Sands Inn & Suites — Hotel in San Luis Obispo

My partner and I tried booking a room with Sands Inn on July 30 at 6:30PM, and initially, when he called, the person taking his call, named Henry, took minimal information and hung up the call. Then, he called back from a NO CALLER ID number - NOT the sands inn number - and left a voicemail saying he needed my partner's credit card information. We called back, he took the information. We never got a confirmation email, so we called back a few days later, only for the woman who answered - named Esmerelda (if that is not her real name, then whoever was working front desk on Aug 2 at around 1:30PM) - who was incredibly rude to us. She told us that not only was there no credit card information on file for the reservation, but that the rate was 100$ more than we had been told days prior by Henry it was. I understand if there's nothing she can do and this is an unfortunate situation, but her attitude was disrespectful and unempathetic of the fact that someone from her organization had so irresponsibly and perhaps unlawfully taken our credit card information after calling us from an anonymous number without leaving any trace. When I asked to speak to a superior, she said she was the manager and there was no one above her. She said she "ran the hotel", and when I asked if she owned the hotel, she said "no, but I run it. You cannot talk to anyone else". This was before we remembered that Henry had left a voicemail, so I asked her if she at least knew the name of the guy who had taken my partner's original call. She said she'd have to check the calendar and she was too busy to do so. We cancelled our reservation, obviously. There's simply no room for this kind of flippant, rude attitude in the hospitality industry. Esmerelda's words were careless and harsh, and Henry's actions may be the consequence of poor supervision and training, or be something more sinister- such as scamming customers for their credit card information. DO NOT BOOK A ROOM AT THIS HOTEL. I have never left a negative review on anything before, but this is ridiculous. I will absolutely be pursuing other courses of action to remedy...

My partner and I tried booking a room with Sands Inn on July 30 at 6:30PM, and initially, when he called, the person taking his call, named Henry, took minimal information and hung up the call. Then, he called back from a NO CALLER ID number - NOT the sands inn number - and left a voicemail saying he needed my partner's credit card information. We called back, he took the information. We never got a confirmation email, so we called back a few days later, only for the woman who answered - named Esmerelda (if that is not her real name, then whoever was working front desk on Aug 2 at around 1:30PM) - who was incredibly rude to us. She told us that not only was there no credit card information on file for the reservation, but that the rate was 100$ more than we had been told days prior by Henry it was. I understand if there's nothing she can do and this is an unfortunate situation, but her attitude was disrespectful and unempathetic of the fact that someone from her organization had so irresponsibly and perhaps unlawfully taken our credit card information after calling us from an anonymous number without leaving any trace. When I asked to speak to a superior, she said she was the manager and there was no one above her. She said she "ran the hotel", and when I asked if she owned the hotel, she said "no, but I run it. You cannot talk to anyone else". This was before we remembered that Henry had left a voicemail, so I asked her if she at least knew the name of the guy who had taken my partner's original call. She said she'd have to check the calendar and she was too busy to do so. We cancelled our reservation, obviously. There's simply no room for this kind of flippant, rude attitude in the hospitality industry. Esmerelda's words were careless and harsh, and Henry's actions may be the consequence of poor supervision and training, or be something more sinister- such as scamming customers for their credit card information. DO NOT BOOK A ROOM AT THIS HOTEL. I have never left a negative review on anything before, but this is ridiculous. I will absolutely be pursuing other courses of action to remedy...

Positives: Good location, close to Cal Poly. Lots of pillows in the room - 2x the number you'd expect for two beds and a pull-out sofa.

Negatives: The first thing you'll notice when you walk in is the gaudy, shiny, oversized furniture. No table in living room. When I turned on the floor lamp in the main living area sparks shot out from the cord, shorting out the lamp and dimmer. Breakfast was pretty terrible. When the desk was informed the eggs were all gone, their reply was, "ok, we'll make more later." The Fitness room is crowded, and has a bunch of broken equipment. Housekeeping didn't come in on 2nd day of our stay. Room windows are dirty. Grime is ground in throughout the room, which hasn't been deep cleaned in years. Even the light switches are grimy. Upholstered room chairs are filthy, need to be steam cleaned, as well as terribly uncomfortable. The Floors are covered in engineered wood, but underneath are uneven and wonky, with noticeable low spots and dips. Huge hole at bottom of entry door. Got a room with a "kitchenette." 2 burners and a under-the-counter fridge. Door on fridge falls off, as the lower pin is broken off. There are not pots, pans, or cooking supplies in the room. Utensils are available for rental, so in my opinion, the kitchen is a sham. There is a sink in bedroom, but no soap is provided. Bathroom sink didn't drain. Bathroom plumbing repair left giant, unfinished hole in wall around clean-out. No ventilation in bathroom, subsequently, there is water damage throughout the room and on the door. Junk piled up in parking structure. Hotel laundry: dilapidated. Outside dryer area for housekeeping looks like a refugee camp. Ice machine is close by, but the overall impression is you'll get tetanus if you use the ice. Safety issue: No window lock on bedroom window. My room was unsecured for three nights, unbeknownst to me. MOST unhappy about this.

Overall: this place is 3 stars on its best day. It's not going to cost you a fortune to stay here, but it's...