The Wilkie's Inn - Clarion Collection

“Nice room, good price”

The room was fairly up to date, clean, and quiet. Several outlets near the bed had USB charge ports. HVAC was not too loud. Bed was comfy. I was in town for a conference at Asilomar and location was good - very close for driving and close enough to walk there. Price was good compared to other p… more

The room was fairly up to date, clean, and quiet. Several outlets near the bed had USB charge ports. HVAC was not too loud. Bed was comfy. I was in town for a conference at Asilomar and location was good - very close for driving and close enough to walk there. Price was good compared to other places in the area. I'll definitely plan to stay here again.

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“Pacific Grove's version of Fawlty Towers”

There’s a lot in common with a certain classic British fictitious comedy about a rude innkeeper with a dysfunctional hotel set in a seaside town when it comes to staying at The Wilkie’s Inn- Clarion Collection. Check it out if you have the time. The main takeaway from that series is that running … more

There’s a lot in common with a certain classic British fictitious comedy about a rude innkeeper with a dysfunctional hotel set in a seaside town when it comes to staying at The Wilkie’s Inn- Clarion Collection. Check it out if you have the time. The main takeaway from that series is that running an inn would be fine if you didn’t have to deal with pesky, stupid customers, according to Basil Fawlty, the innkeeper. How exactly is this old motel classified as a Clarion property? I’ve stayed at other Choice Hotel properties, from Rodeway to Clarion and Ascend in my travels. Okay, the rooms had a remodel, but it’s more like a dressed up Econolodge/Rodeway Inn. I came in the lobby for check-in. I had printed up my reservation paperwork as a courtesy to help the person look up my reservation. I was yelled at for not having my ID out immediately and the paper does not qualify as identification. I know that. Please stop yelling at me. I was trying to be nice. I’m sorry. She repeated it several times that ALL she wanted was the ID. I’m getting it out as fast as I can. There is no need to yell at me OR repeat three times that you only need my driver’s license, not the paper. The rest of the check-in involved speaking to me as if I had never stayed at a hotel before, and used one of those things called a card key. She was reading a well-rehearsed script of the hotel, with no deviation, and no effort into treating customers with any modicum of respect. My mistake was showing her that dumb piece of paper to indicate the reservation. I’ll never do that again. It was cold that day. After I checked in, I went back in the lobby to get some decaf coffee from the dispenser at 4:00. I took one sip and dumped it out. It must have been made in the morning (maybe). Ugh. It was disgusting. Beds were hard, and creaky. I’m sure they change the sheets regularly, but the blankets need to be washed, too. I don’t know how to describe it, but it wasn’t a particularly clean smell. The pillows were torn. Breakfast was limited- yogurt, apples, oranges and prepackaged pastries. I made the mistake of coming into the lobby at 7:12 and got yelled at again (same lady) because breakfast is not ready until 7:30am. I was tired and forgot that information from yesterday. I came back later. I was then told that the lobby is closed between 8 and 8:15 am. Okay. I’ll do my best not to piss you off, but I haven’t done very well so far. Other observations: The rooms had some level of remodeling, with new flooring but they kept the old, worn furniture. The bathrooms had most of the remodel work. For the rest of the property, the breakfast dining area consists of some patio furniture outside. adjacent to the lobby, next to the soda machine with a defective display and the ice maker. Would I stay there again? Probably not.

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