We met my husband's two brother's, sister & spouses for a sibling get together. We live in northern…read moreMN & they all live in WI, so we found a location about halfway for all of us to spend a couple of days together.
Checked in on Sunday, April 27th, 2014
Checked out on Tuesday, April 29th, 2014
We are definitely in between the busy seasons of winter and summer tourist season, so the hotel was quiet, hardly any other guests, and very accommodating. When we walked in the hotel lobby, we were greeted immediately by the hotel desk clerk. Check-in was friendly, efficient & with ease as we changed our room from what was originally booked. During our stay, the 2 different hotel desk clerks & staff we encountered were always friendly & welcoming.
Flat Creek Inn was originally a Country Inn and Suites, then sold to Ramada Inn and then the owner was done with franchise companies and is managing it, per the hotel desk clerk. The rooms were updated when taken over by Ramada Inn and currently there is discussion for the rooms to be updated again. It is time for the management to definitely consider this.
We stayed in Room 215, a king-bed suite. The room was very clean, king bed was comfortable with skin soft bedding but the pillows were too big and over stuffed for my liking. J had no issue with them & I brought my own pillow as I'm picky when it comes to my pillow. The bathroom towels were big, thick and absorbent. The toiletries were basic, Lord & Mayfair brand I never heard of, conditioning shampoo with rosemary & chamomile, hydrating lotion with apricot kernel oil and gentle cleansing soap bar with milk and honey. Everything else in the room was the standard amenities found in similar class of hotels.
I will have to agree with previous comments about the disappointing complimentary breakfast as it doesn't even compare with other breakfast offerings at 2 & 2 1/2 star hotels. Yes, there is coffee (regular & decaf) in the lobby and they made fresh when we requested. Breakfast is served at the attached Flat Creek Eatery & Saloon. You are given 4 options and "NO" substitutions are allowed. Your choices are hot or cold cereal, a large pancake, a plain Belgian waffle or scrambled eggs & toast. All of them served with coffee or milk. They have a regular breakfast menu you can order from but you will be charged the menu price.
It is very important to know that there is NO ELEVATOR. We were aware of this before we booked at this hotel and we did request the 2nd floor. I figured walking up the stairs was my exercise of the day as THERE IS NO EXERCISE ROOM ON THE PREMISES. Even though you can pick up free passes at the front desk for SNAP fitness, there is something convenient about exercising right at your hotel especially during cold, rainy/sleet weather which we were having.
The swimming pool and hot tub area is nice & clean. Even though the pool towels are not very big, there was an ample supply. We enjoyed the hot tub & pool on Sunday night but was really disappointed to see the hot tub down for maintenance on Monday when we went to use it.
If I return to Hayward again for our yearly sibling gathering, I would prefer to stay at a DIFFERENT 2 star hotel in Hayward that has an on site exercise facility, more options for the complimentary breakfast, and being a "gold medal" winner for overall accommodations. If you are looking for a clean room with a comfortable bed, simple or no breakfast and no on site exercise facility, you will be satisfied with Flat Creek Inn.