Hotel quandary

[fbhjr]

We’ve got just over a month until the Pensacola show and I’ve got to book
hotel rooms for our group. For the last 5 or so years we’ve been staying
at the same place in Pensacola.
When we started staying there it was brand new, in good condition and very
reasonably priced.
But, it has not improved with age.
When we stayed there in November, the amenities (like toilets) didn’t work
in every room. They were able to swap us to rooms that did have working
things. But one still didn’t have a phone in it.
And, to get towels for the rooms the front desk gave morgan_lafaye the key to other rooms and sent her raiding for them.
I think it is just a general lack of help there that is the problem.
They’ve got one cleaning person, two front desk people and 75 rooms.

The problem with changing to a different hotel is that we’ve had some very
bad experiences with hotels in Pensacola.
We stayed at one where the Hell’s Angels in the next room thought it
smelled to bad and began to threaten the front desk clerk.
They’ve been hotels that have given our rooms away to Navy people. (There
is a big Naval air station in Pensacola.)
Not to mention the great hooker shouting match of 2006.

There are better hotels in Pensacola. But, they tend to be very expensive
and near the beach. Since our show is on the back side of Pensacola, far
from the beach, those are neither in our budget or convenient to the show.
(Although I’m sure it would be nice to stay there if I was just there for
the beach.)

Which is better? Risking a new hotel or keeping with a far from perfect
known quantity?

[Poll #1893190]

Comments

[temperlj.livejournal.com]

And we may have some Mystic Mercs too...sent them your way

[frozendoll.livejournal.com]

Check reviews on Trip Advisor. They usually post pretty accurate details with pictures on what you're going to expect. Your past hotel experiences there sound just dreadful, I'd not stay at any of those again.

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

That's what I've been doing.
But, cheap hotels are cheap hotels. It can be hard to tell people who don't like cheap hotels from places with real problems.

[palusbuteo.livejournal.com]

Even when we're only at the hotel for the evening, toilets must be working there's no excuse for that.

[jenny_evergreen]

If you have the time, I'd recommend trying a few of the hotel sites (expedia/priceline/etc), looking at the 3-5 cheapest hotels at each and reading the reviews with a skeptical eye towards "I just don't belong in a cheap hotel" reviews. You are looking for more than one claim of lack of cleanliness/excessive noise/bad staff, etc, or one really detailed bad experience where you can assess likelihood of recurrence. When you find one that is passable, go for it.

[chris-warrior.livejournal.com]

we had an amazing experience at the Radisson in NH. i agree about reading hotel reviews and maybe trying Groupon/Travelocity/Expedia/etc to book.

[uawildcatgrl.livejournal.com]

I'm SUCH a beach girl...it's the one thing I miss living in the desert!! So I'd go for beach at all costs! (but I can understand with lots of people to go for a different one with a good reputation...so if I were you that's what I'd do...I answered as if I were me!):D

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

Isn't the desert one big beach where the water is just far away?

[uawildcatgrl.livejournal.com]

Hahah I say that all the time...we are all beach no ocean!

[sorceress.livejournal.com]

I'd go with the old one, but I also like the idea of finding one with a good reputation. I'm a creature of habit!

[endlessblush.livejournal.com]

Do you know any locals that can recommend a place? How many of there are you? how about renting a house rather than going to a hotel (or two houses) so it's all self contained etc.

Definitely don't go back to a place that gave you bad service the first time ... it's pretty poor. I thought the Ramada was supposed to have a good reputation.