The Sandman Santa Rosa Sonoma, an Ascend Collection Hotel — Hotel in Santa Rosa

My second stay at Sandman was on March 19, 2024. My first visit was on May 2, 2019, when I stayed at Sandman on a press trip with a group of travel writers/photographers. The motel (not a hotel) had just been renovated and was in pristine condition. I had a good but short one-night experience. My fiancé and I stayed one night on our way to San Francisco. The rate was under $100 for an ‘accessible’ room. Upon arrival, I went into the office to check-in. At first, I thought no one was there, but as I approached the desk, I saw the clerk sitting in a low chair behind a big computer monitor, hiding him. The young man did not make eye contact or even offer a greeting. I indicated I was checking in and gave him my name. He placed a form on the desk and said, “Fill this in.” I did so and was handed two key cards and was told the Wi-Fi code was on the key envelope. I asked about a restaurant, and he said the Thai place was good while pointing down the street. We entered room 164 and were pleased with the décor and the exceptional cleanliness of all room areas until my companion sat down on the desk chair. After a few minutes, he discovered his jeans were wet in the back. We figured out that the chair was soaking wet. We immediately called the front office to report the problem. In minutes, someone took the chair away, replacing it with a dry one. Good service, thanks. We did feel the room was only marginally ‘accessible.’ To use the shower, you had to climb into a deep tub. This would be very difficult for someone in a wheelchair. While there was a fold-down bench, it was far away from the water controls, and the large fluffy towels were 12 feet across the room. The sink and vanity had plenty of room for a wheelchair to roll under, but the sink and vanity seemed too high for use from a chair. In addition, the toilet required you to hold down the handle to get a complete flush wasting water. The room had a microwave, coffee maker, and tea kettle, but no tea. There was a refrigerator and a toaster oven. We thought a toaster oven seemed a bit dangerous for a motel room. We only used the tea kettle (after walking to the office for tea bags), so we can’t comment on the other appliances. The king-sized bed was very comfortable, with quality linens and fresh pillows. An easy chair and table were nice to use for our tea. There was a desk and chair that we wanted to use for our laptops, but there was no power outlet. We had to plug in by the bed. The Wi-Fi worked as expected. The following morning, we went to the ‘lounge’ for breakfast. Oh my, what a depressing place. The room next to the office had one communal table. The TV blared depressing morning news. The food was equally sad. The hot foods of bacon, sausage, and eggs had been cooked in a microwave. The bacon was stuck together and greasy but had a nice smokey flavor and aroma. The scrambled eggs had an off-putting smell and were little squares that looked more like pudding than eggs. The sausage was the ‘brown and serve’ variety but had not been browned. I used a not-too-flakey croissant to make a breakfast sandwich from the bacon and sausage. My companion had yogurt, bacon, and sausage. Green tea was the only kind available. Coffee was there for coffee drinkers. We did find orange juice and milk. Check-out was a repeat of check-in, with the clerk hiding behind the computer monitor and offering no greeting. Her only words were to tell me I had booked with a third party and my receipt would come via email — it still hasn’t arrived. I doubt we would ever stay here again. Although some things were nice and everything was spotless, we were disappointed in — the unprofessional front desk staff, terrible breakfast in a depressing room, closed pool bar, wet chair (not detected by cleaners), people smoking near rooms, and worst of all, the apparent sex workers on...

I recently stayed at The Sandman Hotel from September 22-24, and while my check-in was pleasant, my overall experience was disappointing due to several issues, including undisclosed construction and room conditions.

Upon check-in, I requested a top-floor room due to my sensitivity to noise from above, and I was placed on the second floor with a nice view of the pool and sunset. Although the walls were thin, I could tolerate most of the noise, except when my neighbors closed their doors—I could feel it in bed, even when they didn’t slam them, which makes this an unavoidable issue. However, the real problem began the next morning.

