Inn at the Pier Pismo Beach, Curio Collection by Hilton — Hotel in Pismo Beach

Traveled to the Central Coast to take our son to Cal Poly’s Open House. We’ve been to the area a lot and love it but always stay in San Luis Obispo proper. We decided to check out the Inn at the Pier as it is part of AMEX’s The Hotel Collection. And let me say, I’m so glad we did it!

Here are the things we loved: Valet-only parking was only $30/night. Many places you go it’s way more expensive than that. Free charging for electric vehicles. This more than made up the cost for the valet parking. Very attentive, respectful and kind staff. Whether it was small items, like non-down pillows for the bedroom, extra coffee pods or requesting room cleaning, the staff always responded positively and promptly. There was never any attitude or hesitation on anything. Texting requests - whether it was to retrieve our car from the valet or requesting assistance from the front desk, this feature was great. They responded quickly to any requests or questions made via text. This was very helpful as when we were out and about, we would need to get a hold of them for one reason or another. We didn’t need to call and wait on hold. For example, the marine layer rolled in really thick one afternoon when we were adventuring north of Pismo, we were able to quickly ask our hotel how the weather was on Pismo Beach instead of driving all the way back with hopes that it was clear skies. Spacious balcony - 2 chairs and a small table with plenty of room to bring out a 3rd chair and stretch your legs! Fantastic View - the rooms all looked out on the Pismo pier! It was fun to people watch or just stare at the ocean! Roomy bathroom - with a large walk-in shower and a separate toilet room, the bathroom was very nice and spacious. towel rod in the shower - no need to figure out where in the world I’m going put my towel while I’m in the shower Walk out into the cold air to grab it. Plenty of outlets and charging ports quiet room - we were on the top floor so I cannot speak to whether or not the room is quiet when there is somebody staying above you. perfect location - whether you want to go to the beach or you want to go eat or tool around in some fun shops, this hotel is perfectly situated for you to not have to get in your car to go have fun. Rug between the beds - the floors are all hard surfaces so it was really nice to have a rug between the beds for when we got up in the mornings. It was nice to have something soft under foot. long coffee bar/countertop with plenty of storage and mini fridge along entryway provided of countertop storage for sunscreen, wine, travel, mugs, etc. beds were firm, but fairly comfortable. No achy hips after three nights. food and drinks at the rooftop bar were great and very reasonably priced!

Things I would change: There were some fairly big sand covered globs of bird poop on the balcony railing. It clearly was not fresh. It’d be nice to have that cleaned up when the room is being changed over. Not a huge deal, but it would be nice to be able to place my elbows on the balcony railing and look out at the ocean without having to avoid old droppings. The closet and bathroom doors could use a good wipe down. One of the beds creaked really loudly on one side during our stay. Fortunately it was the bed our son was sleeping in so he just slept on the other side. some of the furniture was beginning to appear a little used and abused. For example, the dresser was starting to sag in the center so any drawers that were side-by-side would not shut all the way with a simple push. Not a huge deal but one of those small details that can make a hotel feel really great or a little sad. I would love a “no music speaker” policy up on the pool deck. There was one group of women that was playing really obnoxious music while the hotel already had pool music going on. The volume was turned up so loud that we decided not to spend any time at the deck because it would be the total opposite...

We left after an hour after check in.

