Originally Posted by
wilma
We spent 3 nights at Monterey this past weekend, the rooms are definitely much nicer. Was given a Monterey suite without asking for an upgrade (1st time in over 15 stays) and access to the Regency club. The check-in person knew nothing about a diamond amenity and didn't know how to check to see if the bonus codes (G2, 12K for 3 nights, and the diamond 1W) so I had to call later because a huge line was forming behind me. The room was spacious and overlooked the pool, but the carpet was already stained and had burn marks. The carpet had been installed strangely and it was bunched up and we often tripped on it; the floor is also uneven. The walking on the floor noise from the upstairs neighbors was quite loud. The shower was nice with a large overhead rain effect. The Regency club is pretty lackluster
. The evening snacks were pretty lame with a few diminutive/bite sized quiche snacks and some cheese but no crackers. Nothing hot. Someone asked the attendant for some crackers and she was busy surfing the net and responded that there were none on the cart from the kitchen. She made no attempt to find any crackers and went back to her net surfing. The young man in the morning was even more clueless, also checking sports news on the internet and had no idea how to get cream cheese for the bagels. There was cereal, fruit, bagels, lox, and cheeses. Clearly the Regency Club needs better food offerings and some trained staff. The pool and hot tub were pleasant and much nicer on Sunday afternoon after the children left. It is an improvement over the tired old Monterey Hyatt but it still needs some work. If you can get it for a good rate it's not bad, but I wouldn't pay more than $150/night.
Check in was horrible. Clerk didnt know about the diamond ammenity, I had to ask for two AAA certs for breakfast, didnt updgrade me, I had to request access to Regency Club lounge, etc.
Regency Club door access was not functioning for many guest-needed to walk in the open back door (which lets flies into the Club)
Food in the Club was probably too warm (veggies were wilting)
NO AIRCONDITIONING-this was really bad during the heat wave (no rooms in the hotel have air conditioning! The third floor was really warm and uncomfortable.
Hotel isnt very convenient to downtown
On the plus side, the breakfast buffet was very good.
Unexpected room charges from the bar that werent mine
My Diamond amenity was delivered to wrong room
Only one bath soap, not a hand soap
No newspaper was delivered in the morning.
Bell desk person wasnt around during ck in, although I rarely use them, this time I had two large suitcases (brought my scuba gear) and due to the configuration of the hotel, I could have used some assistance. The elevator for building five is in a building about 75 yards away. Unusual configuration.
I spoke with the front desk manager about several issues and he comp'd the room for the night. He was very kind and I didnt even ask for the comp. He processed it before he met with me. When the front desk rep asked how my stay was (I had to stand in line to ck out so I could remove the bar charge error and obtain a copy of my bill-they didnt slide under my door) I replied it was an inconvenient stay and I wouldnt be back ( I then mentioned a few of the service inconsistencies I experienced). Oh, I forgot, I asked for a 1pm ck out and my door lock didnt allow me access at 1215pm. I was standing in the hall for 15 minutes with all my scuba gear waiting for assistance to open my door....