BEST WESTERN Bidarka Inn, Homer

Our experience at this hotel was so bad that when my husband tells someone about this, I just want to leave the room and not think about it. When we checked in, my husband met someone we knew, who also heard the clerk give the room number, and later verified that's what the clerk said. We drove to our room (a slight distance), put our key in the scanner and it didn't work. We saw that the clerk had not spoken the correct room number. We tried the correct number, and not only did it not work, we could hear someone inside. My husband drove down while I stood watch over the suitcases rather than reload them. He came back and the key still didn't work. This time we called on the cell phone rather than one of us sit in the cold with the luggage or reload the baggage. Since this was the second error on their part, we asked the clerk to please come down. Not only did she refuse to come with a new key, she refused to believe that someone else was in the room. My husband asked her to call the room, she did. He could hear someone pick up the phone and speak, and yet the clerk wouldn't acknowledge someone was in the room, nor would she bring a key. She said she couldn't leave the desk, even though someone else was there. My husband was on the phone for about 15 minutes, and we finally drove up there. He was in the office another 30-45 minutes. My husband is known to be a soft touch, but he was not about to bow to poor behavior from the staff. The clerk kept saying it wasn't her fault, (which then of course implies it was my husband's fault). There was one nonsmoking room left, but she didn't want to give it to us because it had a hot tub and hence they could get more $$ for the room from someone else. The clerk did things like call the clerk from the previous shift to find out who was in the room she assigned us. In front of my husband, they discussed BY NAME all the guests on the level where they had assigned us a room. So much for customer privacy. Finally the clerk called the general manager, who was sleeping, telling that person, "he wants the hot tub room for the low rate." All WE wanted was a place to sleep, it was 10:30 and we had had a long day! The next morning, it seemed the desk crew was waiting to pounce on my husband when he came in. He got the business card to call the manager, but when he tried to call the manager, my husband was blocked by the staff from reaching him. "He's busy," they said. We later saw one of the people who stayed at the same inn that night, and he commented that the desk team didn't have much for brain power. I don't know what tipped him off. But at least they got a room without hassle. Next time we're in Homer, we'll go back to the Pioneer Inn. The lodging is quite modest in comparison, but the hosts there are incredibly hospitable and look for ways to make your stay happier.

This hotel was pretty cheap for Alaska, but the walls were paper-thin and the shower/bath water was only lukewarm. The beds were pretty comfy. I suppose you get what you pay for. The continental breakfast was typical, lots of toasted carb selections, watered-down juice, but nothing fresh. They also "ran" out of cream cheese for the bagels, which limited the toasted carb selection.

The reservation process was a mess. We called multiple times before arrival and everytime the reservations were different. When we arrived they were different. And then they checked me into a room that was occupied. Lucky for me, I didn't walk in on somebody (the people weren't in the room at the time). Then they charged me for an extra room. I called and sent supporting documentation. Nobody called me back. I called Best Western headquarters and they attempted to contact Bidarka Inn. There was no reply to their requests. Even though Bidarka Inn is a franchise, I'm disappointed that Best Western headquarters wouldn't reimburse me for the $136.73 that I was overcharged for. There is nothing special about the Bidarka Inn. Find some other place to make your stay in Homer more (favorably) memorable.