When we made our reservation, we called to make sure that they had safety protocols in place. To start, they said the hotel was at 50% capacity, each room would be empty at least 1 night before being occupied by another guest, sanitation was to the highest level, and self parking was an option. None of this happened. When we got out of the car in front of valet, we asked if we could go park our car. They gave a firm no and stated valet was the only option. We arrived at 3:47 and the guest services attendant said the room wouldn’t be ready until 4. We waited and came back at 4:03. He said the room was still not ready because they were putting extra work in to clean and sanitize. Fine, sounds great. We came back at 4:30, still not ready. During this entire time of waiting, there were people coming in and out of the lobby without any masks. No enforcement what so ever. We spoke with the manager (? honestly, unsure if that's what she really is) and explained our health concerns with what we had seen. She seemed just as dismissive as the guests with everything going on. Quick note: The hotel is at 100% capacity. When we asked about our room availability, she told us that “a bunch of kids” had just left and checked out from the room we would be in. When we explained that we thought that they weren’t having people stay the same day based on the info we had previously been given, she said she didn’t know why anyone would say that. I explained that I had hoped what they said on the phone prior was to going to be the reality when we showed up. Her response was: “well we have to make money so...” Amazing to see that money truly is the only priority to certain businesses. I have watched so many companies work their absolute best to try and stay open but be shut down because of guidelines (eg hair salons). However, maybe Newsom should consider the hotel industry instead and the risk these specific types of hotels pose on the general public. The very best part of this conversation with the manager was when, as we were explaining our concerns to her, one of their employees walked in without a mask on. We finally got into our room at 4:50 pm.

Now, to the room. The most disgusting place I have ever stepped foot in. I waited 50 extra minutes for a room that hadn’t been cleaned, even though it was “thoroughly being sanitized” during that time. The floor had dried mud, there was hair (a lot which looked pubic) and crumbs in basically every tile space, crumbs under the couch and on every seat at the table, dried lettuce stuck to the table, grimy hand prints on all the appliances in the kitchen, suspicious white stains on the bench fabric, and gunk on the door handles. There was so much mold on the shower wall and floor tile that I didn't even realize the grout was supposed to be cream colored until I got closer and noticed a few spots where the mold wasn't growing. So much for cleaning the “high touch zones.” This place and its management is a joke. Covid central right here. Really wish I had cancelled the reservation when I read the other reviews. Took a couple of pictures, zoom in and enjoy!

We drove 5 hours to get to this hotel for a family vacation. We chose to drive 5 hours back home instead of staying...

On the day of check-in, I received a text at noon saying if there is anything we needed "before after or during our stay" to let them know and a reminder that check-in was at 4pm and to text this number to reach the hotel staff. We arrived at 4:04pm. I checked in at the desk for them to tell me our room was not ready and it would be 20min and they were short staffed. I was given two free drink tickets for the bar. We left and ran to the store, no big deal. I had text the number asking if our room was ready, that we were headed back to check-in. No response. We arrived at 5pm I went in to check-in and my husband and kids were unloading the car. Our room was not ready, they said a few more minutes. At this time I was getting frustrated, we sat and waited since our luggage was unloaded. They gave us two more drink tickets, but couldn't hold our luggage so we just sat in the lobby since it was only a few minutes. The time came and our room was ready.. at 5:56pm. I asked the front desk about the texting I had received and recommend that if your reminding guest that check-in is at 4, send a message and kindly tell them that their room isn't ready or respond when they text. The guy at the counter said, "oh that's all automated, we don't have time for texting" Another family was staying with us and between us we had 6 kids that couldn't wait to swim in the pool. The woman at the front desk said it was closed and has been for months. I specified that it didn't say that anywhere and the kids were bummed, she responded with, it's small anyway. I completely understand, that things happen but it's how it was handled and it was unprofessional. That same evening we called the front desk for toilet paper because our room didn't have any and needed two extra towels. When we arrived back to our room, housekeeping didn't shut our door when they dropped off the toilet paper and towels. Thankfully no one came in and nothing was taken in the hours we were gone. We never used the drink tickets, we had went up to the roof top bar to check out the scenery and we're giving dirty looks when all of kids walked in with us and sat down. They were quite and sat at a table and played on their phones. There was a woman staff member that keep watching them and seemed irritated they were there. The bartender was the only one that went out of his way to see if we needed anything and asked if the kids were with us and we jokingly said no. We needed up leaving do to the woman that kept pacing back and forth watching our kids (age ranging for 9-15). When I checked out I turned in our four drink tickets and asked for money taken off our bill since we didn't use them and it was. I completely understand if they were short staffed, but do let your guest know that so we can be prepared. We will not stay here again and I will not recommend this...