Golden Host Resort Sarasota — Hotel in Sarasota

Do not be fooled by the pictures posted by the owners online. This is not a resort; rather, it is a renovated motel that was originally built in the 1950's. The renovations were not very well done in the rooms, but were done well for the public areas (lobby, pool, etc.) This review only gets one star due to it's location. The pool area looked nice from a distance; however, my partner and I did not go in that area. We also did not go in the tiki bar even though we were given free drink coupons.

Pros: The location is fantastic and is close to downtown Sarasota and St. Armand's Circle, which is nice for those looking for quick access to those areas. The shower and toilet in our room looked clean and did not clog. The decorations in the room were cute considering the theme.

Cons: The exterior looked dingy and outdated in comparison to the owner's photos. The exterior of the tiki bar looked dingy and also had graffiti painted on the gutter facing the parking area. Our check-in experience was odd as the front desk has 3 tablets to check people in, but only one terminal to pay for the incidentals. Instinctively, I feel this was done to keep their cost low, but at the expense of the guest experience. It felt awkward having to wait for another guest to finish paying before we were able to pay our incidentals deposit. Inside of our room, the A/C unit was small, contained dust, and had mold spores on the vent and inside of the unit. It also did not blow out air that was colder than 67 degrees and the air flow was very weak. Our door was not fully sealed as you could see light coming in from the bottom of the door. The hand towel that was hanging in the room contained 1-2 black streaks and dirt on it. Additionally, the face tissue dispenser on the side of the bathroom vanity appeared to have had tissues crammed into the box by someone, which looked suspicious. The vanity sink was clogged after washing my hands and took 3-4 minutes for the water to drain.

Due to our room not meeting expectations and also feeling bamboozled by the marketing of the property, we checked out and requested a refund. They denied our requested as the reservation was booked through a 3rd party (which was understandable). Additionally, the staff member that assisted us with our check out informed us that several of the A/C units were not working properly and that an A/C tech is going to work on the units. When asked which units were not working, he did not know that information. Additionally, he tried to show us different rooms, even though he had no knowledge of whether or not the A/C units worked in those rooms. We viewed only one of the rooms that was offered but had the same problem as our original room. When we informed the employee that we were not interested in staying at their resort, he then proceeded to tell us that, because they were busy, that other hotels would be busy too because of the weekend. He continued to say that my partner and I would not be able to find another hotel. I was appalled by this response. Had I known we were going to be treated this way, I would have taken pictures of everything and posted them on this review.

We decided to cut our losses and found another hotel within the hour that was available, was infinitely cleaner, more luxurious, and had an awesome A/C unit in our room; all for $9 more a night. The second hotel also had amazing staff that were very professional, considerate, and accommodating to our needs.

Between the deceptive marketing photos posted by the owner, the shoddy renovation, poor hygiene practices in the rooms, and the terrible customer service interaction with the staff, this motel does not fit any of the criteria worthy of the title "resort" in their name. This is a motel and should be treated like one. If you need somewhere to crash that has a roof over your head, this place will work for you. If you're expecting any luxuries of an actual resort in this place, you will be sorely disappointed. Beware if you are considering...

The Hotel was nice for the overall price point and the location being not to far from Downtown Sarasota and Lido Key was a wonderful experience.

The Service from front desk was extremely helpful and every employee that I encountered while there was extremely nice, and they did what was available to them at the time to help us make the experience better.

Then this where I have the problem.

First thing, The walls seem extremely thin. I could literally hear the other guests talking and laughing in there room like they were in the room with me, with the sound of the TV as well. It was loud enough that I could probably figure out what show they were watching.

Everything in the room was clean, no visible dust. The microwave and fridge were spotless. BUT. As we were going to go to bed, we noticed staining on the sheets. And not even like sweat marks or something. Blood. Actual blood. It didn't look like a murder scene, more like a bloody nose, but regardless it was on the sheets and the covers.

After some further investigation we found that there was some mildew or mold on our pillows.

What's even more unfortunate is that after we were permitted to switch rooms, even the other room had sweat stains and dirt marks on the sheets. It made my Fiance uncomfortable enough that she almost wanted to just leave and go somewhere else. But it was 1am and trying to find a place at that time wasn't worth it. She slept on top of her own blanket we brought from home because of how grossed out she was. I slept on the part of the sheets where it seemed like I could trust.

If I could give 2.5 stars I would. And to some people it might seem a bit ridiculous to give such a low rating based off of just sheets alone, but let me put it this way: Imagine going to an impeccably clean restaurant. You have high expectations based on the environment around you. You go to eat your food and you notice the plate is dirty, or at least appears to be dirty.

It's the same sort of concept here. Where the room and hotel itself is the restaurant, and the bed is the plate. The main point of a Hotel is to sleep in a bed. And if the bed is dirty, or seems to be, it sours the experience.

Would I stay here again? Possibly. If I had reassurance that the sheets were brand new and the overall quality control was better, and if I knew the rooms were a little more...

I stayed here in November for 4 nights. I would have rated it 5 stars if not for the following issues: A/C was either freezing or not working. Literally frost on my window but I couldn’t find an employee the first night to ask for more blankets. Fine. Whatever. (I’m going to leave out several smaller issues and get to the big one.) The final night (Saturday) of my stay, half of the hotel lost power including to my room. The front desk person was in total darkness and said she had called for help hours earlier but no one had shown up. Eventually a truck appeared and worked all night to no avail. Room had no electricity, was pitch black, no AC, no ability to check out, cold shower in the morning, couldn’t dry my hair,, no outlets worked to charge phone, nada! I was told the manager would reach out to all of those affected. Another guest was able to switch rooms to one with power. I was not given this option as I was told she had no idea what rooms did/did not have power. Well, I never heard from said manager despite texting, emailing, and calling. I disputed only PART of my credit card charge as a result. That was denied and I was told to work it out with the manager. Really? The same manager who has never responded to any of my messages? Ok, credit card company (you have now made my naughty list too).

A simple phone call would have gone a long way. But to receive ZERO communication or even a measly offer of a $50 credit, clearly shows this business gives ZERO effs. I filed a complaint with the BBB just to be told they refuse to refund any part of my bill. It’s honestly the principle of the matter. To not get an explanation or even an apology for the major inconvenience, well, I guess that’s just the way this place rolls. I would have had some great things to say about this quirky place but now I have to put them on blast for totaling ghosting me after my stay. I have them ample opportunity to not get blasted but here we are in January and clearly they don’t care.

If you still choose to stay here, expect that you may or may not have AC, or electricity for that matter, and you WILL be charged in full regardless. The staff were friendly enough but whoever manages/owns this place SUCKS! 0/10 for management 0/10 for communication 8/10 for cool Tiki lounge 5/10 for value (if not for above, would...