Four Points Bakersfield, CA [Master Thread]
 

I'll be staying at the Bakersfield Four Points next week and was wondering if anyone has stayed there recently. I'm curious to know how they are with upgrades (especially to us lowly SPG Gold folks). If I am given a choice is there anything special I should try to get...looking at the booking info it seems like the room choices are accessable, traditional, and deluxe (where deluxe seems to be traditional but facing the courtyard). Is there a club level?

I tried searching for earlier mentions, but I could only find a couple of postings within the last year or so, and they contradicted each other (One said it was great and offered an extra 500 bonus starpoints, the other said it was ok and saw no bonus).

stayed there on 1/30. Nice place as a Diamond gave me a nice exec room nothing to yell about, average room nice furniture. Its basically a 2 story walk up . The grounds were really nice and the exec rooms come with 2 bottles of water-FREE. The thread mill was O/O/O. I didnt get a garden view but rather one of the parking lot which didnt make a difference to me as I wasnt spending much time there. The hot tub was nice the jets werent powerful enough. All in all not bad for $59. Theres a small(and I mean SMALL) continental breakfast get there at least 10 mins B4 it closes otherwise it takes the guy 2 secs till its all gone. The bagels were the 1 bite and its gone kind. If you miss it believe me you didnt miss much.

I was hoping to get to the hot springs in the area but the fog was so dense on Fri morn ALL the schools were delayed by 3 hrs opening so the point of the trip up there was wasted as I needed to back in LA by 2pm I didnt want to chance a massive traffic accident as has happened B4. So the next time out on the coast (later this month) Ill try it again and yes Ill go back to the 4 pts.

I stayed there 14 Jan 03. Convenient location on the west side of town, 5101 California Ave. at Mohawk St.

The route 9 bus of Golden Empire Transit stops at that intersection. $1.75 for a day pass. http://www.getbus.org/

The hotel will take you from/ to the airport if you call in advance. You can also be dropped off elsewhere. In 1999 they received an award as the best Four Points nationwide.

There are several two-story buildings in the complex, surrounded by parking lots. As a gold I was put on the "SPG Preferred club floor," as designated by a brass plaque. I slept in for breakfast, so no comment on that.

There are several restaurants in the area, and it is a nice walk up Mohawk St. to the Kern river bike path. I also walked all the way to Panorama Drive, then downtown (about 5 miles round trip).

No complaints. I'd go back. It is more convenient for public transportation than the DoubleTree (up by Rosedale Hwy). The Hampton Inn on Oak St. (at California St.) closer to the freeway was actually more expensive (though it had a brunch), but I'd choose Four Points. There is also a Marriott Courtyard across the river near the DoubleTree.

Ground fog in the mornings is standard at BFL between mid-December through January, the locals told me. My 1200 arrival from LAX was delayed until 1300, while a 0635 departure to SFO three days later was delayed until 1200.

The TSA screeners are in place, and there was a sign announcing the impending construction of a new terminal.

BFL is a booming town. In the 2000 census, the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) of Bakersfield was home to 661,645 people. California includes 13 MSAs and 3 Consolidated MSAs, the latter consisting of 12 Primary MSAs. http://www2.census.gov/census_2000/d...rnia/2kh06.pdf . Among the 15 most populous of California's 58 counties, Kern County (coextensive with the Bakersfield MSA) had the second highest growth rate between 1990 and 2000 at 21.7%, trailing only Riverside. Similarly, the City of Bakersfield grew 41.3%, the fastest of the 15 most populous California cities and far eclipsing runners up Anaheim (23.1%) and Fresno (20.7%). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/...s/ca_tab_6.pdf .


[UBB edit.]

[This message has been edited by SPN Lifer (edited 02-11-2003).]

If you want to skip the breakfast there is a Krispy Kreme about 1/4 of a mile away. It's on the corner of California and Stockdale. Also, if you are down there you will see an In-N-Out right next to it. Great hamburgers. Chains, I know, but those two might be the pinnacle of chain "restaurants."

There is great local food in the area, too. If you really want something unique you should try one of the several Basque restaurants in town. Chalet Basque is not too far away and if you are feeling adventurous (and have transportation) you should think about Woolgrower's or Noriega's. Reservations are a good idea at Woolgrower's and are mandatory at Noriega's. Noriega's serves family-style at 7pm only. Great great food.

Four Points Bakersfield CA
 

Just spent a night at the FP Bakersfield... I received extremely courteous service from every single employee. They made a point to thank me for being an SPG member (heck, I'm not even Gold).

And the Bistro restaurant was fantastic. Not a bargain price-wise, but the food was amazing and the service was great.

