Best Western Inn Salt Lake City Hotel - Page 1

The rooms in this motel are tired, tired, tired. Carpet was frayed, and counter top was painted over rather than replaced! Mold in the bathtub was caulked over and you could see the outside through the space around the a/c unit. Sheets were almost thread-bare and spread had a cigarette hole in it! Furniture was chipped, scratched and just plain old! Refrigerator racks were broken and freezer was iced shut. All of this for $125 a night! Oh cleaning staff was marginal ~ trash behind sofa and night stand and obvious areas that furniture was not moved to vacuum! Ice bucket was never emptied and plastic bag never replaced in a week! The location to the FHL, though, is excellent. I have stayed at this hotel many times in the past, but this is the worst I have ever seen these rooms (Sept 2007) Staff in attached restaurant was more interested in socializing with each other (breakfast) rather than check on their customers. Took 1/2 hour to get a bowl of oatmeal and nobody came by to explain delay. I had to walk to the kitchen to find wait staff to ask! Would I stay here again? That's a toughie! I like the location, dislike the worn, mediocreness of the establishment. Good thing I don't have to make a decision for another year! Marriott City Center for the first night was another story!!! A+ all around. I'll do that review now. . . . .

My stay here was one of the worst experiences ever. I stayed with five other business associates, four from Japan and one from Korea for a trade show.

Only one other person could speak English, and their capabilities are somewhat limited.

Unethical Practices:

1) Taxi service provided by the management

Two of my colleagues requested a taxi. What they got was the manager in a car, with no taxi meter. Before getting in, he was told that the drive downtown would be $20.00 per person! And that's not mentioning there was another person squeezed into the back seat with them. When everyone was dropped off downtown, my colleague reconfirmed the charge of $20.00 per person-at which point the third person was surprised to hear that there was even a charge for the ride. Needless to say, my colleague was finally allowed to pay only $20, and the third person promised to pay when he returned to the hotel.

2) "Complimentary Shuttle Service"

When the same two colleagues checked out of the hotel (we left separately), they requested the complimentary shuttle to the airport. This time a van pulled up, and a number of other people got in as well. Wary of the last taxi experience, my colleague asked the other patrons (two older ladies) if they were paying for the ride. The other patrons gave him a surprised look, and when they had arrived at the airport, the driver asked for a fee. Luckily these ladies knew that the ride was "complimentary", so they gave the driver an earful. Needless to say, they driver left with the understanding that any fee that to be paid was going to be paid by the hotel, not them.

There are a number of other issues I can go into (such as unprepared rooms when checking in after 4:30 pm, unauthorized credit card charges by the hotel, and incorrect room rates charged), but the biggest ones that irk me are the two I wrote about above.

I've written in a complaint and got Best Western corporate involved, but there is only so much they can do, as this particular location is a franchise. Needless to say my complaint is on record and Best Western corporate will bring it up again when they go to do their yearly inspections of the location.

Unless you are not a native English speaker or a person unfamiliar with American customs, chances are you won't have any experiences with these unethical business practices. Your problems would most likely fall under categories such as: having a broken A/C (which the manager was installing/fixing himself), unprepared rooms after check-in time, broken sink drains in my room, or having the room rates changed.

My advice to you about this place, should you decide to stay?

1) Be very wary of the charge you get at booking, and the charge you get when checking out.

2) Complaining is pretty useless, so whatever card you're dealt, chances are you'll have to bite the bullet.

3) Be very wary about what's "complimentary" and what's not. I’m surprised one of my colleagues wasn't charged a fee for the complimentary breakfast (i.e. muffins, Danishes, juice, and coffee)

4) Cabs/taxis are supposed to have meters.

I understand this is a franchise and not all Best Westerns are operated in this manner, but I have to admit that I am now pretty biased about staying at Best Westerns.

Every time I have stayed at a Best Western I have been happy with the hotel. They are always clean and the people are friendly. I always try to stay at Best Western any time I travel. For other travelers, you cant find a better place for the money.

This hotel made me feel important: When I checked in they made me feel welcomed and important. They took care of any requests I had and were very helpful in helping me find where to locate other places in town I would like to visit.