I was very disappointed with our stay at the Cambria Hotel in Imperial, CA. Although the hotel…read moreappears to be brand new and advertises great amenities, our experience was far from what was promised.
One of the biggest issues was the indoor pool area. Our family along with multiple families stayed in this hotel for a Little League Tournament. This hotel was chosen due to the distance between the two fields. (5 minutes from one and 23 minutes to the other one) In addition, there were many areas to eat outside nearby. Given Imperials high heat, one of the factors that played into booking with this hotel was the indoor pool and we were ecstatic for our kids. During our three-night stay, the air conditioning was not working, making it unbearably hot inside. I am talking HUMID, like a SAUNA inside the indoor pool area! It was disgusting and extremely uncomfortable for parents to try to watch their children swim. I reported this issue to hotel management multiple times throughout our stay, but no action was taken.
The breakfast was also disappointing. The selection was already limited, and several of the advertised items were unavailable each morning. If you're counting on breakfast at the hotel, don't expect everything to be stocked.
Cleanliness and maintenance were also major concerns. There were bugs throughout the pool area and in our hotel rooms. Our first room was a full suite with kitchen and immediately I noticed black bugs in the shower all over the ceiling. Our second room was a standard two queen bed with a kitchenette, and I found bugs in our shower and on the floors, and when I reported it to the supervisor, I was told that it was "normal." That response was unacceptable.
To make matters worse, there were rat traps placed openly in the hallways, and some of them were filled with bugs, which was unpleasant to see. Our room's air conditioning unit was also leaking water across the floor, creating a safety hazard. We learned that several other families were experiencing the same issue with their AC units. I looked under the unit and saw old toothpick flosses from what I'm assuming previous guest under the AC unit and there was water leaking everywhere!
Overall, this hotel is not what it is advertised to be. For newer property in Imperial, where reliable air conditioning is essential, the maintenance and upkeep were disappointing. Between the excessive heat in the pool area, the leaking AC, the bugs, the lack of breakfast availability, and management's failure to address our concerns, I would not stay here again and would not recommend this hotel to others. I would have to say not all management was dismissive, there was a night attendant that was very sweet and tried her best to accommodate several people at once who came to complain and her name was Amy. Other than that; and based on several parents' experiences trying to get assistance and the responses they received, I didn't even bother to speak to upper management.