Four Points Bakersfield [Master Thread]
 

Preface: Down for client meeting.

Status: Platinum.

Rate: Better than Hilton Garden Inn.

Transportation: Drove in.

Parking: Free.

Check-in: A little slow but efficient. Given room in building 5. Second floor facing courtyard.

Perks: Offered amenity and took points. Was not told anything else. Assume you get some breakfast possibly like Hilton Garden Inn. Need to call on that.

Lounge: Not here.

Room: The room is renovated. You enter onto a stripe carpet. To the right you have a small closet followed by a large mirror on the wall. You have a dresser with pull out basket for storage. Atop you have a LG flat panel tv. Many channels but I have a "wave" rolling up the screen on all channels. Next is a desk with chair, followed by comfy chair and king size bed. You have a cubby hole vanity table with chair.

Bathroom: The bathroom has a single basin pedastel sink with tub. The tub has a push out curtain.

Internet: The room has wired HSIA. A little slow.

Gym: Assume they have one.

Spa: Don't think so.

Eating venues: Apparently the restaurant is one of the best in town. Dinner there tonight with clients. Will advise.

Local markets: Retail around area.

Local area: It is BFL. ?

Nagatives: Dated but ok. Comfortable. The heating/ac unit is loud. Rumbles.

Closing: Will be down here at least twice per year. Last time tried the HGI BFL. It was ok. This in total is comparable if you get breakfast. Regards from BFL.

The dinner was excellent. Valley comfort food. I did receive points on my spend charged to bill.

Tried booking this place on SPG.com last Friday for same day arrival. Listed as sold out. Went to PL and ended up with 4 Points @ $50. Front desk said they had a few rooms left and were getting $160. It's not uncommon to see stupidly high rates at this hotel and it's cat 2 for point redemption.

Four Points Bakersfield
 

Obviously not an exciting location, but we are staying here for 1 night on our way to Vegas over the spirng break. We have a deluxe room w/ 2 Q beds booked. Just want to make sure the place isn't awful. Thanks.

No its not awful. It's clean and well executed for what it is - if you've stayed at enough 4Pts, you have likely stayed at a clone of this property (multi-building, two-story layout).

Often when driving to LAS from the SFO area and departing after work, we stay here to pick up a stay credit as its essentially on the way. Sometimes it is a bit hard as the rates can be nonsensically high, especially for what you get, and for what your other choices are in the local area.

But somehow they manage to sell rooms.

Some other things to share:

1) There is a real working oil well pumping away in the parking lot of the hotel.
2) If you go South on California and make a left on Stockdale Highway you will find a bunch of restaurants (mostly chains) ranging from fast food (In-N-Out burger, etd.) to moderately-priced (Outback Steakhouse).

One place I can recommend is the Cafe Med (4809 Stockdale Hwy. at the Stockdale Fashion Plaza). Decent Mediterranean food at moderate prices.

They usually have a coupon by roomsaver.com it use to be at $49 now I believe its $75. Of cause its walk-in only. So what I usually do is make a res (for any Hotel that has a coupon) that allows a cancelation by 6pm, and on the way before 6pm I call and ask if they are accepting the coupon for that night if they say Yes, I tell 'em Im about 2 1/2 hrs away and do they still think I will beable to use it when I get there, at times I was told just tell who ever is here you spoke to ____ and they said its OK. Then I will call the res 800# and cancel the res I made, if they told me its very tight then I'll decide if I still want to pay the rate I booked it at.

Does the roomsaver rate rate count for SPG credit and benefits?

I just stayed here this week on an award stay. I was recognised as Plat, offered the points or a movie and was given a deluxe room with patio that was lovely, newly refurbished and well kitted out.

The bed was very comfortable but the poly-cotton sheets were a bit rough but as this was only the second Four Points i've stayed at I was pleasantly surprised.

It was well worth the 4000 points!

Time for more training
 

I've had three stays here in the last two months. The first stay they forgot to post my Plat Welcome Amenity. The second stay appeared to go without incident, however, upon checking in for the third stay, they modified my reservation at the second stay (effectively cancelling my third night) AND proceeded to bill me as a no show for the second night reservation!

They are working on fixing all this and the staff has always been been very nice and I'm sure none of these problems were deliberate, but three out of three stays messed up? Not a good track record.

The property is nice almost always been upgraded from a traditional room to a deluxe room facing the courtyard. Especially like ordering room service on a warm evening and eating on the patio outside the room.

I'm not giving up on them, being the ONLY SPG property in the area. Just watch what they do and hope they get it right.

Update: Last stay just posted and NO Plat Amenity. :( Good thing there is no 3-strikes rule for franchises.

Do they comp breakfast for platinums?

