Bad (*unsafe*) location. And they make you park your car across the street in an unsecured lot. It…read morewas like driving through the bad parts of Oakland just getting there from the freeway. Pimps in the middle of the road even.
I had heard Stockton could be a little rough, but those four or five blocks were *bad*. The wife was a little freaked, and she spent years living in Oakland.
Oh. Then there is check-in. The tall skinny white girl at the counter rattled off in near-monotone the important items... without taking a breath. She wants me to do one thing, then immediately starts in on the next bit and gets condescending with me when I explain that I am neurodivergent, and if she could please slow down, I might not get overwhelmed and have a meltdown, because I just spent an ungodly number of hours behind the wheel in a very tense atmosphere due mostly to crappy roads and scary drivers, and now a crappy neighborhood in an overpriced crappy hotel.
Not to say it isn't beautiful; it is. Great outdoor seating area. Phenomenal patio furniture arranged around fire pits and with industrial strength umbrella stands for when the sun gets too hot. Nice pool area. Outdoor pool table. Etc. Nice? Very. And clean too.
But don't look out into the water at the edge of the property. The bay, or lagoon, whatever it is, is reflective with a rainbow of oil slicks and garbage floating on the surface, collecting along the rocks at the edge. It's disgusting.
The room we had was on the second floor. Would have preferred a ground floor due to having a dog, but we instead ended up what felt like miles from the elevator in a room with a lovely view of the HVAC system, which managed to wake me every hour on the hour beginning at 2am. Not a happy camper.
Also, the hallway temperature on floor 2 was *really* warm. Not only am I having to lug everything to the second floor and miles down a side wing, but every time the dog needs to potty, it means I am carrying her as she is old, with a heavy fur coat, and can't handle walking in the heat. She also just has a hard time because she has a pinched nerve making her gait difficult. All things that I mentioned the following morning and was told glibly, "you could have asked for another room."
Like somehow it's my fault you put me in crappy room, as far away from any amenities or doggy areas as possible and where the A/C that somehow doesn't work in the floor hallways manages to keep me up all night as it regularly turns on and off. I expect my host to know the hotel well enough that rooms are recommended based on guest needs. I shouldn't have to do your work for you. You should have known that is a crap room, to be filled as a last resort, and definitely not for older people with older pets. And the hotel was virtually empty.
And I am most certainly not going to ask for a new room at 3am so I can pack everything up including the dog and her gear to a new room when I am only staying one night.
The final B.S. was served up the following morning. We needed to transport our gear to the car, but there weren't any luggage carts available. When asked, the same receptionist said they were all in use, and I would just have to wait. Nearly 30 minutes later, I had to carry everything down manually. Just me, traveling with an elderly dog and a handicapped partner. And the staff just watched me struggle.
The ONLY thing I can honestly recommend at this hotel, and its only redeeming value IMHO, is the restaurant. Staff were incredible, kind, happy, and the steak was the best thing about the whole stay. Can't speak to ambiance as we ordered room service, but the professionalism and kindness of our server was very appreciated.
This was the most expensive night we had on a trip with nine other hotel stays, and it was by far the worst. Very disappointing. Two stars. Would have been one if not for the spectacular room service meal.
