Desert Inn & Suites ? & Frustration

[PrincessAbby'sMom]

I have been looking since December to plan a trip this Dec. (07). I settled on Desert Inn & Suites because of the indoor pool & we will be playing hard all day, no breaks, so at night would be the only pool time. I emailed them back in Feb (still have a copy of the email) and didn't get a response. That was when their "B" and "C2" suites were only $119 per night. Now they have jumped up to $199.
So, I emailed them, attached a copy of the original email, and asked for price matching or even somewhere in between since they never responded to my questions (they were on cancellation fees, emailing list for specials, etc.). They admitted to email problems, but said if I didn't book then, I can't get it now & they won't work with me.
I would just think that for the sake of good business, they would atleast work with you?????? Any suggestions??
In December can you swim out doors? at night? with out freezing? Or do I suck it up, reserve it before its gone & lesson learned????
We only waited (and are still waiting) to see what the air fare was going to be. We wanted to make sure we could afford everything, but now we are talking even more????
I looked into the 4th night free at a Disney hotel, but its still $600 more, even after the new rates for DI&S.
Anyone???? Even just for moral support.......

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

I understand your frustration. For next time though, you should know that pretty much every hotel lets you cancel. The only time there might be a problem is when it gets to a week or a few days before your arrival date, where there might be consequences. (Unless of course.. you book with a package through AAA where they have their own policies..)

You probably didn't expect for the rates to go up.. I wouldn't have.. But I guess the only thing you can do is learn from it. You should try to find out if you can get a discount for the Entertainment book or AAA. If it's significant, it would be worth the purchases.

 

[PrincessAbby'sMom]

I have just heard that so many people get stuck w/hotels or atleast fees, I just prefer to hear it from the horses mouth. I think that most of them are when you reserve from other online places like priceline, etc. Just wanted to know from them. I guess I thought I had plenty of time & didn't. Its just a huge jump!!!

 

[JenDisneylandlver]

If it was a matter of wanting to know about fees ect.. I would have just called them once they didn't return my email. Most places will let you cancel for free, up until it gets really close to the trip (some are like 48 hours in advance to arrival).

The closer it gets the higher the prices for a lot of these places. We planned a last minute trip a month before going and had to pay higher prices, then if we would have planned a year out like we usually do!

So I would say lesson learned on your part. Always grab good prices when you see them, because there is no saying how long they will be there!

 

[disneyscootergal]

I have been looking since December to plan a trip this Dec. (07). I settled on Desert Inn & Suites because of the indoor pool & we will be playing hard all day, no breaks, so at night would be the only pool time. I emailed them back in Feb (still have a copy of the email) and didn't get a response. That was when their "B" and "C2" suites were only $119 per night. Now they have jumped up to $199.
So, I emailed them, attached a copy of the original email, and asked for price matching or even somewhere in between since they never responded to my questions (they were on cancellation fees, emailing list for specials, etc.). They admitted to email problems, but said if I didn't book then, I can't get it now & they won't work with me.
I would just think that for the sake of good business, they would atleast work with you?????? Any suggestions??
In December can you swim out doors? at night? with out freezing? Or do I suck it up, reserve it before its gone & lesson learned????
We only waited (and are still waiting) to see what the air fare was going to be. We wanted to make sure we could afford everything, but now we are talking even more????
I looked into the 4th night free at a Disney hotel, but its still $600 more, even after the new rates for DI&S.
Anyone???? Even just for moral support.......

PAMom, this may be a blessing in disguise.

I've read some horror stories about DI&S; for example, the hotel charging someone twice for their stay, and not resolving it for weeks; also, the hotel somehow causing a guest's credit card account to be frozen for their entire stay (couldn't use it at the parks, etc.).


Now, I know many people have stayed there with no problems,and I had once thought I would try this hotel; but even the possibility of either of those things happening to me made me think again.

 

[PrincessAbby'sMom]

So, what are your thoughts on swimming outside in December? That is the biggest reason for this hotel. To our family swimming is a big part of a vacation - and probably is for most every kid! I know they say heated outdoor pool, but can someone from Illinois really enjoy 60 degrees w/no sun, outside?

 

[eduk8r26]

Unless the pool is heated to 80+ you wouldn't catch me in one on a December night in California!

 

[justapixel]

Down in SoCal, you can sometimes swim in December. The average temperature in December is about 70 degrees during the day down there - far too cold for me to swim in, but I guess if you are from a colder area, you might tolerate it

The most important thing is to make sure the pool is heated. If it's heated to 80 degrees, you'll find it comfortable even if it's only 70 degrees outside.

You still have time to make a reservation; did you try HoJo or Candy Cane Inn? Both have pools, both seem really nice, both in your original price range. I couldn't get a reservation at either one.

I am staying at the newly renovated Hotel Menage, at 120.00 a night. It has a lovely looking pool.

 

[JenDisneylandlver]

I would think December would be much too cold to swim, especially at night!

 

[justapixel]

I'm sorry, I missed the fact that you were only going to swim at night. I do believe it's going to be too cold, even down in SoCal. You never know though, we had a very mild winter this year in CA.

