Garden Street Inn, A Kirkwood Collection Hotel — Hotel in San Luis Obispo

This was my Expedia review:

Our one-night stay at this charming bed and breakfast in San Luis Obispo had its highs and lows. Arriving well before check-in, we were warmly welcomed, and the reception desk graciously stored our bags while we explored. Unfortunately, our room wasn’t ready until well past the designated check-in time.

Both the property’s website and Expedia had promised charming amenities upon arrival, but none were offered to us or our friends checking in at the same time. The entire property had a musty smell. Maybe removing the rugs and restoring any hardwood surfaces underneath them would help the situation and further enhance the natural charm of the house. We stayed in the Mozart Suite, which, while spacious, is in need of renovation. A glimpse into other rooms being turned over by housekeeping revealed much more updated and inviting accommodations. That said, the staff were exceptionally kind and accommodating, a definite highlight of our stay.

While I chose to savor a few extra hours of sleep, my husband and friends couldn’t stop raving about the wonderful breakfast, which they said was an absolute delight.

Overall, this property has great potential but would benefit from more consistent upkeep and service to match its lovely charm.

The response from the property was this:

Thank you for sharing your thoughtful feedback and for highlighting the positive aspects of your stay, such as the friendly service and the wonderful breakfast. We’re so glad to hear that you and your friends enjoyed the hospitality.We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by the timing of your room availability. On the day of your arrival, we had several guests checking in around the same time, which may have caused a brief wait at check-in. However, we want to assure you that all of our rooms were ready by our guaranteed check-in time of 4:00 PM, and according to our records, you were checked in at 3:59 PM. We truly appreciate your understanding and patience, and we'll continue to work with our team to ensure a smooth check-in experience, especially during busy times.We are committed to maintaining the charm of our property and are actively working on improvements to ensure a more comfortable experience for our guests. Your suggestions are appreciated, and we’ll keep them in mind for future updates.Thank you again for your feedback, and we truly hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future for a stay that meets your expectations.

This is the timeline:

The property’s response referenced our check-in time, so here’s a clear timeline of events: At 3:59 PM, I received a push notification from my credit card company confirming that my card had been charged. However, we did not receive notification from the property that our room was ready until after 4:00 PM. Having worked in the hotel and hospitality industry during college, I understand that once a credit card is processed upon a guests arrival, the guest is officially considered checked in.

While I acknowledge the positive aspects of our stay, I do not appreciate any attempt to portray me as overly disgruntled, dishonest, or...

The staff is wonderful! Rodnee reached out to us before our stay to help us anticipate anything that would make my mother’s time there more comfortable. This was a couple of weeks before check-in. Rodnee and Katie both worked to re-arrange rooms so that my mother would not have to stay on the second floor and would have a room with a more accessible bathroom and a bit more floor space since she stayed with them 3 weeks. They prepared her breakfast every day as she requested and were so attentive and thoughtful throughout her visit. My husband, son and I also visited twice and the people who work there ( Katie, Rodnee and Lauren) are incredibly thoughtful and flexible at accommodating guests’ requests.

The hotel itself is beautiful and the kind of place where guests tend to sit and talk with one another over afternoon coffee and fresh baked cookies or sit by the fire in the evening.

There are lots of good books in the downstairs library and in all the rooms and the rooms are beautifully appointed and comfortable.

This hotel really has the best location a block from Main Street, near all the little restaurants but it doesn’t suffer from noise. It has a lovely back deck and upper deck, and little front gardens with shaded benches and lots of hummingbirds. I would enthusiastically recommend this hotel to anyone but those with mobility issues should let the Inn know when booking as the stairs to the second floor are steep. We stayed in five different rooms/suites and they were all lovely. Also we liked the way the Inn cleaning crew is included in the team—Lilliana and Bianca were very kind to my mother and the hotel rooms...

For the weekend premium, this hotel was disappointing at best. First of all, the library/public space was completely closed. This was not disclosed at any time: not on the website; not at the time of booking. Prices were certainly not amended to reflect a construction-related inconvenience (something I've seen at other properties). I can't speak for any other room, but avoid the "Our Town" room at all costs, especially during warm weather. The afternoon sun blasted directly into the room. The A/C was strangely placed, affecting just a small area. The room was overly warm, even with cool fall evenings. You could open the window, but since the room overlooks the street, it was pretty noisy. There was very little storage, just a small armoir; no dresser or anything else with drawers. If you're an "unpacker," this is certainly not the room for you. Lastly, the only sink was in the room itself (not in the bathroom), set into a small (and low) sideboard. We enjoyed our time in SLO; it IS a great place to visit for its proximity to a great many attractions-and this property is convenient to many of them. But, as far as we were concerned, it seemed like being well-placed was all that was necessary for management to justify the...