The Sonora Inn — Hotel in Sonora

I was making a reservation via the Sonora Inn website at 11:30pm Christmas night, for the next night. I remember putting in the correct date during the reservation. I tabbed to another session for awhile, came back to the reservation page, and pressed enter to reserve. When the confirmation page came up, it showed the reservation date as Christmas night (25th) instead of the 26th, which means it defaulted the date back to the 25th after some time, and didn't notify me that the date had been systematically changed (I was still on the page with the credit card entry with the date that I had already filled in). After the confirmation, I couldn't cancel or correct the reservation because it was within their no cancellation time frame. I tried to call the hotel to let them know the reservation date was for the next day, but they didn't answer. I called the next day to tell them what had happened and all they offered to do was give me 10 percent discount on a new reservation for the 26th. They wouldn't apply the full amount to the 26th, because "you (I) had touched the key and pressed enter". THIS IS THIEVERY, and the WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE. Their website is coded so I couldn't correct the date, couldn't cancel the reservation, obviously someone isn't making a reservation at 11:30 at night for the same day, on Christmas. They are trying to steal from their (now ex) customers! How would you feel if they kept your money in this situation? In most people's perspective, it is obvious they didn't correct the situation in a manner that was appropriate to the customer and situation. I would say, BAN THIS HOTEL!

Update 20250106: I did stay in another hotel while I was in Sonora. However, I stopped by the Sonora Inn before I left Sonora, and spoke to the front desk staff, stating I would like to give them another opportunity to correct this situation.

They were VERY kind, and stated they were glad I decided to come into the hotel. They had been trying to figure out who I was based on my email address in my google review, so they could correct this situation. They said they would refund charges to my card, and I didn't have to worry about ever interacting with the staff member that that refused to apply my funds to the reservation date intended and was rude to me.

If they actually fired her, this I would feel uncomfortable with, because in my perspective it could be a great lesson in what appropriate customer service responses would be, and hope they would reconsider and hire her back if they feel this was an instance she learned from and wouldn't be repeated.

Additionally, I don't know if the fault was totally with the person I spoke to on the phone, or a night manager that she said she was following instructions from, or both. Sonora is such a small town, and it would sadden me if this situation resulted in the cessation of someone's livelihood, especially over the holiday.

I am changing my review score to a 5, because having stayed there in the past and loving the location and the hotel (which is why I made the reservation there for this trip), I have great hope this was a one time experience, it was corrected, and lessons were learned by everyone (even me), this type of situation won't happen again, and maybe the Sonora Inn management will fix their website processes to allow for date correction after a confirmation within the non-refundable time frame if the correction is made within 30 minutes of a reservation confirmation (or don't default the reservation date back to "today's date" when a systematic timeout happens (keep the original search reservation date). FYI - I had screen printed my reservation date searched for during my reservation process and confirmed I had searched for 12/26 to 12/27.

I will plan to stay at the Sonora Inn the next time I travel to Sonora, and hopefully have the same wonderful experience that I had the first time I stayed there.

Thank you Sonora Inn management for correcting this and restoring my faith in your...

As much as I loved this hotel, the staff, the location, and the service - I am giving this hotel a 2 star rating - for their pettiness.

We stayed new years weekend just past with the hubs, two little boys, and a friend. As it had rained both FRI and SAT we were excited for a sunny (no rain) day in the snow with our 6 and 5 year old sons who are learning to snowboard. Upon leaving that day at 10:30a (checkout is at 11a) I asked the person at the front desk (who it turns out is the manager) if we could have a late check out (I said only that it would most likely be past noon) in order to let the boys have some fun in the snow. I also said we are all packed and if we need to, are happy to leave our stuff in a lock space or whatever you have available if you need to ready the room, the woman said it would be fine, spoke into the radio to communicate to the staff, and that was that.

Or so I thought. Upon my return the lovely woman (not the one I spoke to earlier) said in a frantic state - are you the people in room XXX? I said yes and she told me that the manager (whom I literally spoke with three hours previous) wanted to charge me for an extra night and I had caused such a raucous that everyone was in a "state". I said, oh my gosh I am so sorry but when I left this morning I got the feeling it was ok and we had no reception up in the mountain. I told the woman it was ok to charge me as I felt I was ruining someone else's vacation. She said oh no, no one needs to be in the room, and upon even further dialogue I found out the same woman I spoke to is the woman (manager) who is raging mad and wants to charge me another nights stay? So that is why the two stars. Not cool and from left field as they didn't even call me to tell me they'd be charging another night (when I left the nice woman I spoke with told me she thought the manager was being irrational and if she did still felt the need to charge me I would receive a phone call - which I did not, and a full night was 100% on my credit card without warning).

On a side note, I'm an executive assistant to a C level at a widely known/used tech company and have been in similar positions for over 20 years where I'm responsible for creating and hosting events. I know what good service is and I have never dealt with any business so petty and vindictive...

Awful! Just Awful! Can't park to check in so I chanced it in a no parking zone in front of the Inn. Staff mediocre, did not make me feel welcome at all. Parking in the motel lot behind the Inn. If there is space. Enter the Inn via a courtyard - too many steps for a cart. The door getting in to the Inn lobby was large old and heavy. Try that with 3 bags. At least I got my exercise. 2nd floor room. Stairs or 1920 elevator. 3 bags - the elevator. Heavy door to open and it has no check. Slide the gate door open, prop the heavy door with your foot or leg and drag a bag in. Do this 3 times. Quaint but not when you are road weary and tired. Got to the room. Adjust the A/C. I am average height but my over 6 ft friends would struggle to reach the controls. Not only that, you can't read them. Finally got it all adjusted and roared to life. And I mean ROARED to life and ALL night. Off to the bathroom. Not a shelf in sight. So walk back and forth to the Dopp Kit on the bed. In the morning do the same. At least you had training the night before. The bed, King Henry edition. Certainly not the Belagio. I literally had to sleep at a 45 degree angle or I would have fallen out of bed. Shower in the morning - pitiful. But the Dopp Kit routine made it specially. Gotta leave - so I took two bags down the stairs, with trepidation asked the front desk staff to watch them and went to retrieve number 3. At least 1 and 2 were there when I got back. Drag them out through the chamber door to the motel parking lot. I was hemmed in by some idiot who must have been drunk. I went and had breakfast at a nice little restaurant in town and when I returned I could move my truck. Let me tell you I got out of Dodge fast. Would...