California Tropical Resort Penthouse

We enjoy an excellent reputation with regard to both cleanliness and maintenance, as evidenced by all our great reviews. However, we are disappointed that we did not meet the guests’ expectations on this occasion. As soon as we discovered the unsatisfactory cleaning, we apologized and immediately offered to get the professional cleaning company back to re-clean the property to our own high standards, as we pride ourselves on our excellent record of cleanliness. The cleaning company were extremely apologetic, offering to send their cleaners back. We were disappointed that the guest declined this offer. We use a LA professional cleaning company that specializes in short term rental cleaning and consistently maintains a high standard, but this is the first occasion that they let us down. The guest was absolutely right to notify our property manager. We explain to every guest before arrival that we have contracted a local full time professional property manager from a reputable real estate company to address guest needs, but that if they cannot reach the manager for any reason, we are also just an email or phone call away. We are extremely responsive to our guests’ needs as mentioned by this guest, but the guest chose not to notify us as well. We are pleased that the guest was very happy with the manager’s response, as indicated in the guest review: “To her credit, when she responded, she did send out very capable and cooperative people to deal with the various problems”. As the guest correctly points out, we dispatched professional contractors immediately to address any reported issues. The electrician spent 2 seconds pressing the red GFCI switch which had tripped, and we had previously asked the guest to try. We also sent a handyman a day later to replace a light bulb which the guest was unwilling to change with one of the spare bulbs. We dispatched a Cable TV technician who immediately fixed an issue the company’s set top box. There are three TV’s, so the guest was never without TV. A small crack in the kitchen linoleum floor is being addressed as part of our routine maintenance. The rest of the flooring are beautiful hardwood floors, scheduled for re-finishing soon. We are pleased that the guest recognized our efforts to address all issues immediately. As all the issues had already been addressed within the first few days of their month-long stay, the guests departed earlier due to the fact that their plans had changed

We really appreciate you taking the time to let other travelers know about your experience. We are pleased you enjoyed the quality furnishings, and the tranquility of the place. Yes, it often feels like you own the heated pool and hot tub as hardly anyone uses it. Glad you discovered the yummy eateries and amazing shopping nearby. We hope you have returned home rested and re-invigorated.

We are proud of our positive record. Every guest who has stayed in this luxury condo has had a very positive experience, with many guest emails stating how their expectations were exceeded, or thanking us for a great stay, etc. We have quite a few returning guests, a fact which speaks for itself. We would be more than happy to forward these emails to you or you can inspect the property, so you can make an informed judgment. This senior guest has been trying to extort more compensation from us due to a refrigeration breakdown.October 2010, we purchased a brand new Best Buy stainless steel refrigerator with 4-year protection plan. The refrigerator broke down on a weekend four months later during their stay. We immediately called Best Buy who dispatched a technician. We were constantly asked about the compensation. If not satisfied, they would move out. They were expecting daily compensation exceeding the nightly rate for three daily expensive meals, time, effort, etc. We compensated the guests almost $300 for food spoilage (despite much of the food not requiring refrigeration), plus extra compensation. Further compensation is pending a Best Buy claim. We paid them approx. $80 for a new print cartridge too, as all the ink had been consumed. We purchased a mouse pad. However, nothing seemed good enough. With a slight plumbing noise inside the wall, despite being an association responsibility, we dispatched two plumbers the same day to install an anti-knocking device fixing the problem. The guests were happy with the outcome. There were never any complaints about airport noise or the pool not being heated. Most pools in Irvine & Newport Beach are heated for half the year to save on energy costs and to coincide with the wonderful Southern California climate. There is no airport noise as the condo faces the interior courtyard overlooking the pool & heated spa, an ideal position facing south away from the airport. The guest simply added extra items in for good measure to bolster his single complaint about inadequate compensation. These technically challenged guests struggled with just about everything, even the adjusting the TV volume, unable to follow the clear instructions. Other guests have been OK operating the equipment. We have a local full time manager, so things have gone smoothly. Please judge our long-term positive track record, and not the single exception of an opportunistic, vindictive guest wanting more compensation for an appliance breakdown.