Asilomar Hotel and Conference Grounds — Hotel in Pacific Grove

This is a very basic place to stay. No TV. No phones. It feels like you are at a campground. ||This place is perfect if you just need a place to sleep, and then go about your day at a conference, visiting the beach, visiting the surrounding area, which is beautiful, and not be spending a fortune, as easily happens in this area. ||If you want extra amenities, or any kind of feeling of luxury, then this place is not for you. ||I have stayed here twice. Once, about 20 years ago, and again this past weekend. ||20 years ago, I came for a conference, and 3 of us shared a room with 3 single beds. It was very basic, but we were thrilled by the price – especially with it’s close proximity to the ocean! You don’t see it from the rooms (at least ours), but it is in walking distance. My impression from then was that this was a great place for a less expensive get-away, if wishing to spend some time near the coast! ||This weekend, I came for 1 night, on a Saturday. It was $225 per night per room, for a basic, historic room. When we mentioned we’d like coffee in the morning, they told us if we didn’t have a coffee maker in our room, we could call down for one. My room did not have one, but my friend’s room did (albeit, no creamer). Other room details: |- I had a double bed. The mattress was very firm, & not very comfortable to me. |- My friend’s room had 2 twin beds, & she said it was slanted, so if you tried sleeping on the less-dipped side, you’d end up sliding down to the other side. |- Not well sound-proofed – I could hear heavy footsteps & loud creaking in the room above me for about 40 minutes at 11 p.m. & again at 5 a.m. |- I had wooden floors -- They were very scuffed from the furniture, but not a concern to me. |- The desk & dresser were made of very old wood. Nothing fancy, but serviceable. |- There was a small closet with a luggage rack and an extra blanket. |- It was nice to have 2 chairs in the room. |- There were 3 lights in the bedroom. One dim light in the bathroom. I got a bulb replaced which made it brighter.|- My friend had to ask for a handyman to fix her heater; the fan part of my heater didn’t seem to work, but I didn’t need it. |- The toilets are low, and not easy to get up from if you are tall or have bad knees. If you have bad knees, you may want to ask for an ADA room. |- There was a hair dryer, shampoo, conditioner, & lotion (from Bath Body Works) in my room. |- We were on the 1st floor. The windows can be easily opened. There is not a screen on them. It did help cool down the room, but you wouldn’t want to leave it open all night for security sake. |- In the morning, you could hear many birds chirping through the windows. |- No TV. No phone. |- The room’s walls & ceiling were all wood – very rustic-looking. ||For how basic it is, I felt the $225 was high. However, if you are looking at hotels in the area, most will be much higher, so it depends upon what you want in a room. ||Dining: We had breakfast on Sunday morning on the Asilomar grounds – the Crocker Dining Hall. This was a buffet in a cafeteria setting. They had many round tables with a lazy susan in the middle, which is nice. It is communal dining, so you may have to sit with people you do not know. We were there at 7:30 a.m., and it was not crowded. It got much more crowded later on, & seating was limited, & didn’t see anyone cleaning up the tables. So, if you come later, things may be more scarce. I don’t know what the breakfast cost, or if it was in the room price, as I wasn’t the one paying the bill. There was a ham & cheese frittata, potatoes, pancakes, fruit, sausage, & some mini Danish & muffins, as well as a pitcher of water on the table and coffee & tea. It was convenient, and decent. If they are going to charge you much for it, then I would go elsewhere, if you have the time; but if going to a conference there, or short on time, or if it’s included or inexpensive, this was perfectly fine. There is also a café with lattes, coffee, snacks,… if you do not want a full meal.||Lobby: The lobby is quite beautiful, with high wood ceilings, a large fireplace, & many chairs about the room. There was a live band playing when we arrived around 4:30 p.m. There seemed to be a bar that was open, as well. ||There are many separate buildings, including meeting rooms, sitting rooms with fireplaces, etc. If you have mobility issues, you may need to get a ride to the dining hall or other areas, as there is a bit of walking between buildings & to get to the beach area. We chose to drive down to the beach, as there were stairs and a bit of a distance from our rooms, & there are many parking places along the side of the road to stop, get out, & enjoy the views of the coast, or take some walks. But, if walking, there are quite a few cypress trees around the grounds, and the sounds of many birds. It feels like you are on camp grounds, & it is relaxing. ||Depending upon your expectations and outlook, this could either be a great find, or you could be very disappointed. If wanting a less-expensive place to stay in the area, it could be a nice treat; just do not expect...

