Oh, I so wanted to love this place. I did, until the 4th day we were there and my husband's legs started blooming with huge boils that looked like limes were smashed under his skin. The 1 star for cleanliness is because of the bed bugs. Other than that, the room was clean. The location is sensational, the staff is wonderful, I love the vibe of the hotel and would SO like to give this place 5 stars. What a disappointment. For the record, Sir Francis Drake has had a history of recent bed bug problems, check Yelp, or just google them. I hate being a whiner, but this is what happened.
The biggest disappointment was the management's response. I'm writing this because I know Hotel Manager Patrick Jackson reads these..as well as potential guests. Upon returning home, I wrote an email to Mr. Jackson and he promptly called me, I was impressed. We played phone tag for a few days. When we finally spoke, it seemed he didn't take me seriously, and I got the proverbial pat on the head. I did NOT contact Mr. Jackson seeking any sort of comp, but in a situation where a guest walks away harmed...yes, huge bed bug bites on my husband's legs are harm...offer them something, even if it's a stale gift basket. I've worked in two top hotels, one 4-star and one 5-star, and this never would have happened; the brush-off, that is. I was basically told to buck up and live with it, in so many words. In this case, an "I'm so sorry," isn't sufficient and you know it.
I was told the room was inspected after we checked out, and there were no bugs found, implying we imagined the whole thing. Bad form. Never imply your guest is a liar. FYI, the only way you can rule out bed bugs would be to completely remove all moldings, carpet, outlet covers, light fixtures, etc. A little search on the internet will tell you this. After admitting to me on the phone that other hotels had to strip their rooms bare and start over, taking this stance was weak. You could have taken me seriously. Instead, I was subtly dismissed as a harridan. Poor form, Mr. Jackson.
Let me give you a little lesson when it comes to the hospitality business. Happy guests will typically tell 3 people. Unhappy ones will tell 17 (on the average). I'm a lowly fiction writer, however being Industry by marriage, I go to my fair share of Hollywood parties; as a matter of fact, I'm going to one Thursday. Industry travels a lot, and we talk about it a lot. They have lots of money to spend. I wanted to rave about your hotel, I really did. How sad.
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