Four Poins Sheraton, Ventura = 1.5 Points (Stars)

We should have known by the sign out front that there was something lacking in hotel upkeep.....

When we registered the young blond at the front desk (with the phony smile) wasn't friendly, she was rude about the $10 parking fee: "Its right there on the website under travel, next to the map & directions"... Well sorry, Missy, I didn't look at that part, as I know where this hotel is (I've been here 4 previous times) so I didn't look at the directions...   

As for staying 4 previous times: apparently I'm a SPG "GOLD"  member, but none of my points were on my account!  Unlike Best Western, SPG points expire every 18 months...so you never build any up, nor get to use the ones you did earn!

So then we went to our "Garden View" room, #104 and went to check out the view from our patio...

This was our view.....
Lovely Garden view! Which reminds me of the first time I stayed in a "Harbor View" room.... It was high bushes behind which was a parking lot & dumpsters!


When we looked up to relock the sliding glass door we saw:

 The holes where they mislaid the curtain tracks;
the paint slopped onto the sliding glass door frame; the peeling wallpaper next to the sliding glass door handle; and the paint drips on the sliding glass door frame!  Wow, what sloppy upkeep.....  
Then we were thirsty and wanted a bottle of water, well there was One (1) Free bottle of water, but two guests... and that was not even enough for the morning's coffee..... When we were out we came across a service woman, when we asked her for more water, she scowled at us, letting us know her obvious displeasure at our request, but she did begrudgingly comply.

 Because we were so very underwhelmed with the physical condition of the room, we decided to unpack and put out belongings in the dressing area.  Much to our surprise we found more problems:  Tiles loose & falling off; molding buckling; and the can light shoved in too big of a hole in the ceiling!

 

Looking around more we noticed a stained ceiling; more molding & wallpaper fail!

 

 In the morning I got up to make a hot drink and I was looking at our complimentary coffee & tea selection, which turned out to be a rather dismal offering:

Now there is a restaurant on site, Alexander's. I have eaten there before, but the prices are steep....  being Easter Sunday, they were offering a brunch, but the price was $30.99 per Adult....  Considering, I can not eat that much food (nor do I know anyone who can), the price was outrageously high.  Room Service is another waste of money. A $2.50 glass of milk is levied a $3.00 delivery charge, tax and an 18% gratuity! $6.00+ for a glass of milk, I say that is more than a gallon of gasoline!  But let me tell you this: the Restaurant Staff @ Alexanders' put the rest of the Hotel Staff to Shame...  Alexander's staff are polite, helpful, friendly and provide EXCELLENT Customer Service with a Genuine Smile!  I went in to purchase real milk for my morning coffee.... No charge and they didn't want to accept a tip either.....

The beds were comfortable, soft and the pillows were real pillows not those fake foam rubber neck breakers.

So upon leaving the next morning we were helped by Sylvia, with the graciousness to remove the $10 parking fee and help me with my SPG "GOLD" account, of which there were two both without any points....  Sylvia was more than willing to accommodate us, but her tone of voice was phony as was her manner & smile.  I want to know, who in the Hell trains these people and what the Hell is their problem.  I HATE phony smiles & voices... I Hate staff who talk down to me like I'm a child.... I HATE managers w/ surly attitudes and matching facial expressions.  I guess the attitude trickles down.

When I arrived home, I was asked by Four Points to review the Hotel. My review was Not Rude, but it was accurate and it was REJECTED with the reason being that I referred to a stay at another hotel, which of course was a lie,but they had to have some excuse for not publishing my review on their site.  I did get another chance, they e-mailed me and asked me to take a guest survey. So between their in-house guest survey, Trip Advisor, Fb, & this blog! All I can say is: GOTCHA!