews on Trip Advisor that had similar complaints and were all responded to with the same manipulation and pathetic attempt to discredit genuine complaints from what seemed to be honest customers. This is the single worst experience that my family has ever had on any vacation or otherwise. We have been violated and disrespected so badly that not only will I not stay in this particular establishment again, I will probably never stay in any Best Western if this is the type of people that thy allow to run their establishments.

My wife is currently composing a 1 star trip advisor review based on this experience. I am eager to see what sort of pathetic response wiil be composed in another effort to discredit honest, hardworking, and well respected families that just want to give their hard earned money to stay in a nice and clean place where they can feel comfortable...

TL/DR: Good cable (if you like television), decent location, and good breakfast; rude/ineffective staff, apparently a faulty reservation system (we weren't the only ones with issues), and terrible remodel. Not worth the money, in our opinion.

We've been staying at this Best Western for a decade, sometimes staying here as many as four times in one year. In the past, the rooms were comfy and quaintly mountain themed, as was the rest of the facility, and we had good relationships with the staff, from booking through any needs during our stay.

However, this trip was different. First of all, the remodel was hasty and cheap. The floor and stairs are hazardously uneven, and newly installed cabinets are already peeling away from their foundation in the walls. This concern is secondary to us compared to the appalling customer service.

We had a terrible time with the staff before and during our ten day stay this July. They messed up our reservation before we even arrived, so it's a good thing we confirmed the week before to clarify their incorrect check-in and out dates. When my mom arrived, they correctly confirmed her ten day stay. However, a few days into her trip in the late evening, a strange man used a key and got into her room. We found out later it was another guest incorrectly assigned to our room. My mom panicked and went to the lock the door, but the door was unevenly hung, rendering both locks unusable. She went to call the front desk, but the line was dead. She called the front desk from her cellphone, and after much confusion, they finally confirmed her identity. However, the front desk person's first response was that she wasn't supposed to be in that room, that she should have checked out days ago. Now, this was the same person who checked my mom in at the beginning of her stay. My mom tried to reiterate the real issue of a stranger having access to her room, but he kept saying she was in the wrong room. My mom asked to speak to the night manager, but the front desk person said he didn't want to call and wake up the night manager. After my mom insisted, she finally was transferred to the manager, who reiterated the same nonsense about my mom being in the wrong room. At no point was any apology or explanation given - they kept blaming my mom.

The next day, they sent a repair person who did fix the phone and managed to get one lock to almost work. They offered a half bottle of Chardonnay and some mineral water to make amends - still no apology for the inconvenience or rudeness. My mom wrote to the general manager of the facility, but outside of (finally) receiving an apology, no amends were made.

Additionally, during our stay, the housekeeping didn't change linens or sheets (despite them being dirty and having a stain from an opened wound - they covers were just thrown over the mess), and no additional toilet paper or tissues were given, despite ours being clearly gone. Furthermore, the front desk staff was mildly confrontational with me, telling me I was outright wrong about something they weren't even there to witness.

We loved staying here in the past, but this is unacceptable. The rude and disrespectful staff, the lousy housekeeping, and the terrible remodel have caused us to look elsewhere for our lodging, including shortening our current trip and canceling other stays for...

I usually stay at the Westin Monache whenever I visit Mammoth Lakes, but they have gone so far down hill in the past few years, I decided to not stay there anymore. Overall, I was satisfied with my stay at Empeiria, but I did want to offer some constructive criticism in hopes that this hotel will continue to improve their guest experience. First, the pros: the price is reasonable for the area. Check in/out was easy and the employees were friendly. The indoor pool and hot tub were amazing and ended up being the highlight of my stay. The remodeled rooms have some nice features and modern tech and the wood flooring made it feel cleaner. I did not try the breakfast, but I read through the options and they looked good and for $7, it's a good deal. Cons: the room renovations, while nice, also created some issues with my stay. The sliding barn style doors work great as window treatments, but not as a bathroom door. The bathroom door does not have any lock so my three-year-old was constantly sliding the door open. There is a latch inside to "keep the door closed," but there is so much play in the door that it takes no effort to open it. Overall, the lights were strange throughout the room. Which light switch controlled which light was always a guess and several lights were operated with random rocker switches. The biggest issue for my wife was the light around the sink/mirror area; it just wasn't bright enough. The mirror, while trendy and modern, did not provide enough light and the status lights are bright and distracting at night. The metal contraption in the shower that holds the large bottles of shampoo and conditioner was not clean and made the whole shower feel less clean. Lastly, the pillows were horrible. Usually hotels use a variety of pillows so you can choose the one that suits you best. The pillows in my room were all the same and they were very puffy and very hard; terrible if you're a side or stomach sleeper. I highly recommend bringing your own if you stay here. As stated above, I wanted to provide some feedback so the hotel can continue to make improvements. I would definitely stay here again...