6/10 Okay
Ricki B.
28 August 2022
Liked: Communication, location, listing accuracy
Disliked: Cleanliness
Condo design, comfort & cleanliness
We were excited to stay at the Gateway Grand. We arrived @9:30 & didn’t check in til 2:50. Sadly, we found dirty blankets & towels thrown in the MB closet, some on the extra pillows (gross). The owners also had heavy throw carpets (4 in Master bath), but they weren’t cleaned/replaced in-between guests. We also learned the cleaners did not mop under them either. The cleaning people were sent back & said “they belong to the owner so what do you want me to do with them?”. I told her I didn’t care what she did with them & asked “would you want to touch dirty blankets, towels & pillows?” It was unsanitary & the owner should have a better system in place. Central Reservations helped by coming up & removing most of them; then gave us a new but thin comforter set for the MBR, but not the other 2 bedrooms. The comforters were dry clean only & they were not switched out with clean ones. I was able to wash the liners of the twin beds, but who wants to do that on vacation. We knew we had to put clean linens on the beds, but not wash comforters.
In this day & age of Covid+ and for the cost to stay a week at 909, we were really upset about this.
Thankfully, we brought our own pillows. The Master bed also killed my back as the pillow top is visibly old - you can see it much higher in the middle of the bed.
I had my adult children and 3 young granddaughters with me, 1 with a heart condition. She got hand foot and mouth disease at a different hotel 2 years before so we research & pay more for nice condos to prevent a repeat of this.
From a design perspective, the couch faces away from the TV; so other than the 2 chairs (no recliners) you can’t watch TV in the LR without turning your head.
The Master bedroom is not off of the balcony, which we should have figured out ahead of time but since other rooms in the GG have them, we assumed all OF condos did.
The dining room & kitchen were nice and the binoculars to look at the ocean & beach was a nice touch.
Note: you only get 2 real keys for the door (no electronic cards) and “pods” to get into the building, including the main entrance. This old fashioned system made it very difficult, inconvenient and worrisome. Elevators were fast though with no lines.
The outdoor pool had a lot of sand in it. Gone are the days of early morning pool cleaners.
Although 909 looks nice, for the money, you can find a better designed & cleaner 3 bedroom condo.
Sorry I couldn’t give a great review.
Ricki B.
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2022
