Best Western Plus Las Brisas Hotel — Hotel in Palm Springs

The lobby is impeccably clean, organized and very modern looking. We approached the front desk and introduced ourselves to Melissa. I explained that I knew that we were much earlier than the posted check-in time and I then explained my thoughts on waiting by the pool for an hour to two until our room was ready. She quickly found our reservation and to our surprise, she told us, "Your room is ready if you would like to go ahead and check-in now". Melissa's friendly and warm demeanor is perfect for working at the front desk. She has a very happy and sunny personality and is extremely accommodating. This did not go unnoticed and she started our long weekend off perfectly.

When we walked in to our room it was easily 30 degrees cooler than the 100 degrees outside, it was perfect!! The room was "huge" and had a very large hot-tub that I'm sure is big enough for four adults. Ironically, we never used the hot-tub since we spent most of our time in the pool and at the pool bar.

The pool - it is important to note, as we did when we checked in and is clearly posted in numerous places; "NO outside food or beverages are allowed in the pool and pool bar area", which should be understandable. The pool area is quite large and easily accommodates the 20-30 loungers that are placed around the deck. Furthermore, there are many patio tables with chairs and umbrellas. The pool is only 4' - 5' deep and is perfect for enjoying a beautiful day in Palm Springs. The pool is exquisitely maintained and a sense of pride is quite evident wherever you look within this hotel and its grounds.

You can order appetizers at the pool such as my favorite...killer "guacamole with chips", the guacamole is seasoned perfectly and the avocados used are the freshest available. They also serve handmade pizzas, quesadillas, burgers and a very varied menu to appease most everyone. The handmade salsa has a kick and includes chopped jalapenos, tomato and onion - the blend of flavors is a perfect pairing with an ice cold beer or Margarita.

The best part of the pool and pool bar is Nick, "The Mastery of Mixology"! I could go on for hours about this nice young man and how he makes every person feel like the "most important person at or in the pool and bar area". Somehow Nick, as busy as he is at times; takes the time to actually get to know each person and he always remembers what you drink and exactly how you like it. From a simple beer to Margaritas, Bloody Mary's, Mojitos, Daiquiris, a Mai Tai or pretty much anything else you can think of, this guy knocks it out of the park. As great as this property is and as nice as everyone that works here is, Nick is reason enough to come back and stay at the Las Brisas. It was an extreme pleasure getting to know him during our visit and is an insurance that we will definitely be back to visit soon. Nick is responsible for keeping a watchful eye on everyone in and around the pool and pool area to ensure they are not bringing in their own drinks and food. I think most people are respectful of this justifiable rule but I did see on a couple of occasions where the very diplomatic Nick had to address a rule breaker and during our times at the pool, there was never any drama with him having to police the area and those who think they're "sly"....not with Nick around. Thank you Nick for making this trip so much better than it could have been for us. I hope that the management at Las Brisas knows what an asset you are not only to the property but to the company as well.

I nearly forgot to explain about breakfast...the "included with your room price" breakfast includes juices, coffee, milk, yogurt, dry cereals, scrambled eggs, sausage link and patties, toast, muffins, bagels, fruit and two waffle makers available if you would prefer to whip yourself up a waffle with syrup. This is really is a great added benefit and is far more than we expected. The food is excellent!!

Thank you again to Melissa, Elvira, Sal and to our new friend Nick! Las Brisas has not seen the last of us,...

