Booked one night stay here for a King Bed Ocean View room. Our friends booked the same room type but our rooms were completely different. Their room was on the 3rd floor and was gorgeous — exactly what was displayed on the website photos (except the bathtub was weirdly small but whatever). OUR room was on the 1st floor next to the check in area and right above the public beach access, so noise was an issue. The biggest disappointment was that the room layout seemed smaller/cramped and the overall aesthetic was ugly and outdated. It’s so unfair to book a king bed ocean view room and get something completely different than what’s shown in the photos. Furthermore our room wasn’t even ready when we arrived within the check in time window so we had to wait in our friends’ nicer room until they were ready for us. Guess I was doomed from the start.

Wanted to provide feedback on my reason to not stay eventually at Spindrift Inn. FYI - I’ve stayed at Spindrift on two other occasions. On each of those previous vacations I had no expectations and that could be part of the problem. My 2013 and 2014 my Spindrift stays were one of my top experiences as a traveler. On this stay, I was there with my girlfriend for her birthday. I called two weeks before to gather suggested restaurants and things to do around Monterey this time of year and had an engaging conversation with the front desk clerk. On the morning of our visit, I had a very early photography shoot at Yosemite. On our drive we received a welcome text from Spindrift, a nice touch. We called soon after at 11am to inform the hotel that we would be in town early, ~around 2pm and inquire about possible early check-in and did not receive a definitive answer from the hotel. As we arrived Spindrift, 2:30pm, we began check in and were informed the room was not ready. I informed the receptionist that we’d had a long drive and would appreciate being placed in a room sooner than later. We sat and watched 3 other guests go through intake and receive rooms. At 3:40 I asked to speak to a manager and told her I was disappointed in the customer service and asked if we could cancel our stay to which she said yes. As we were seated another receptionist unaware of the conversation handed me room keys without any of the engagement we witnessed for the other guests. I had expectations on this visit associated with my girlfriend’s birthday and the room selection. Needless to say our expectations were not met and we decided to stay at the Monterey Plaza where we were greeted with a glass of wine, bottle of wine to take with us and a complimentary upgrade to a room with an ocean view balcony.

As a retired veteran and IT professional I am blessed with the opportunity to travel and even on this trip stayed in 4 hotels over 12 days, some more expensive, so less all while being unable to discern the quality of customer service extended compared to the cost of the hotel. Spindrift Inn fell short of any travel experience I’ve had in years.

While this hotel is located in a great spot & the staff is very welcoming and friendly, it just felt poorly maintained. I understand an older property being a bit worn & while our room was surely beautiful in its day, there were faded fabrics, paint touch-ups that left paint on the toilet, shower grime, etc. Doors don’t really seal so you can hear every sound from the hallway & the toiletries in the bathroom had stains (almost looked like spilled coffee) on them to the point we didn’t use any. While we weren’t in the room much other than to sleep, for the price, it would be nice to see some basic upkeep and care. It was nice to have the windows open and the great breeze at night. While this didn’t bother us at all (in fact, we enjoyed it), be aware that if you’re on the Cannery Row side, you’ll hear the bands play until about 11pm at the Salty Seal.