They haven't comped breakfast for me in the six+ years I've been going there. The best I've been able to do is book a "traditional" room (view of the parking area) and given a "deluxe" room (view of the garden area). Also, be aware there is no elevator, but only two floors; and the lower, deluxe rooms have a patio. No balcony upstairs.

I generally like the property, but I can usually find a better price at the area Marriotts. Weekends & AAA rates sometimes are competitive.

Stayed there for 3 nights over Memorial Day, 1 night on an AAA rate, the other 2 on points. I have to say that I enjoyed this property. The good:
- the layout. I was given a deluxe room on the first floor facing the fountains. This allowed my 5 year old to be able to play outside while we watched him. We also ate dinner on our patio one night, and there is a large wood deck where other people ate outside. It's nice to have some grounds - many hotels feel very cramped or have a parking lot and nothing else
- the pool. Nice setup with a shaded trellis and music piped in. Big enough to do laps. The pool was mostly empty before 6pm every day - then as people came back it filled up a bit
- free coffee & fast internet on the computer in the lobby. Very useful when your 5 year old wants to play legostarwars.com at 5:30 am
- many good restaurants in Bakersfield (thanks Yelp!). there is a plaza within a 5 minute walk that has middle eastern, thai, indian & vietnamese restaurants (I highly recommend Singha Thai)
- AAA rate came with free American breakfast (downside is that the American breakfast is your only choice, and it's quite cholesterol laden)

The only bad thing was that we were supposed to get a room with 2 double beds and a refrigerator; when we checked in all of those rooms on the first florr with a courtyard view had been taken. They had run out of rollaway beds, refigerators, and extra pillows. Since it was Memorial Day I guess I can forgive them!

I've stayed at this Four Points a couple times over the past year. It is a fine place to spend the night when passing through Bakersfield. Easy access from the freeway, in a quiet area near some food options, and decent rooms. Service has been fine every time. What else do you need in Bakersfield?

It's also one of the few places where Preferred Plus will get you a room on the club floor. :D

Stayed here for a weekend along with several other family members for a mini family reunion nd it was a nightmare. I'll summarize a very long and detailed email I sent to my Plat Ambassador to forward on to the GM who so far has responded by sending a short apology note about my reservation to my uncle who had been checked into my reservation by them...

- Came to the hotel and was told their computer system was down for checking in but they had "a way to do it in the back". Took my ID and credit card and disappeared for ~5-10min. Came back and they asked if I could've booked it under a different name, told them no, it was definitely my name from my account with my points (C&P res). Disappeared again and came back and told me it wasn't my reservation but my father's (same last name). Had to again show them my confirmation email with my name, my SPG account etc... They then came and said they had checked him into my reservation and I had to point out that he/they had checked in the night before so unless they had given him an extra night on my reservation it wasn't possible. Finally (over 20min of this) a different employee came out, got on the front computer (wasn't the system down?) and gave us room keys. Nothing about plat benefits, breakfast, anything besides circling our room on a map.

- Got to the room, walls are paper thin and we could hear the people's TV next door to us very loudly (~10pm at this point). Called the front desk was told the only available room was an accessible room with 2 double beds, otherwise they were sold out (wasn't I just issued a room on a new reservation since they had botched mine?). I think the people heard my phone call (did I mention the walls are paper thin?) and turned the TV down so we said forget it and went to bed.

- Next morning woke up to a folio under my door for one night in my father's name with his info on it. Let's see here...no one in our group is checking out that day (I was checking out the day after and my family and my uncle's family the day after that) and you've given me a folio with someone else's personal information on it (granted it was my dad but that's besides the point). My uncle also received a folio, but with my name and info on it. Went to the front desk, asked for a mgr but was told "she was out" but whomever I was speaking to was the supervisor. I explained the situation we had to deal with the night before and that we were not checking out today since my reservation was clearly for two nights (again had to show the conf email). She basically acted like she was doing me a favor and extended the reservation. No apology, no "let me try to make this better". At least it was better than what my uncle had to deal with when he came down with the same issue. They refused to extend his reservation on the C&P rate and said he'd have to pay the full rack rate until he showed them his conf email with the check in/out dates and the C&P rate. Only then did they extend him...

- Finally, when we were leaving I realized I had used my corp AMEX to check in (force of habit) and went and switched it to my personal card, surprisingly with no incident given my track record at the front desk this stay. Saw a charge come through a few days later so figured it was over. However, went to do my expenses today and found another charge on the AMEX for a different amount (within ~$3 of the amount charged to my personal card so assuming it's a room rate charge).

