Horizon Hotel — Hotel in Vernal

-My Itemized List of Public Apologies in Relation to My Stay at the Vernal Horizon Hotel-

-To My Family: I apologize for booking at the last minute and prioritizing saving money over comfort for a one-night stay, thinking: *“How bad could it really be? People have stayed here, left reviews, and survived.” -To My Wife: I’m sorry you now have to question my judgment as a functioning adult capable of making rational decisions. I’m also sorry we had to spend an inordinate amount of time browsing the Spirit Halloween store just to avoid going back to the hotel room. -To My Son: I’m sorry you had to sleep on a 90’s forest-green polyester hideaway bed with a moist-to-the-touch mattress that looked like it was trying to imitate the surrounding Utah landscape—complete with browns, reds, whites, and rugged peaks and valleys. I’m sorry the sheets were rolled up like a cowboy’s bedroll and no pillow or blanket was provided. I’m sorry for making a “dad joke” by picking up the non-functioning alarm clock and pretending to call Room Service after you asked if I could actually call them for a pillow and blanket—only to realize there wasn’t even a phone in the room. Finally, I’m sorry we had to bring everything of value, including your mountain bike, into the room to avoid it being seized as evidence in any drug-deal-gone-awry in the parking lot. -To My Daughter: I’m sorry this was the trip where you learned about safe exposure limits to second-hand smoke—and when to (or when not to) report it to your pediatrician at your next checkup. I’m also sorry you thought the drainage canal behind the hotel looked cleaner than the pool.

To the Live-in Hostess and Her Live-in Family:

-To the Hostess: I’m sorry Booking.com transposed my name, making my reservation nearly impossible to find. I’m sorry I moved your cell phone from one of the three tables in the breakfast area/lobby/family room/home-school classroom/music room to another so that actual paying guests could sit. (You know, that room right next to the covered outdoor smoking lounge/entrance—what most hotels call a “front desk.” The place where guests usually call down if they need something… oh wait, never mind.) -To the Hostess’s Partner (“Papa Joe -as her kids affectionately called him”): I’m sorry I misjudged you. After watching you fix the hot tub, wrangle the kids, light your partner’s cigarette, do laptop work, then jump into your unmuffled Jeep Liberty to run errands—all barefoot—I realized I’d underestimated your barefoot lifestyle. Honestly, I feel like I might be missing out. -To the Hostess’s Children: I’m… just sorry.

To the Reviewing System:

-To the 5-Star Reviewers: You must have seen some serious stuff in your life. I’m sorry for everything you’ve endured that made the Vernal Horizon Hotel a 5-star experience for you. God bless you. -To Booking.com: I’m sorry, but I now feel compelled to deep-dive into your rating system. Apparently, a “1-star” review represents the gates of hell, while “3–4 stars” must be reserved for homeless shelters. -To Those Who Didn’t See This Until It’s Too Late: I'm sorry. -To Those Still Reading This Review: I’m REALLY sorry.

To the Black-Collar Workers: I’m sorry I was tempted to eat your complimentary breakfast before you had a chance to. The sign clearly stated that the items (excluding hot drinks) were put out the night before for you—the long-term oil and gas workers—not for middle-class travelers just staying a night or two. You are the real heroes. The least I can do to thank you for your service is to not eat those Great Value brand breakfast items (especially since we would’ve had to pay extra anyway).

To the Insects:

-To the Bugs in My Bed: I’m sorry I freaked out and didn’t give you a proper burial. -To the Spider in the Hall: I’m sorry I invaded your space and almost knocked you off the wall. -To the Wasps at the Window: I’m sorry I didn’t just let you in. I could have—there was no screen or lock on the window. I assume that’s how the bugs in...

This hotel was horrible, the staff was extremely rude, we would have been better off to stay in our car for the night. I booked a 2 night stay here through Expedia. Due to circumstances beyond my control my husband was unable to accompany me and I ended up being the one who took my grandson to his baseball tournament. As soon as I found out about my change of who was going with me I called the hotel directly and asked if there would be a problem with 2 of my grandchildren accompanying me rather than my husband. The lady who answered the phone let me know that there had been a mistake with Expedia and I might not even have a room after all due to the fact Expedia over sold rooms for the dates I was staying. Thankfully, I was in their system and my reservation did go thru for a single king size bed, she informed me that there was nothing I needed to do in regards to bringing my grandkids rather than my husband. At 10:30 that evening I received an email informing me that I in fact did not have a reservation for the 2 nights I had just spoken with them earlier about. So naturally the following morning I called the hotel to see why I was getting 2 different stories. The manager apologized and said she had mistakenly sent me that email and that yes I still had a reservation but they had to move me to a double queen room, which was fine. We arrived and checked in, at which time I was informed they had no idea where my room key was. I waited upwards of 25 minutes while the staff found my room key. When I finally received my room key it was on a keyring labeled master key. Although by this time I'm slightly irritated at the unnecessary obstacles and issues that keep popping up we grab our belongings and head to our room. As soon as we open the door it was like being hit with a heatwave.....super hot in the room come to find out they have several rooms that don't have working air conditioner units....that was according to the gal who was working the front desk when I inquired about why it wasn't working. She then informed me "to just open a window and I will be fine". At this point I am becoming increasingly aggravated and frustrated with every passing moment. We then decide to go for a swim and try to relax a little before bed. The hot tub was broken and the pool was filthy, to the point where my 11 year old grandson and I quote "this water is nasty". We go back to the room and wash off however when I turned on the water to the sink, the line had a lot of air in it like it had just been turned back on. The fridge had a foul odor so we were unable to use it. It's almostq 2was if they purposely put me in a room wthat had qbeen out of commission and then expected me to be grateful that I had a place to lay my head for the night that mind you I paid for. The owners did reach out to me and offer me a partial refund but I have yet to hear back from them. I highly recommend NOT staying at this hotel. Overall the customer service is absolutely horrible and the staff are extremely unorganized...

We arrived at 10:30pm to check in after driving 7 hrs, and check in was supposed to be 24 hrs. There was no one at the desk, so we called the number listed for late check in. We called it 7 times and it went to voicemail. After 30 min of waiting, we learned that the owners have another motel in town, so we called that number. Someone finally picked up and came to the front desk. The front desk person was rude when we explained we waited 30 min. There was another person in the lobby who had been waiting an hour and the phone was ringing off the hook.

The bed was very uncomfortable too- definitely a very old spring mattress, and the coils were sticking into our backs which made sleeping basically impossible. The "ice machine" was literally a kitchen refrigerator that makes ice, which looked dirty and always had very little ice. I'm not much of a continental breakfast person, but it left much to be desired and the coffee pot looked dirty, so we got breakfast and coffee in town.

The room and linens themselves seemed clean, except the carpet looked pretty old and stained. It took about 5 min for the hot water in the shower to warm up which was annoying but tolerable. The TV is very small and only has the local channels, which was annoying but also tolerable. There are no USB jacks in the room so charging phones was not possible for us.

The room was half the price of others in town, but I'd rather pay a bit more for easy check in and a comfortable night of sleep. I couldn't wait to leave this hotel and won't...