Just after 8 AM on Monday, I was jolted awake by loud construction as workers began removing the roof. This construction was not disclosed at check-in, despite my booking directly through the hotel. While I understand that construction must happen at some point and that the workers were simply doing their job, this should have been mentioned during check-in. Many guests check out early, but I was staying for a few days, intending to work remotely, and the constant noise made that impossible. I had planned to work poolside, but the sound of metal being sawed and debris falling into a bin two floors below made it unbearable. This significantly impacted my stay, and it was frustrating that the construction notice was only posted at the front desk after the day I checked in.

In addition to the construction noise, my room had several issues. The refrigerator malfunctioned, causing my food to spoil, and there appeared to be mold damage near it, with damp carpet throughout my stay. The shower handle also fell off, which I reported at checkout, but the desk staff didn’t apologize or offer any compensation. It felt as though they were aware of these issues but were not interested in addressing them.

The hotel has potential, especially with its pool area, petanque court, and outdoor seating. However, the internet didn’t reach the outdoor courtyard, limiting my ability to work remotely. Aside from the daily construction, which started between 8 and 8:15 AM and continued until 4 or 5 PM, even reading a book outside wasn’t a comfortable option. While the rooms appeared to be recently renovated, it seemed more like a superficial update—the damp carpet, uncomfortable bed, and malfunctioning amenities detracted from the experience.

Lastly, the large room window only had a pull-down shade, forcing me to choose between complete darkness or no privacy, as people frequently walked inches from the window. Sheer curtains would have been a simple solution, allowing for privacy while still letting in natural light.

Although the staff listened to my feedback at checkout, they neither apologized nor offered any compensation for these inconveniences. Both the staff and their website should have disclosed the construction and offered an apology and compensation for guests like myself who were...

I have no idea how this motel has any good review at all. If I could give this motel zero stars, I would. First off, this is by no stretch of the imagination a hotel. It's a motel. Kudo's to whomever took the pictures of this motel, they miraculously made it look much more upscale than it is. When I arrived, it looked nothing like the pictures. I was put in a room at the very back of the parking lot, close to where the pool is located. There was a large gathering of men at a picnic table near that location playing loud music and drinking beer. In the corridor above me there were also some men hanging out. Traveling as a single woman, I became very concerned when I realized I was being stared at as I was getting my luggage out of my vehicle and walking to my room. The room walls were so thin, it sounded as if the noise from outside was actually inside my room. The room itself was nothing special. There was some wood board on the bed, which I had no idea what it was for. Later, in pictures, I saw that it was some sort of game. Where the pictured game had some sort of scoring pad, little booklet (or something, that's what I'm assuming it was, and pencil. The one on my bed had nothing. The furnishings had seen better days, as they appeared a bit rough. Everything about the room was nothing like it was portrayed as being. I've stayed in plenty of motel rooms, so I have nothing against that. I've stayed in my fair share of budget friendly places.... what bothered me was I didn't feel safe, the cost of the room was more aligned with the photos in the ad, versus what it actually looks like. Within 15 min's of arriving I was at the front desk asking for a refund. Which I didn't get. There was no way I was going to stay there, not with the men staring me down and my being there by myself. I ended up going to stay at the Flamingo, which was similarly priced.... but SO MUCH BETTER. The Sandman is a dive motel. Also, it appeared as if they have permanent residence living there. When I asked the front desk about this, she seemed to avoid answering me directly. She said that yes, they do have people that stay for longer stays. When I Googled it, it seems as if in 2020 they were giving out housing vouchers for The Sandman. I wonder if they still are? And perhaps that would explain the party going on in their picnic area on a Jan evening. Definitely a strong apartment atmosphere vibe going on there and not really motel vibe.

ANYway, I totally feel like I was scammed. My advice is to stay away from this place. They portray themselves as something they are not. By the time you realize this, they'll have your money and you'll be committed to staying in one of their severely overpriced rooms or letting them keep your money while you go and...