My ambassador is still working on all this for me. I guess my uncle's reservation ended up getting totally screwed up after we left so now they're all intertwined and she's trying to work with the GM to sort it out but she (the GM) has been fairly unresponsive so who knows what's going to happen. We'll definitely avoid this property next time we're in the area to visit my grandparents. Plenty of other properties (non-SPG unfortunately) to choose from down here that would appreciate business from multiple family members instead of acting like we caused them a headache by staying there. :td:

Oh quickly on the amenities:
- Gym is decent with up to date equipment and a full set of dumbbells up to the usual 50#. Good amount of space to workout in.
- Didn't visit the pool but looked nice enough from what we saw of it
- Breakfast is in the hotel's restaurant but since we were worried about a similar hassle there after our check in experience we opted for the points and ate elsewhere so can't comment on it.
- Rooms are typical for a four points although, as mentioned, the walls are paper thin so hope for quiet neighbors and/or bring earplugs
- They have decent coffee in the lobby in the morning, way better than the room stuff.

Still OK
 

I've stayed here many times over the years either on my way up to or down from Tahoe and for the weekend rate of $89, it's great. The room is spacious but could do with a little upgrading. However, but the bed is comfy and I like having a fridge and microwave at my disposal. In addition, the pool is a good size and the grounds and neighborhood are lovely for a constitutional. Lastly, the staff are always courteous and efficient.

I'm wrapping up a weekend stay here. To me, this is an impressive Four Points. Large, well-landscaped grounds - pool, barbeque area, gazebo, open space. It's quiet. The hotel/rooms are large and materials (furniture, construction) are "a cut above". Employees have been universally competent. The hotel seems to care about employees, with employee of the month plaques posted prominently, and many benches dedicated to accomplished employees in the common areas. The fitness center, 24 hours, has quite a bit of equipment (mismatched but functional) and space.

I just completed a 2 night stay here. I'd been through a few times before, but usually arrived late at night and left first thing in the morning. The platinum breakfast is continental breakfast for two. There was no option to upgrade it, but they gave it to us for all three rooms, which is nice. The staff were nice and helpful, as mentioned above. One let me dig around in the lobby coffee supplies to find some extra cups to take back to my room.

The only negative is that they have several fountains (the kind that shoot water into the air) that were running all day in the heat. It seems like there would be quite a bit of evaporation/waste, but I guess I'm not sure.

Fountains

At 4K and 6k points a night this is pretty good value, if you have to spend a night in Bakersfield. Plat gets comped a made to order breakfast. The hotel could use a lot of TLC, but again, you pay what you pay, and IMHO, you get a bit more than you pay for on an award stay.

Multiple liars at the Four Points Bakersfield

I recently checked into the 4pts Bakersfield for single night stay. As usual, I'd checked the app that morning and learned that I'd been upgraded to a suite. Cool. When I arrived my keycard was ready. But alas, the clerk lied...I thought that was pretty crappy to blatantly lie to my face. I filed a complaint with my Ambassador telling them I don't want any compensation except an apology so I know that the hotel considers bald-faced lies to be unacceptable. A week passes and I haven't heard from the hotel. I reach out to my Ambassador who stated that they'd been informed that the hotel had e-mailed me an apology. Nope. No such thing. The Ambassador reached out to the hotel and this time the 4pts sent me a form apology letter. Clearly, the 4pts is fine with its associates lying to customers. Of course, as the front desk manager likely lied about sending an apology e-mail, I am unsurprised that the 4pts hotel considers lying to be acceptable behavior. I see no reason to ever return to that hotel.

Well, for 7600 points I guess the price was right for a quick overnight passing through Bakersfield...

The adjacent building was under renovation, so that's caution tape beyond the doors, not crime scene :D

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d50b0da750.jpg

Upgraded to a larger room

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e817b31933.jpg

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ad16cbaa2f.jpg

I guess someone thought the sign wasn't explicit enough and needed annotation :)

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1b0a4012da.jpg

Hm, one night on Saturday April 1 is $159 with tax, or 5600 points. That's 2.8 cents per point value! Bloggers should bring this up as the sweet spot of the Bonvoy program. I think it'll be very fitting.

We're going to Bakersfield on 4/18. Found this hotel at 6k redemption, which is really good value. But then saw lots of recent bad reviews. Was a bit worried whether we should stay here, or go to the Marriott at the Convention Center. For now I booked both, and will watch for more reviews to decide.

It's an acceptable hotel if you consider this is probably the lowest redemption rate Marriott property in the United States, and among the lowest in the world.

I had forgotten, until I got an email just now, that as I was checking in they mentioned the cable or whatever wasn't working and they were offering breakfast or points (beyond the welcome points). I took the points, and got 2000, so makes it even more of a bargain!