Clarion Collection Wilkie's Inn Pacific Grove - Monterey — Hotel in Pacific Grove

There’s a lot in common with a certain classic British fictitious comedy about a rude innkeeper with a dysfunctional hotel set in a seaside town when it comes to staying at The Wilkie’s Inn- Clarion Collection. Check it out if you have the time. The main takeaway from that series is that running an inn would be fine if you didn’t have to deal with pesky, stupid customers, according to Basil Fawlty, the innkeeper. ||||How exactly is this old motel classified as a Clarion property? I’ve stayed at other Choice Hotel properties, from Rodeway to Clarion and Ascend in my travels. Okay, the rooms had a remodel, but it’s more like a dressed up Econolodge/Rodeway Inn. ||||I came in the lobby for check-in. I had printed up my reservation paperwork as a courtesy to help the person look up my reservation. I was yelled at for not having my ID out immediately and the paper does not qualify as identification. I know that. Please stop yelling at me. I was trying to be nice. I’m sorry. She repeated it several times that ALL she wanted was the ID. I’m getting it out as fast as I can. There is no need to yell at me OR repeat three times that you only need my driver’s license, not the paper. The rest of the check-in involved speaking to me as if I had never stayed at a hotel before, and used one of those things called a card key. She was reading a well-rehearsed script of the hotel, with no deviation, and no effort into treating customers with any modicum of respect. My mistake was showing her that dumb piece of paper to indicate the reservation. I’ll never do that again. ||||It was cold that day. After I checked in, I went back in the lobby to get some decaf coffee from the dispenser at 4:00. I took one sip and dumped it out. It must have been made in the morning (maybe). Ugh. It was disgusting. ||||||Beds were hard, and creaky. I’m sure they change the sheets regularly, but the blankets need to be washed, too. I don’t know how to describe it, but it wasn’t a particularly clean smell. The pillows were torn.||||Breakfast was limited- yogurt, apples, oranges and prepackaged pastries. I made the mistake of coming into the lobby at 7:12 and got yelled at again (same lady) because breakfast is not ready until 7:30am. I was tired and forgot that information from yesterday. I came back later. I was then told that the lobby is closed between 8 and 8:15 am. Okay. I’ll do my best not to piss you off, but I haven’t done very well so far. ||||Other observations: The rooms had some level of remodeling, with new flooring but they kept the old, worn furniture. The bathrooms had most of the remodel work. For the rest of the property, the breakfast dining area consists of some patio furniture outside. adjacent to the lobby, next to the soda machine with a defective display and the ice maker. ||||Would I stay there again?...

There’s a lot in common with a certain classic British fictitious comedy about a rude innkeeper with a dysfunctional hotel set in a seaside town when it comes to staying at The Wilkie’s Inn- Clarion Collection. Check it out if you have the time. The main takeaway from that series is that running an inn would be fine if you didn’t have to deal with pesky, stupid customers, according to Basil Fawlty, the innkeeper. ||||How exactly is this old motel classified as a Clarion property? I’ve stayed at other Choice Hotel properties, from Rodeway to Clarion and Ascend in my travels. Okay, the rooms had a remodel, but it’s more like a dressed up Econolodge/Rodeway Inn. ||||I came in the lobby for check-in. I had printed up my reservation paperwork as a courtesy to help the person look up my reservation. I was yelled at for not having my ID out immediately and the paper does not qualify as identification. I know that. Please stop yelling at me. I was trying to be nice. I’m sorry. She repeated it several times that ALL she wanted was the ID. I’m getting it out as fast as I can. There is no need to yell at me OR repeat three times that you only need my driver’s license, not the paper. The rest of the check-in involved speaking to me as if I had never stayed at a hotel before, and used one of those things called a card key. She was reading a well-rehearsed script of the hotel, with no deviation, and no effort into treating customers with any modicum of respect. My mistake was showing her that dumb piece of paper to indicate the reservation. I’ll never do that again. ||||It was cold that day. After I checked in, I went back in the lobby to get some decaf coffee from the dispenser at 4:00. I took one sip and dumped it out. It must have been made in the morning (maybe). Ugh. It was disgusting. ||||||Beds were hard, and creaky. I’m sure they change the sheets regularly, but the blankets need to be washed, too. I don’t know how to describe it, but it wasn’t a particularly clean smell. The pillows were torn.||||Breakfast was limited- yogurt, apples, oranges and prepackaged pastries. I made the mistake of coming into the lobby at 7:12 and got yelled at again (same lady) because breakfast is not ready until 7:30am. I was tired and forgot that information from yesterday. I came back later. I was then told that the lobby is closed between 8 and 8:15 am. Okay. I’ll do my best not to piss you off, but I haven’t done very well so far. ||||Other observations: The rooms had some level of remodeling, with new flooring but they kept the old, worn furniture. The bathrooms had most of the remodel work. For the rest of the property, the breakfast dining area consists of some patio furniture outside. adjacent to the lobby, next to the soda machine with a defective display and the ice maker. ||||Would I stay there again?...

The check-in process was very unpleasant, primarily due to the attitude and behavior of the woman at the counter. She acted as if she is (and she may be) the owner of the property. Her behavior was officious and rude. For example, when the credit card reader signaled to remove my card, I removed my card. She scolded me, saying, "I told you to leave your card in until I tell you." I don't remember her giving me that instruction.

Before the end of my stay, I told the same woman that I would be checking out a day early. She told me that I would be charged an early check-out fee of $60. She gave no explanation for why I would be charged and, because of her unpleasant temperament, I chose not to argue about it; I just paid the charges.

When I went to the office to get my receipt at check-out time, one of the housekeeping staff was mopping the lobby floor, so I couldn't get more than two steps inside. I asked for the manager, as the housekeeper was the only employee in the lobby. She got the manager (the same unpleasant woman I had dealt with previously). I asked her to print out my receipt. She told me to come back in five or ten minutes, because the floor was wet. Rather than insist that she just print it out and have the housekeeper hand it to me, which would have been very easy for her to do, I left and returned a little later. A teenager, possibly the son of the unpleasant woman, came to the counter. I asked him to print out my receipt and he did so in about 10 seconds, which the unpleasant woman should have done without making me come back.

The room was adequate. Housekeeping was sub-par. They never replaced the shampoo bottle that I had started using, so I had to make it last as I didn't see housekeeping staff to ask for more. Also, on the second or third day, housekeeping did a half-hearted job of making my bed, just making the covers look neat, but leaving the foot warmer (not sure what it's called) on the floor at the foot of the bed.

The "breakfast" offerings were rather meager.

Overall, an...