Lamplighter Inn & Suites — Hotel in San Luis Obispo

After having stayed a number of nights without incident, and with largely positive interactions with all staff members (save for one -- more on him in a second) -- my visit was brought to a jarring and sudden end.

Yes the hotel is a bit rundown/worn around the edges. It's a pale shadow of its former self, and actually benefits from having been originally conceived as a far nicer hotel than it has become. Expect all luxuries and extras to be closed or eliminated (pool and hot tub, continental breakfast, working luggage carts, daily towel exchange -- expect none of these). But to be fair, this is among the very cheapest hotels in town. Some rooms have balconies, many are oversized, and while there is a level of disrepair and some greater issues with cleanliness, none was insurmountable save for the truly sodden and filthy wall-to-wall in the rooms which made for a shoes-always rule.

My issue is with the manager-owner (I believe he is an African-American man in his 40s, around 5' 10" tall if memory serves -- just cannot recall his name). After upgrading my room to a larger room after several uneventful days, I get a call To my new room. The manager/owner says I need to come to the front desk immediately. When there, he says that I have 'five minutes to exit the premises' and that he doesn't have to give a reason why. I had just re-checked in with another staff member without issue minutes earlier. I would have considered arguing, but he was visibly upset , his eyes darting this way and that, wild with rage. I figured it'd be better to let cooler heads prevail. As I went back to my room, a couple minute walk from the lobby he said, ' now you have 4 minutes'

He decided to join me as I packed and for reasons unknown argue with me over violations that were outright inventions on his part: he said I never told the front desk about my service animals (I had before I ever entered the room days earlier and had been open with his presence). When I explained I had a lawful right to have my service animal there and that his scrutiny was illegal and harassing he just kept saying 'that's not a service animal'. He then told me he would be charging me $50 from my deposit. He in fact, after denying me the room I'd already paid for and assuring me I'd get a refund for all but $50, decided to pocket the whole room price and deposit: $215. Fortunately my bank understood this to be fraud when I explained it to them, and refunded me the total value.

This guy is a cheat and a fraudster. Run, don't walk, from engaging in any business...

This is our first time traveling with a Newborn and needed a bit more space than our normal double queen bed set up for 3 adults and a baby. I was able to quickly book a room using Expedia only hours before we arrived. The staff was very friendly but the first sign things were going to be different from the website was upon check in. I asked about the baby bed it said is available online but the attendant said the beds are king size and the baby can sleep in the middle. Once we got our key to our room, we needed to put the breast milk on ice but the ice machine near our room was broken. The room had a table with 2 chairs, a long couch, TV with Roku and streaming services available, king sized bed, 1 bdrm with a 2nd king bed and TV (no remote), safe, mini fridge, microwave, mini coffee machine, big bathroom with lots of towels, several bar soaps, shampoo + conditioner bottles, and lotion, blow dryer, iron and ironing table. We notice the floor hadn't been vacuumed and the sinks were not cleaned well (still toothpaste splatter on the faucet). There was various pieces of debris left behind on the carpet, including an artificial nail and what looked like a chocolate covered nut. There was a huge bleach spot on one of the comforter. Our stay was for 2 night and the room was never serviced/replenished even after I asked the attendant the next day before we left for the day. We were running out of toilet paper and out of tissue. There was a moment in the middle of our 2nd night that we were up late to pump and got creeped out when we noticed someone using a flashlight to look into our room. We called the night attendant and told him there was someone creeping around with a flashlight and he came to check the area. No one was there by the time he came but it was reassuring he checked it out. And he brought us more toilet paper. 🙂 On the plus side, the beds were comfy, the showers had good water pressure, and we 2 king beds, one that was in a room so the baby had privacy. The couch, tho old and probably never cleaned, was comfy. It one that you'd see in a basement or fort. There were no elevators available. We requested a late checkout and they allowed it without extra fee. I would say they are definitely due for an upgrade/remodel. A lot of things were outdated. I paid $440 for 2 nights using Expedia booking...

We stayed Thursday through Sunday and I was going to extend 3 days. Third floor room over parking. Made continuing reservation on Saturday afternoon. Sunday morning went to verify extension and they couldn't find the extended one even though I recieved email confirmation. Bad news. They serve mini muffins and coffee in lobby. I was eating a muffin and coffee and set them on the reservation counter. The hotel guy got obnoxious and told me I was rude for setting them on the counter. He could have done this nicely but escalated when I asked if he was the owner. He was abrupt and said that's none of my business. I commented he could be nicer and commented on the other problems. I said I'm a customer trying to verify the res and complain about the other inadequacies too. Then said I would not be staying any further. Went to room and packed. On my way out a new desk person was on duty. I explained the confrontation. He texted the owner and he offered and additional 10% on my extended stay. I declined because that was a savings of $30 which is no penalty to him when my full extended stay was $300. That is a hard $300 loss for having a bad overnight desk person. Note I could have gotten the room on Priceline at 69 vs 99 dollars dor my res. Note the other desk persons were very nice and helpful. More bad. Now the other motel issues. The curtains were old and rotted. The phone didn't work. The television turned on to fuzz and noise. Remote didn't work. A maint guy changed out the phone. Still didn't work. The refrigerator didn't get cool and no adjustment could be found. Although its freezer was working. Smart Thermostat didn't work either. Opened window fo fresh air. Bathroom shower fixtures were old with some rust. The were a few ants in the bathroom. GOOD now. Coffee and muffins in lobby were very good. Beds and rooms were generally comfortable and well cleaned. 3 pillows that were throw pillow size weird but worked. Some of the Lowest rates in SLO. I might stay here again. Probably A good value under $100 if you don't have to deal with that rude night clerk (black cap) on...