La Quinta by Wyndham Auburn

This has been my "go to" lodging 3 to 4X annually for the past 10± years when I'm in the Auburn area. A couple of years ago, I complimented GM Megan Sullivan about her excellent work including no pet fee, great staff, clean rooms, and safe/clean grounds. In reply she spoke passionately about her "principled" opposition to pet fees which she said she would continue to reject. That was then, and these compliments don't fit anymore. None of them. Since I was so dissatisfied when leaving, I asked to speak with Ms. Megan again. I was told she wasn't available. I then requested her phone number and was given an email address instead. When I asked if I could request a call from her, I was told "she's very busy" and probably wouldn’t be calling. Here are the things I wanted to discuss with her: 1. When I checked in, the desk clerk reviewed with me my reservation which was for 3 nights, and I told her I would only be staying for 2 after all. I asked her to make that change. During the whole process the clerk did not seem fully engaged, but that was only my feeling. When I checked out, I was told by a different desk person that I owed for a 3rd night because I had stayed for only 2 of the 3 I reserved. I explained what I'd said during the check-in and was told that my checkout now would take a little longer. Then I was handed off to Amy who I finally concluded was a supervisor although she never said so. I told her what had happened. She replied that she needed to call my check-in clerk to find out if she remembered my conversation. Amy promised to phone me by day’s end to let me know if the additional charge would be waived. Amy kept her word, called, and told me she had decided to waive the additional charge. Amy herself was quite nice and seemed competent but there was no excuse for this hassle and risk of a bogus charge. 2. During my stay, I observed my check-in clerk several times. She stayed as briefly as possible at the desk and retreated to the back room at every opportunity. Whoever needed service had to ring the bell. When she finally emerged, she was always staring at the cell phone in her hand which continued until she actually reached the counter and which resulted as soon as she had finished with the guest. 3. I was charged a pet fee of $25. This was not discussed during my check-in, nor did I see any mention of it during the reservation process on the website. It literally was a hidden fee for me especially since I had a long history of staying at La Quinta Auburn without such a fee and in light of my previous GM conversation about her “principled” opposition to such fees. I only learned about it when I asked for a copy of my Folio after checking out and saw it there described as the “Upsell Pet Fee." 4. Anyone staying here with a pet should absolutely NOT access the “pet area” behind the hotel. To call it a disgrace would be charitable and misleadingly positive. It obviously had gotten no attention of any kind from staff or management for a long time. I wish I'd taken photographs. The fencing on the highway side had been cut from the ground up at least 4 feet and pulled open to facilitate passage. Across the space and directly opposite behind the hotel’s dumpsters a whole pane of fencing had been removed. And below that missing fencing a make-shift ladder was propped up to facilitate access and exit over the retaining wall. The pet area ground was covered with litter consisting mostly of pieces of cardboard. I didn’t want to spend time in there with my dog for fear that one or both of us would be at risk of personal injury from drug paraphernalia or other dangerous things so I don’t know what else may have been on the ground. The gate to the area had a latch which was not designed for the application. As a result, it neither locked nor unlocked the access gate. To compensate someone had hung a length of chain with oversized links too big to easily thread through the elcar fencing and too big to be easily locked by the padlock which accompanied it and for which a key was provided at the desk. In other words, to unlock/open the gate and to re-lock/close the gate was a tedious time-consuming endeavor. This is the ONLY pet area available on the property. I couldn’t help but notice the coincidence of a message on the hallway exit door telling dog owners there is a dog waste problem on the property which will result in an owner charge if responsibility can be determined. The combination of the surprise “upsell” pet charge and the offering of this despicable, unmaintained area for pet use was stunning to me. I attempted to bring all of this to Ms. Megan's attention using the email address I'd been given. The result? Total silence. Perhaps it's not a coincidence that her email address now shows her being affiliated with The Inn at Gig Harbor. As I told Ms. Megan in my email, I won't be returning to La Quinta Auburn again. She could care less. It'll be interesting to see what attempt she or someone else now makes to paper over all of this with some platitude laden "reply" on Trip Advisor.

Breakfast was OK. Easy access to freeway. Quiet room next to elevator.

TV would not work. Heater had two positions - HOT or off.