Dane S.
Yelp
CAUTION: Read Before You Book
This so-called resort is definitely a situation where you need to pay attention to the fine print. Specifically, their cancellation policy and the owner's lack of hospitality.
Six weeks ago (July 7), I booked two nights for this weekend (Aug 20-22). Two days later, they charged 50% of the booking, which came out to $300. Now, I don't travel all too often. But when I do stay at a hotel, usually they don't charge for your stay until you check out. They might put a hold beforehand, but they don't charge. And I'm talking nice hotels sometimes. INNdulge is not such an establishment. It is what it is, though they charge much more than what you get in accommodations. But's that not what you're paying for, is it?
Three weeks after booking (and 23 days before our check-in), other developing circumstances required my partner and me to change our plans for visiting Palm Springs. This is not the first time I've called a hotel to change and move a reservation to a later date. It's never been an issue. So I contact INNdulge, anticipating a similar outcome. Instead, the owner, Jon Jackson, told me that since the reservation was less than 42 days away, our 50% deposit was forfeit if I canceled.
You read that right, they have a 42-day cancellation policy. Other hotels have cancellation policies of 3 days, 2 days, 24 hours, or sometimes the day of. Jon bemoaned to me on the phone that he's a small business and that's why he has to have such an extended cancellation window. That if he didn't do that, people would book and just cancel weeks before their trip, he wouldn't be able to rebook the room in time, and he would "lose too much money." I wanted to tell Jon that's exactly how other hotels and resorts conduct business. He went so far as to compare his business with airlines, in so much that they won't let you rebook unless you pay extra (but even then, you're not forfeiting what you've already paid).
But I wasn't trying to cancel. I wanted to use our deposit for a later date. Specifically, in October. But since October is their "busiest month," they require a minimum of 4-days and jack up their rates. While I wasn't happy about it, that's business. Can't argue with that. Though it was not really in our budget, my partner and I decided to go ahead and book for October. We thought that we would at least be able to use the already charged $300 toward the new booking.
Nope. It was not the owner's policy to allow such accommodation. Why? Jon argued, to me over the phone, that he would be "taking a risk." That he was losing money if he is unable to rebook the room for the August dates. But he was comfortable, after already taking $300, to tell us to just rebook and pay the full amount, which was going to be at least an additional $1200.
But finally, he consented that he would be the "nice guy," though he made sure to tell me that he didn't have to, and promised to give us the $300 credit for a later booking IF he was able to rebook the room for the August dates with another guest.
I didn't hear from the owner again. This week, out of curiosity, I checked to see if I could book a room at INNdulge for the same dates (this weekend) on their website. They were fully booked. I even had my friend call, and the front desk said they had no rooms available.
So that's that, folks. That's how Jon Jackson, the owner of INNdulge, chooses to run his business. Hospitality is not on the menu. And he was totally comfortable with losing a returning customer. As he sees it, there are plenty of other customers who want to stay at INNdulge -- though just a few minutes previously on the phone he was going on and on about how unlikely he would be able to rebook the room in 3 weeks.
There are plenty of other clothing-optional resorts, with better accommodations most likely, in Palm Springs. Don't give your money to a person who is this stingy. Who views their returning customers as utterly expendable and nothing more than monetary transactions.
