Priceline Hotel: 2.5* Inland Empire (Corona-Riverside West) Ayres Suites Corona West

[Colfax]

A new hotel for the list.

Ayres Suites Corona West

1900 Frontage Road

Corona, CA 92882

I wanted the 2.5* Courtyard in Riverside but my bids were rejected. Then I tried this adjacent zone. I needed two nights but only bid one at first because I didn't know what I would get and there are some iffy areas in this zone. What I got was a pleasant surprise. Ayres Suites is a VERY good hotel for its class. I've never stayed at an Ayres Suites before and if they're all like this one I'm ready for more. I liked it better than Courtyard actually, and they give a substantial free breakfast, which Courtyard doesn't.

My first bid of $40 for 2.5* was accepted. Regular price was $119. As soon as I saw my room I tried Add a Night for 6/5 and got a counteroffer of $55. Odd because Ayres had the same $119 rate on 6/4 and 6/5. I accepted the $55 rate because I didn't want to rebid from scratch and maybe win some other 2.5* hotel.

The hotel is two separate buildings. One building is motel style with exterior doors and parking in front of your room. The other building has interior corridors accessed off a lobby. The second building was $159/night vs $119/night for the motel style. I was in the motel style building but what a nice motel! Furnishings were French Provincial style, as were the lobbies of both buildings. Drapes, carpet, wallpaper, crown moldings, toiletries...all high quality. Ceiling fan over a king sized bed with good mattress and linens. Classy looking room...I almost forgot I was in Corona. Step outside, see Denny's and the used RV lot, and I remembered.

Hotel had an interesting energy saving program. At checkin you're given an extra card key, identical to the room key, and they call it the "energy card". You have to put it in a slot on the wall or the electricity doesn't work. The energy card expires at noon the next day, like the room card. All the electricity in the room shuts off then and no wastage from lights and TVs left on while waiting for the maids to clean. Only downside I could see is that the alarm clocks turn off at noon and have to be reset every day.

[jrnyman04]

Nice!!! I hope it shows up more often. I tried to bid in this zone a couple of times in March, but no 2.5* was available below $55. At that time I got the Ayers Inn in nearby Yorba Linda for $50, which is in Priceline's Orange County Anaheim Hills zone. That was also really nice.

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your win!

Thank you for sharing your win with the board and helping us add this property to the Priceline Hotel List.

Glad you enjoyed your stay and that you were able to extend the stay an additional nite. Since you enjoyed the 'motel' rooms so much, i'm curious as to what the tower rooms look like, and if you would have been able to upgrade for an additional fee?

Thanks again for sharing.

[zbenye]

The energy card is very common in Europe, in all hotel levels. I don't like it because it also shuts off the air-conditioning and you later return to an uncomfortably hot or cold room, and find that your laptop, camera and shaver batteries did not get recharged. So I just leave a card in the slot when I step out (any card usually works, even a driver's license). Sorry, polluted Earth, but I'm sure you'll take care of yourself when you tire of us.

[thereuare]

zbenye,

Nice to see you still lurking around the board :)

[Colfax]

zbenye,

I miss your posts. You should take a vacation.

The energy card is very common in Europe, in all hotel levels. I don't like it because it also shuts off the air-conditioning and you later return to an uncomfortably hot or cold room, and find that your laptop, camera and shaver batteries did not get recharged. So I just leave a card in the slot when I step out (any card usually works, even a driver's license).

As long as you leave your energy card in the slot when you go out the A/C and other appliances don't turn off while you're gone. At least that's how it worked at Ayres.

When I won my second night via Add a Night I brought my key card to the desk to be reprogrammed. The desk clerk told me to go back and get my energy card for reprogramming too. When I took it out of the slot the room went dark. I didn't try putting any other cards in the slot but I'm surprised they'd go to the trouble of installation if any card would work.

thereuare,

Since you enjoyed the 'motel' rooms so much, i'm curious as to what the tower rooms look like, and if you would have been able to upgrade for an additional fee?

The "tower" was only three stories and I think that's where they originally had me assigned. I'm one of those odd ones who actually prefers exterior doors and parking in front of my room. At checkin I asked if a room in the "two story building" (code for motel style) was available and the clerk said sure. He changed the annotation on my reservation card, which made me think I'd been preassigned to the other building. He also commented that it was an uncommon request; most people prefer the "executive building".

The hotel has "studio suites" and two-room "executive suites" with separate living and sleeping areas, plus fully furnished kitchens. The "motel" is all studio suites. The "tower" is a combination of studio suites and executive suites. Probably I was assigned to a studio suite in the "tower" at first and they moved me to a studio suite in the "motel", at my request. Studio suites are the same price whichever building they're in.

Registration for both buildings is in the "motel". Breakfast for both buildings is in the "tower". Whichever building you're in you spend time in both. The outdoor pool is next to the "motel" building and some "motel" rooms are poolside. Haha, the executives have to walk through the parking lot dripping wet.

One other thing I liked about this hotel: At breakfast you go through a line like a cafeteria and some very nice ladies in uniform serve your eggs, sausage, etc. It's not self-service. Much more organized and civilized than the cattlecalls that happen at many self service hotel breakfasts.