Best Western Plus First Coast Inn & Suites — Hotel in Yulee

So after flipping between three hotels, I chose to come stay at this hotel when I had to come in town because my daughter started having a baby. When I got here, it was late the first day and the lady at the desk was absolutely amazing and so joyful even when I was very stressed out and also had thought I had lost my wallet. But I found it and everything worked out amazingly! The next day, the gentleman at the desk was super awesome and since my daughter was in labor, and we weren’t sure if she was going to stay at the hospital in Jacksonville or be sent home he was so nice to allow us to stay a little extra so we could see where I was going to go. The maintenance gentleman was also absolutely amazing and hung out and talked with us about the pool and it was just such a wonderfully pleasant experience. I chose after going to another hotel down in Jacksonville for the night to stay with my daughter to come back and make a reservation at this hotel. I really enjoyed room 101 because it’s right next to the pool and my son was going in and out playing in the pool and I could see him as well as be right beside the door for easy access when we were going in and out from the pool. The gentleman at the front before I left said he would make me a reservation for Th-Fr and a request for 101 but if someone was in it then we wouldn’t be able to get it, which was obviously understandable.

TODAY - it’s pouring rain and I come in a day early and with a smiling face I asked the lady at the desk, Maya, if room 101 happened to be available, she literally had a mild scarf and rolled her eyes and looked like it was the biggest problem in the world to check the computer. I still smiled and kind of went into my story about having the reservation, and the gentleman told me to ask and was very pleasant with her and not once did this woman smile the entire time she talked to me… My existence in front of her literally seemed like it was ruining her day. She said it was available and I gave her my name and she looked it up and I gave her my ID which my last name starts with an R and my address is different. When I got married, the DMV in South Carolina changed my name, but not my address. It really has never been a problem for anything til now.. She rolled her eyes again, I gave her my card, and it has my unmarried name on it (again never a problem till now). She said she needed an ID with my other last name or a different card.. Now mind you, the first night I came I had a digital card on my phone that I generally use with my updated information, but the lady said they didn’t have tap and had to swipe the card so I transferred all of the money I had for hotels to the card I handed her and I pulled out the only other ID I had which is a hunting license and of course it doesn’t have a picture, but it does have the other name and she said finally (after realizing I was about to lose it I guess arguing with her over policy and why did two other people have no issue with it) told me I could do a credit card authorization online so I filled that out and dealt with it that way. I will say on my side it declined the first time bec I forgot I had transferred all of the money onto the physical card so I had to reswitch the money. Two other guests checked in while I was doing all of this, and I will say absolutely no smiles no cheerfulness nothing… to be honest if it wasn’t pouring rain, and my son-in-law’s mother wasn’t also staying at this hotel that I recommended because of the first night of amazing service… I was completely ready to walk out of the door. I hope the night staff is more pleasant as well as other people that I encounter tomorrow or I’ll probably go to another hotel tomorrow.

Please understand my review is 100% based on Maya -not anything else about this hotel. Literally LOVE the hotel, the saltwater pool is absolutely amazingly maintained and it’s clear the owner of the hotel cares about the presentation so I hope this review reaches him. If she had been nice or pleasant AT ALL, I would not be...

We called the hotel three times to confirm we could get a late checkout, as I needed the room to prepare for an afternoon hearing at the Nassau County Courthouse located nearby. We were told we could checkout at 3:00 p.m. the following day, which was perfect for my needs. I paid more for this hotel room than the neighboring hotels due to the late checkout promise. The following day I was contacted at 1:00 p.m. by the front desk and told that I had to checkout at that time. I informed them of my conversations the previous day with the front desk prior to booking the room, and that was why I booked the room, despite the higher price when compared to neighboring hotels. I was told there was nothing they could do (which of course is ridiculous). In any event, I had to leave at 1:00 p.m. Needless to say, I was not very happy and would never recommend this hotel.

Edit in Response to Best Western: I reviewed your disingenuous reply to my complaint. Amazingly, nobody was sorry the day of my stay, I'm not sure why you would be now. To begin with you do not address the fact that I was told three times I could have a late checkout until 3:00 p.m. If the hotel was not full, which it was not, the fact that check-in is at 3:00 p.m. the following day, has no relevance. Nobody ever told me I would have to pay an additional fee for the late checkout and I have never heard of such a charge. You got me on initialing your standard paperwork, I guess I should have amended it to state the agreement was for a 3:00 p.m. checkout. Bad on me for trusting your desk clerk and believing what I was told by her. This was a one night hotel stay, not a home or a car purchase, so I did not feel the need to make amendments. My checkout time was not well past 1:00 p.m., it was shortly after I received the call at 1:00 p.m., as long as took me to come to the front desk and make an in person complaint (where I received no apology), gather my computer equipment and clothing. With regard to the cost of the hotel, it was more expensive than the surrounding hotels (I have and use all of the various booking apps) and it was $31.00 more than the Holiday Inn Express across the street from you, where I stayed last time I had court in Nassau County, which was a much nicer hotel. They did, however, lack the construction site aura of your hotel and that damp musty smell pervasive throughout your hotel. I guess you charge extra for that. Next time I come to town, I will be staying at the Holiday Inn Express, again, and anyone who reads my complaint and the response from the hotel, should...

The rooms were very clean and upgraded and believe it or not THE most comfortable (new) beds either of us have ever slept in when staying at a hotel, even better than the beds in the 4 star hotels we have stayed in. I'm also very OCD so I definitely appreciated the clean, upgraded rooms and beds. As a smoker, I also appreciated several smoking areas with seating. One being by the pool area and also the front porch area off to either side. They have a bench on one side and 2 comfortable rocking chairs on the other so you could actually sit and enjoy a cigarette without being made to feel horrible like many places do. We were staying there while visiting family for the Thanksgiving holiday. The day we were checking out they were putting up their Christmas decorations which were cute especially in the lobby by the fireplace and big wooden staircase. While we were there they were also in the process of updating some exterior features as well which didnt interfere with our stay at all. It was quiet and peaceful during our stay without any loud guests or late night partying which is always good. They are right off the interstate and close to many nearby food and shopping plazas which was also very convenient. Everyone here was very friendly and extremely pleasant to interact with. I feel bad I can't remember the names of all the ladies at the front desk we interacted with as all 4 were friendly and helpful but Diana was especially sweet and went above and beyond to help us when we needed to extend our stay and also when we needed a late checkout. Next time we are in the area we would definitely stay here again. And as a bonus they are also pet friendly and we saw several guests walking dogs and even a cat in one of the windows which is also good to know that next time we can bring our kitty to stay with us. The only thing that could make it better would be if they brought back the hot tub and pool fountain feature that you can tell used to be there but as I said they were in the process of upgrading the exterior so maybe the next time we are there those features...