This is a very basic place to stay. No TV. No phones. It feels like you are at a campground. ||This place is perfect if you just need a place to sleep, and then go about your day at a conference, visiting the beach, visiting the surrounding area, which is beautiful, and not be spending a fortune, as easily happens in this area. ||If you want extra amenities, or any kind of feeling of luxury, then this place is not for you. ||I have stayed here twice. Once, about 20 years ago, and again this past weekend. ||20 years ago, I came for a conference, and 3 of us shared a room with 3 single beds. It was very basic, but we were thrilled by the price – especially with it’s close proximity to the ocean! You don’t see it from the rooms (at least ours), but it is in walking distance. My impression from then was that this was a great place for a less expensive get-away, if wishing to spend some time near the coast! ||This weekend, I came for 1 night, on a Saturday. It was $225 per night per room, for a basic, historic room. When we mentioned we’d like coffee in the morning, they told us if we didn’t have a coffee maker in our room, we could call down for one. My room did not have one, but my friend’s room did (albeit, no creamer). Other room details: |- I had a double bed. The mattress was very firm, & not very comfortable to me. |- My friend’s room had 2 twin beds, & she said it was slanted, so if you tried sleeping on the less-dipped side, you’d end up sliding down to the other side. |- Not well sound-proofed – I could hear heavy footsteps & loud creaking in the room above me for about 40 minutes at 11 p.m. & again at 5 a.m. |- I had wooden floors -- They were very scuffed from the furniture, but not a concern to me. |- The desk & dresser were made of very old wood. Nothing fancy, but serviceable. |- There was a small closet with a luggage rack and an extra blanket. |- It was nice to have 2 chairs in the room. |- There were 3 lights in the bedroom. One dim light in the bathroom. I got a bulb replaced which made it brighter.|- My friend had to ask for a handyman to fix her heater; the fan part of my heater didn’t seem to work, but I didn’t need it. |- The toilets are low, and not easy to get up from if you are tall or have bad knees. If you have bad knees, you may want to ask for an ADA room. |- There was a hair dryer, shampoo, conditioner, & lotion (from Bath Body Works) in my room. |- We were on the 1st floor. The windows can be easily opened. There is not a screen on them. It did help cool down the room, but you wouldn’t want to leave it open all night for security sake. |- In the morning, you could hear many birds chirping through the windows. |- No TV. No phone. |- The room’s walls & ceiling were all wood – very rustic-looking. ||For how basic it is, I felt the $225 was high. However, if you are looking at hotels in the area, most will be much higher, so it depends upon what you want in a room. ||Dining: We had breakfast on Sunday morning on the Asilomar grounds – the Crocker Dining Hall. This was a buffet in a cafeteria setting. They had many round tables with a lazy susan in the middle, which is nice. It is communal dining, so you may have to sit with people you do not know. We were there at 7:30 a.m., and it was not crowded. It got much more crowded later on, & seating was limited, & didn’t see anyone cleaning up the tables. So, if you come later, things may be more scarce. I don’t know what the breakfast cost, or if it was in the room price, as I wasn’t the one paying the bill. There was a ham & cheese frittata, potatoes, pancakes, fruit, sausage, & some mini Danish & muffins, as well as a pitcher of water on the table and coffee & tea. It was convenient, and decent. If they are going to charge you much for it, then I would go elsewhere, if you have the time; but if going to a conference there, or short on time, or if it’s included or inexpensive, this was perfectly fine. There is also a café with lattes, coffee, snacks,… if you do not want a full meal.||Lobby: The lobby is quite beautiful, with high wood ceilings, a large fireplace, & many chairs about the room. There was a live band playing when we arrived around 4:30 p.m. There seemed to be a bar that was open, as well. ||There are many separate buildings, including meeting rooms, sitting rooms with fireplaces, etc. If you have mobility issues, you may need to get a ride to the dining hall or other areas, as there is a bit of walking between buildings & to get to the beach area. We chose to drive down to the beach, as there were stairs and a bit of a distance from our rooms, & there are many parking places along the side of the road to stop, get out, & enjoy the views of the coast, or take some walks. But, if walking, there are quite a few cypress trees around the grounds, and the sounds of many birds. It feels like you are on camp grounds, & it is relaxing. ||Depending upon your expectations and outlook, this could either be a great find, or you could be very disappointed. If wanting a less-expensive place to stay in the area, it could be a nice treat; just do not expect...

I got engaged right after Valentine's Day and thought Asilomar would be the perfect setting for my wedding.

After approximately 500 emails back and forth with the event planning staff, my patience was lost.

They seem to lack basic customer service skills and organization.

I had to request a list of available beverages even several times which they should send without asking along with the option for anything else not listed.

It seems like they just want to take your money and rely solely on the scenic location to compensate for the gross neglect overall.

At check-in, I was given room 217 which had broken tiles in the bathroom as well as a housekeeping cart parked outside of our door for both nights.

When I notified the front desk about this, they sent maintenance over and they glued the towels to the tile!

The shower had thick black grime all over too.

When we went to prepare our reception venue, none of tables were set-up as promised and many of the chairs were damaged. The curtain rods did not function either.

The planner told me my mother was in the wrong venue which was not true at all even and previously presented us with a diagram of the tables which did not fit properly in the space so I had to figure out the placement and seating at the eleventh hour which was not ideal.

The golf cart did pick me up from Room 217 to take me to the chapel on the day of the wedding and I when I saw the planner just before the ceremony, I asked if my room could have fresh linens and be cleaned. I was told that they were working on it at that same moment, but later returned to a room with trash-filled bins and the dirty towels still in a pile.

When I requested extra blankets, they were sitting on a chair in a large trash bag.

The golf cart never returned to take me from the chapel to Nautilus leaving me hiking up the hill in heels with my husband holding my veil so I would not trip.

For some reason, the guest count was 30 and the food for dinner was enough to feed 100 so lots of the leftovers ended up in the garbage which was completely wasteful.

The planner left before the cake cutting and only a spatula was available.

Thankfully, the photographers I hired helped me serve the cake.

Lastly, the CEO sent me a generic email addressed: Dear, requesting feedback with a broken link so I am leaving my feedback here.

I am not sure if Aramark is having some serious financial problems or expecting the location to distract from the lack of care that goes on behind the scenes.

Regardless, it is unacceptable and not worth the time, money and headache.

Lastly, ownership only seems to acknowledge positive reviews and refuses to address any valid negative reviews; it is shameful.

As someone that also works in property management and recipient of consecutive awards in outstanding customer service I find this pathetic.

Check out the YELP reviews to read others with similar experiences that also visited...