Guest User
August 3, 2024
ZERO STARS. While you may be inclined to believe this boutique hotel is lovely and charming, what's inside is despicable! Prior to reserving a room, I called to check availability, and a young man answered and asked if I could be placed on hold. The receiver on his end was placed on the counter, where I then was privy to an entire 10-minute conversation between the employees and a guest checking in. The 'hold' turned into momentary warbling muzak, and I was then disconnected. That alone should have been my red flag. Despite this, my husband and I decided to roll the dice and book a one night stay at this property. We were greeted by the front staff and placed in a lower king bedroom, street view. Fast forward to bedtime. There was an occupant directly above us who, for several hours, moved what sounded like furniture back and forth across the floor. In addition, between redecorating their room, they proceeded to bang on the metal railing for about a couple of hours. The room does not come with a telephone, so we were not able to call the front desk. When this was mentioned in the morning, we were given a lukewarm apology and no offer of credit, a discount, zip. What is really disconcerting is the 'hold' placed on my card. An amount of $150 was placed against my card that was to be removed post checkout and within two days. Two business days have come and gone, and my statement now reflects a pending charge. When calling the property to clarify, a young woman I spoke to immediately interrupted me before I was able to explain the situation. When I told her she was rude for interrupting me, I was told to calm down. I was told the hotel did not charge me, my bank did, and to take up the issue with my bank. A representative at my bank confirmed that the hotel did, in fact, charge my card, TWO DAYS AFTER I checked out in the amount of $150. Just a few minutes ago, I received a call from a restricted number. It was a woman by the name of Maria who scolded me and instructed me to call my bank 100 times, and that what I described didn't matter. She then hung up on me. Suffice to say, these people should not be in the service industry. I have stayed at 5 star hotels in the heart of Paris and dumps in the desert. I have never been treated so terribly. For an industry that depends on word of mouth and good reviews, this place is the worst! It's clear that the owners and operators of this establishment have zero clue about how to treat their guests, take no responsibility for the well-being and comfort of their guests while in their care, and exact unscrupulous fees which will take concerted effort to recoup. Please consider all of this before stepping into the spiders web that is known as The Ala Mar Inn. Buyer Beware!