Breakfast was great - pool was good, but overall I did not have a great experience here - mostly based on my final day experience when I walked into the bathroom and found a cockroach. Upon going downstairs and speaking to a manager, I was instantly told, “that’s not a cockroach, that’s a water bug”. The manager proceeded to go to her computer and do a Google search to show me pictures of both - all the while never having even looked at the photo I showed her for more than a second and simply only proving that these two bugs do in fact exist. Upon looking at her pictures, I pointed out “water bugs do not have big long antennas, that’s specific to cockroaches” and she replied “yes, but this is not a cockroach in your room”.  |I grew visibly upset at her insistence that I was wrong or her inability to empathize why I was upset, especially as she told me repeatedly "these are no big deal and very common".  She asked if I wanted to have the room cleaned or switch rooms. I said I was still a bit shocked at the moment and didn’t know what I wanted and asked her to have someone come clean my room and I would follow up after. ||After having the bathroom wiped down and towels changed, we spoke again. Her first comment was “what do you think should be done to fix the situation?” I replied that I would ask her what she feels is appropriate given I am still uncomfortable now knowing my suitcase had been open and clothes had been out and my fear is the potential of what it could mean. She replied without hesitation “I would suggest you find somewhere else to stay tonight”. This felt quite extreme but I said “oh wow, is the Best Western going to cover that cost or supplement any difference or help me the day of to find a new place?” She stated “no, we cleaned the room and resolved the issue and if you’re still uncomfortable, you should stay elsewhere.” ||At this point I was flabbergasted by her reply and angry that she demonstrated zero empathy for the situation. I pulled up the pictures again of the insect in my room. I showed additional photos of cockroaches vs water bugs and information identifying roaches. I asked if she could at least understand why I might think this is a roach and feel uneasy. She insisted again, “this is not a cockroach and you are making a big deal and getting worked up over something that isn't true”. ||I conveyed my frustration with the response and mentioned that I would be sure to post the pictures on Google reviews and Trip Advisor so other future customers could decide if they were comfortable with these "common water bugs" and know ahead of time what to expect when staying at this hotel. She later referenced this comment saying “if you’re going to threaten the hotel” and repeated “you should find somewhere else to stay tonight”.  This also felt extreme to state I am making threats when it’s very well within my rights and norms as a customer to provide feedback on a hotel / experience. ||Mistakes happen. Bugs happen. My original panic came from the fear of there possibly being more or them being in my suitcase/clothes. But my biggest reason for posting this is to make you aware not of the conditions of the hotel (you can be the judge if it’s a cockroach or not for yourself and whether you want it crawling on your floor) but of the response you can expect to receive by the management here if you do have an issue, which amplified my negative feelings towards...

Breakfast was great - pool was good, but overall I did not have a great experience here - mostly based on my final day experience when I walked into the bathroom and found a cockroach. Upon going downstairs and speaking to a manager, I was instantly told, “that’s not a cockroach, that’s a water bug”. The manager proceeded to go to her computer and do a Google search to show me pictures of both - all the while never having even looked at the photo I showed her for more than a second and simply only proving that these two bugs do in fact exist. Upon looking at her pictures, I pointed out “water bugs do not have big long antennas, that’s specific to cockroaches” and she replied “yes, but this is not a cockroach in your room”.

I grew visibly upset at her insistence that I was wrong or her inability to empathize why I was upset, especially as she told me repeatedly "these are no big deal and very common".  She asked if I wanted to have the room cleaned or switch rooms. I said I was still a bit shocked at the moment and didn’t know what I wanted and asked her to have someone come clean my room and I would follow up after.

After having the bathroom wiped down and towels changed, we spoke again. Her first comment was “what do you think should be done to fix the situation?” I replied that I would ask her what she feels is appropriate given I am still uncomfortable now knowing my suitcase had been open and clothes had been out and my fear is the potential of what it could mean. She replied without hesitation “I would suggest you find somewhere else to stay tonight”. This felt quite extreme but I said “oh wow, is the Best Western going to cover that cost or supplement any difference or help me the day of to find a new place?” She stated “no, we cleaned the room and resolved the issue and if you’re still uncomfortable, you should stay elsewhere.”

At this point I was flabbergasted by her reply and angry that she demonstrated zero empathy for the situation. I pulled up the pictures again of the insect in my room. I showed additional photos of cockroaches vs water bugs and information identifying roaches. I asked if she could at least understand why I might think this is a roach and feel uneasy. She insisted again, “this is not a cockroach and you are making a big deal and getting worked up over something that isn't true”.

I conveyed my frustration with the response and mentioned that I would be sure to post the pictures on Google reviews and Trip Advisor so other future customers could decide if they were comfortable with these "common water bugs" and know ahead of time what to expect when staying at this hotel. She later referenced this comment saying “if you’re going to threaten the hotel” and repeated “you should find somewhere else to stay tonight”.  This also felt extreme to state I am making threats when it’s very well within my rights and norms as a customer to provide feedback on a hotel / experience.

Mistakes happen. Bugs happen. My original panic came from the fear of there possibly being more or them being in my suitcase/clothes. But my biggest reason for posting this is to make you aware not of the conditions of the hotel (you can be the judge if it’s a cockroach or not for yourself and whether you want it crawling on your floor) but of the response you can expect to receive by the management here if you do have an issue, which amplified my negative feelings towards...