Here are the average stat for Anaheim in December:

Average High 70° F
Average Low 46° F
Average Precip. 1.29 in.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

lol wow days inn messed me over too. not the one there it was sea world one. they made up for it but took 3weeks to get money back. (i had to cancel i did early told no charges bla bla..then that day comes and i got like 59doller for that night or something and then a day or two later my full price for that week..i was liek what... i got over drafted and **** becouse that. im not rich i have bills i know what i can do and 150-200 extra when not excpecting it sucked.

 

[NVDisMom]

We go in Dec every year...its warm enough to swim during an afternoon break, but not at night unless you get lucky with a warm spell. I don't know what your dates are, but you could check into an Entertainment rate for HOJO, ours is $56, stay an extra nite and build in a few afternoon braks for swimming outside and still save money compared to $199/nite at DI&S.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[kuusimo]

The problems with the cards are mainly with debit cards. (If you are reading the reviews on Tripadvisor.) I always put my hotels on credit cards so that they can be disputed if needed.

As far as swimming- Desert Inn & Suites has an indoor pool, but it is the coldest indoor pool I have ever been in. We were there in Feb, and we stuck to the hot tub.

I have found if I am booking directly with the hotel, I can cancel and make changes, if you are booking through a third party (expedia, hotwire, costco) that is where the fees come into play. I also don't hesitate to call a week after to confirm my reservation and then right before we leave to RE-confirm my reservation. This after BWPPI mysteriously lost my reservation one year.

 

[mariezp]

I too started looking at Desert Inn way back in January. We have stayed there for the past 6 years so I knew this was where we wanted to stay but they did not have the rates posted online. I was very glad I called because I saved $10 a night over the previous years rates.
I guess the lesson to learn here is that if you do not get a response via e-mail the best thing to do is to make a phone call. You can always cancel if you find a better deal elsewhere but you can't do much if the rate goes up before you book a room.
If it helps any, the pool is not very large and does smell like it's got a lot of chlorine. We never use the pool so it has never been an issue. I would think there is bound to be another hotel in the area that has an indoor pool.

 

[tlovesdis]

There is an Embassy Suites (not the one on Harbor) about 10-15 minutes away that has an indoor pool! No matter how much more it cost, I would stay there over the DI&S! We stayed there once and it was the worst hotel stay I have ever had!

 

[camouseketeer]

We stayed at the DI&S in early June. It was just fine. We had a one bedroom suite. It was clean and enough room for the 5 of us. It was the cheapest suite within easy (5 min) walking distance.

My DD used the indoor pool. She liked it. The room does have a strong chlorine smell, but I'd rather it smell like that than of something bad!

I do agree that rates change quickly on their website.

I would also say that I wouldn't swim outdoors in December, but I live in CA, so I don't swim unless it's warm!

 

[Leofoenget]

I have been looking since December to plan a trip this Dec. (07). I settled on Desert Inn & Suites because of the indoor pool & we will be playing hard all day, no breaks, so at night would be the only pool time. I emailed them back in Feb (still have a copy of the email) and didn't get a response. That was when their "B" and "C2" suites were only $119 per night. Now they have jumped up to $199.
So, I emailed them, attached a copy of the original email, and asked for price matching or even somewhere in between since they never responded to my questions (they were on cancellation fees, emailing list for specials, etc.). They admitted to email problems, but said if I didn't book then, I can't get it now & they won't work with me.
I would just think that for the sake of good business, they would atleast work with you?????? Any suggestions??
In December can you swim out doors? at night? with out freezing? Or do I suck it up, reserve it before its gone & lesson learned????
We only waited (and are still waiting) to see what the air fare was going to be. We wanted to make sure we could afford everything, but now we are talking even more????
I looked into the 4th night free at a Disney hotel, but its still $600 more, even after the new rates for DI&S.
Anyone???? Even just for moral support.......

I always book the room "just to be safe" and I can cancel it later if I need to. Why didnt' you just book the room on their website and if you couldnt' get a good flight cancel it later? At the moment I have 2 different hotels booked for Sept and I will keep one of them depending on who goes with me. THye are not gonna price match anything at the height of the Christmas season.

just my 2c

 

[jocotter]

We occasionally stay at DI&S when we want a suite and Candy Cane when we don't need one. I have always noticed that the longer out you make your reservation with DI, the cheaper the prices are. We usually pay $109 or $119 for the C-1 suite. However, if you wait until a month or two before, the price always goes up to $199 or so. In fact the last time we stayed, we wanted to add on a day at the end and they were going to charge us the high rate for that one day, so we moved to the Carousel for much less than the $199.

Candy Cane has gone up over the years and added higher prices for deluxe and premium rooms that used to be priced the same as the others. However, they tend to keep their prices steady whether reservations are made further out or closer.

Both hotels let you cancel at least within the last week without penalties.

 

[Saavy?]

I know due to price, the Disneyland Hotel may not be an option for you... BUT...
If you purchase the insurance package, cancellations are covered (among many, many other perks).

I do Disneyland in December and swim every night in the pool.
Jump into the main pool first, do your swimming, then end the session in the jacuzzi. You will get roasted in there, and when heading back to your room, you stay warm.
There is no need for an indoor pool.

 

[PrincessAbby'sMom]

Desert Inn & Suites was perfect, the indoor pool & the suite we are going to split w/my parents. So we would only be paying 1/2 of the $119, but now I guess we can just figure we would be paying the entire bill (1/2 of the $199).
I guess a lesson learned......thanks for all your advice & info.