Days Inn by Wyndham Novato/San Francisco — Hotel in Novato

As a GM of a hotel myself, I should have paid more attention to the reviews, but I know how petty people can be so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. Flight was delayed so we showed up late to the hotel a little after 11pm. We called to say we would be late and the phone was just answered hello, not Days Inn or anything, sign number one I suppose. Checked in with a disinterested young lady who barely pointed in the direction of our room. Opened the door to discover it was never cleaned from the last guest. Trash cans full, bed covers trashed, all towels used on the floor, and money for the maid on the table. Went back to the front and a new gentleman named Nick was at the desk. Told him I don't need much but the room has to at least be clean. Nick said they were sold out and there was nowhere he could put us since it was Nascar weekend (the reason we were there as well) Asked him for new sheets so I could at least make the bed fresh to sleep in for the night since it was almost midnight, Nick said he had NO access to the maids room and linens. At this point he was sweating profusely and cursing the job and other incompetent employees saying this isn't the first time it's happened. Asked if he had anything out of order on maintenence that I could steal sheets from and he said let me see and headed out of the door while we waited on the couch. After 15 min he came back and said he had an out of order room where someone had used the bathroom, tv didn't work, fridge sounded like it was dying BUT they hadn't used the bed. Fine, okay I have somewhere to at least sleep at this point. I asked for the evening to be comped and he said he could do 50% but the managers daughter Mia would be in the morning and could do the rest. Talked with Mia the next morning who immediately Nick lied that he did have all the keys and could have given us sheets, but said she couldn't do anything because the manager wasn't in till monday. I told her, yes you can call your mother now. Once on the phone with the manager (mother) she explained what had happened and said she would do it now but it wouldn't hit my card till monday. I didn't care about the money on my card just the fact that it was going to happen. I reiterated to be sure that they were comping the first night and cleaning my original room immediately, otherwise I would cancel and go elsewhere, "Yes" was Mias answer from her manager. We even fixed the tv in the room we were put in and called Mia to let her know so they could re-rent that room as well. Fast forward to checkout where I asked for my bill. Still says paying 50% for the first night in a dirty room with no tv. Asked Melanie Sanchez, the manager who was finally there if she would correct it and she stated that her "managing partners" said no "because I had stayed". Really???? So she had Mia bold face lie to me to get me to stay and "But you stayed" is her only response. No sorry for the situation, no nothing. Since I booked through Travelocity they are already losing 24% of my booking so the hotel itself couldn't afford to give me back my extra $70 to keep a happy-ish customer who wouldn't blast management and staff on reviews. She would rather me charge back my entire stay up to 3 times to send it into arbitration. Her respnse was "whatever". All I can say is that this staff would not make it at my hotel, where we do everything we can, to make sure we have repeat...

As a GM of a hotel myself, I should have paid more attention to the reviews, but I know how petty people can be so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. Flight was delayed so we showed up late to the hotel a little after 11pm. We called to say we would be late and the phone was just answered hello, not Days Inn or anything, sign number one I suppose. Checked in with a disinterested young lady who barely pointed in the direction of our room. Opened the door to discover it was never cleaned from the last guest. Trash cans full, bed covers trashed, all towels used on the floor, and money for the maid on the table. Went back to the front and a new gentleman named Nick was at the desk. Told him I don't need much but the room has to at least be clean. Nick said they were sold out and there was nowhere he could put us since it was Nascar weekend (the reason we were there as well) Asked him for new sheets so I could at least make the bed fresh to sleep in for the night since it was almost midnight, Nick said he had NO access to the maids room and linens. At this point he was sweating profusely and cursing the job and other incompetent employees saying this isn't the first time it's happened. Asked if he had anything out of order on maintenence that I could steal sheets from and he said let me see and headed out of the door while we waited on the couch. After 15 min he came back and said he had an out of order room where someone had used the bathroom, tv didn't work, fridge sounded like it was dying BUT they hadn't used the bed. Fine, okay I have somewhere to at least sleep at this point. I asked for the evening to be comped and he said he could do 50% but the managers daughter Mia would be in the morning and could do the rest. Talked with Mia the next morning who immediately Nick lied that he did have all the keys and could have given us sheets, but said she couldn't do anything because the manager wasn't in till monday. I told her, yes you can call your mother now. Once on the phone with the manager (mother) she explained what had happened and said she would do it now but it wouldn't hit my card till monday. I didn't care about the money on my card just the fact that it was going to happen. I reiterated to be sure that they were comping the first night and cleaning my original room immediately, otherwise I would cancel and go elsewhere, "Yes" was Mias answer from her manager. We even fixed the tv in the room we were put in and called Mia to let her know so they could re-rent that room as well. Fast forward to checkout where I asked for my bill. Still says paying 50% for the first night in a dirty room with no tv. Asked Melanie Sanchez, the manager who was finally there if she would correct it and she stated that her "managing partners" said no "because I had stayed". Really???? So she had Mia bold face lie to me to get me to stay and "But you stayed" is her only response. No sorry for the situation, no nothing. Since I booked through Travelocity they are already losing 24% of my booking so the hotel itself couldn't afford to give me back my extra $70 to keep a happy-ish customer who wouldn't blast management and staff on reviews. She would rather me charge back my entire stay up to 3 times to send it into arbitration. Her respnse was "whatever". All I can say is that this staff would not make it at my hotel, where we do everything we can, to make sure we have repeat...

If you're wanting a hotel with plush bath robes, slippers, fireplace, and around the clock room service; well, you better bring your own because this isn't the place for you. The motel is 35+ years old and yeah, could use a little update, but it is clean. This is one of the more important things to me because there are so many things tied to clean and health issues, that outdated decor is lower on my list. The hotel is family owned and staff are very polite. Considering the area (Marin County is expensive and having lived there too), the price is pretty good. The breakfast was a little lacking, but it is a little more than just a bowl of cereal. I've stayed at other hotels in the area and personally feel they are overpriced for the amenities, being the same age of building. I liked the setup of the rooms with the interior courtyard. I always find it a little weird when hotels/motels have pools placed right by the main entrance or parking lot so people can gawk as they go in. The pool is completely enclosed in the interior and it is landscaped fairly well. It was nice to have breakfast and go out onto the patio right from my room. While the hotel isn't within 200 feet of a freeway off ramp, I personally like the location not being jammed between businesses since land is premo in the area. It is right next to the 101 and is pretty hard to miss. Being able to see the 101 in my opinion is helpful because it isn't uncommon for the freeway to be congested and when heading out to visit the area, you can plan better with side streets instead of getting stuck in traffic. Beyond that, is a nice view of the Petaluma river flowing past Novato. Also, it isn't uncommon to see deer near the property. Being a place that allows pets, it is nice to go for a walk down the street instead on a busy road with fear of being hit. I travel with a service dog, but often am in rooms that are set aside for pets. Generally pet rooms aren't as clean, more worn out and sometimes are smoking rooms, saves money on cleaning. That wasn't the case for this and I appreciate it as I work very hard to keep my dog clean, quiet, and...