Starprincess....

First of all, hope your interview went well. Good luck with what comes next.

Secondly, Don't give up on CY's just yet, most of them are pretty good.

A few thoughts. Based on my experience, I don't think what you encountered was typical. Given that it was well into evening hours, the "varsity team", including management, had probably gone for the day. At less than full service hotels, this may mean you're stuck with junior staff people who may or may not take their jobs seriously. If you're a MR member and you had an unpleasant experience, I'm sure Guest Services would like to hear about it.

Coincidentally, I had what I thought was a relatively minor issue at a CY twenty minutes away in Ventura last year. They wouldn't cash my $20 personal check....a Terms of Service violation. I called Guest Services and not only got an apology, but they dumped 5,000 points into my account (without my asking).

As for the $149 price... Obviously they can get away with it. Its a bit high, but not really out of line for a brand name hotel in the area. Lodging bargains in So-Cal are getting increasingly tough to find.