We recently made travel arrangements on Hotwire.com for a "three star" hotel. After we paid and received the details, including the hotel's name, we found out that we were staying at the "Park... More

We recently made travel arrangements on Hotwire.com for a "three star" hotel. After we paid and received the details, including the hotel's name, we found out that we were staying at the "Park Plaza" hotel which I had never heard of. I viewed some of the reviews at Expedia.com and Biddingfortravel.com and I was not optimistic about the situation. One reviewer stated that he would not even let his dog stay there. Some of the reviews were not too bad, though, so I was willing to give it a try. I didn't have much of a choice since the travel arrangements made through Hotwire.com are non-refundable. We could see the hotel from the freeway and it didn't look promising. It was obvious that it was under construction and the "Park Plaza" sign was a tattered banner flapping in the wind off the side of the hotel. Getting to the hotel was a challenge in and of itself. We finally had to drive through the Highland Mall parking lot and wind through some side streets (which were under construction as well) to get there. When we walked into the lobby, it didn't really resemble a lobby at all. There was no "waiting area" with nice furniture. In fact, we didn't see any furniture at all. All we saw was workmen, caution tape, and "wet paint" signs. The restrooms in the lobby area were not even accessible and had "out of order" signs on them. It took us awhile to find the desk, but we finally did and were able to check in. When we approached the elevators, there were "wet paint" signs on them. They were definitely past their prime and the whole ride to our room, I just prayed that we would make it there! When we got off of the elevator on our floor, the hallways were dark and very warm (and when I say warm I don't mean "inviting" I mean HOT!). The wallpaper along the hallways was peeling. Upon first glance, our room didn't look too bad, but as we got in and actually looked around, the reality set in. There were HUGE (and I am not exaggerating here) stains all over the carpet. The curtains had holes in them and there was a sliding glass door leading to a balcony but there was a sign on the door saying that it was "out of order." I didn't need a sign to tell me considering that the scaffolding made it obvious that it was under construction. The wallpaper was peeling and there was dust that was an inch thick on the desk, end table, and nightstand. The clincher for my husband was that they wanted to charge $9.95 for internet access. I have an active toddler (who fortunately wasn't with us when we checked in) and I didn't feel like this location was safe for her, and it was also too dirty for my tastes! We stayed in our room long enough to call other hotels in the area looking for a different place to stay and then checked out. Hotwire has this "hotel" listed as a "three star" location and compares it with hotels like the Doubletree and Embassy Suites. It doesn't even compare at all to those and I gave it one star here only because there's nothing lower! I am told that it was a Hilton at some point in time and that they are currently renovating it and that it will be part of the "Radisson" chain. It might be very nice once it is finished, but it definitely should not be rated as a "three star" location in its current state! We did contact Hotwire.com regarding our experience and they were very accommodating and gave us a credit on our Hotwire account that can be applied toward a future visit. Our only "loss" was the $14 we paid in taxes and fees.
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