Friday, September 19, 2008
Here is a quick review of my recent stay at the Fess Parker's DoubleTree Resort in Santa Barbara. I will post this review on Tripadvisor as well just to warn other potential travellers.
While I probably was unfortunate with my stay at this hotel, I would still like to comment on my travel experience:
Positives:
1. The location is fantastic
2. The hotel staff are generally pleasant
3. The breakfast is pretty ok, though not particularly memorable
Negatives:
1. While my room had a brand new TV that had only been installed the previous week, the picture quality was very snowy. After three separate requests to the hotel, the problem was finally looked at, though the hotel was not able to fix the problem prior to my departure (I stayed there four nights). While they replaced both the TV and all its cables, the problem seemed to be in the wall.
2. I stayed at the hotel to attend an internet conference, but the internet connection at the hotel is dismal. While I paid the premium fee for internet access in my room, two separate bandwith tests that I did showed an average connection of around 140 kbs (the service promised is 1,000 kbs). The slow connection made it virtually impossible to work from my room, and other hotel guests made similar complaints. After showing the bandwidth results to the hotel, my internet fee was waived, but I am sure the hotel is aware that they are not able to deliver the internet connection that they promise. The hotel should either make the necessary investment to improve its internet connectivity, alternatively they should stop charging for their crappy service.
On a related note, the following day I was not able to use the internet at all, but by this time I was too exhausted to raise yet another problem with the hotel.
3. The "mountain view" rooms actually face a parking lot and the train line, though it is possible to see a couple of hills in the background. However, it would be more accurate to call the rooms "Parking Lot Rooms" or "Train Line Rooms". Since the older rooms are very dark, I recommend bringing a flashlight. If your TV is broken and your internet does not work, it helps to have a flashlight so that you can read at night.
In summary, I talked with other convention participants that had stayed at nearby hotels. Not only had they paid a lower price, but they also enjoyed a tolerable internet connection. Instead of staying at a massive Hilton resort while in Santa Barbara, I would recommend visitors to this beautiful city to seek out other alternatives.
While I probably was unfortunate with my stay at this hotel, I would still like to comment on my travel experience:
Positives:
1. The location is fantastic
2. The hotel staff are generally pleasant
3. The breakfast is pretty ok, though not particularly memorable
Negatives:
1. While my room had a brand new TV that had only been installed the previous week, the picture quality was very snowy. After three separate requests to the hotel, the problem was finally looked at, though the hotel was not able to fix the problem prior to my departure (I stayed there four nights). While they replaced both the TV and all its cables, the problem seemed to be in the wall.
2. I stayed at the hotel to attend an internet conference, but the internet connection at the hotel is dismal. While I paid the premium fee for internet access in my room, two separate bandwith tests that I did showed an average connection of around 140 kbs (the service promised is 1,000 kbs). The slow connection made it virtually impossible to work from my room, and other hotel guests made similar complaints. After showing the bandwidth results to the hotel, my internet fee was waived, but I am sure the hotel is aware that they are not able to deliver the internet connection that they promise. The hotel should either make the necessary investment to improve its internet connectivity, alternatively they should stop charging for their crappy service.
On a related note, the following day I was not able to use the internet at all, but by this time I was too exhausted to raise yet another problem with the hotel.
3. The "mountain view" rooms actually face a parking lot and the train line, though it is possible to see a couple of hills in the background. However, it would be more accurate to call the rooms "Parking Lot Rooms" or "Train Line Rooms". Since the older rooms are very dark, I recommend bringing a flashlight. If your TV is broken and your internet does not work, it helps to have a flashlight so that you can read at night.
In summary, I talked with other convention participants that had stayed at nearby hotels. Not only had they paid a lower price, but they also enjoyed a tolerable internet connection. Instead of staying at a massive Hilton resort while in Santa Barbara, I would recommend visitors to this beautiful city to seek out other alternatives.
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