Have spent hundreds of nights at this Hotel over the past 20 years while visiting family in my hometown of Cherokee. Staying here always felt like our home away from home. I knew this time would feel different because the old owners had sold it, and the old staff that knew us so well were no longer there.I have to give credit to the new owners,and staff, for the updates to the rooms, beds, Tv's etc. You can tell they are trying very hard to keep this Hotel comfortable,and up to date.Of course as with any change there were things that we missed. The hot tub in the pool area is gone, as is the restaurant.The new lamps, and light fixtures give off a very harsh bright white light that makes you look like you're in a mourge.The old chairs they removed from the rooms are sitting in the parking lot. The pool temperature is set way colder than it used to be.Like I said you can tell they are trying hard,but you can tell they are trying to keep operating costs as low as they can,and I understand this. I just wish they would spend a little more on things like warmer lightbulbs,tuning up the heater on the pool,and pay someone to haul away the old chairs in the parking lot.I'm sure I will be staying here again, and it is definitely the best Hotel in the area.The rooms are clean,the Wi-Fi is fast, the beds are comfortable,the ice machines, and other vending machines all work great. It feels safe,secure,and quiet. The only other thing I hope improves with future visits is that the management staff warm up,and get to know us like the old staff did. We use our room as a base camp after spending all day visiting relatives,and friends. We felt like management was trying figure out what we were up to because of our style of staying there as we always had before.We put out the do not disturb sign on our door,took out our own garbage,traded our dirty towels for clean ones daily.This seemed to cause suspicion,as management knocked on our door on the 5th day of our 7 night stay,at 10:30 am with the do not disturb sign out to introduce themselves.It was a very uncomfortable conversation,as she looked past me to try and see into the room.If she was curious, why not just ask why we prefer to skip housekeeping.I would of gladly explained that we were out until 3 or 4am every night with old friends, as we always have done when on vacation,and that we were sleeping,showering, etc way past the time the housekeepers were finished cleaning the rooms.Still nice Hotel less
BWjanelle_2016, Manager at Best Western La Grande Hacienda, responded to this review
I would like to first thank very much for taking time to review our hotel. We are working very hard to make this a comfortable place for every guest. We are sorry that some of the amenities that you once enjoyed are no longer part of the hotel, but we also know that the reasons most people come to visit are to make memories with family, and friends. We would like the give them a warm and inviting place to do that. Thank you very much for noticing the upgrades that we have put in place. If you ever feel that we need to make a change to a room to make it more comfortable for you and your family, please feel free to ask. Something as little as change the lighting for softer light we can do very quickly. We really do want you to enjoy your stay.
Our apologies for the chairs in the parking lot although unsightly were being donated to charity for families in need. They have all been removed since your stay. Almost all of our furniture is donated to needy families.
I am not certain who stopped by to ask about housekeeping services. I am the manager and I do not recall stopping by your room unannounced. I will most certainly speak with my staff to assure guest are not disturbed this way again. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.
Thank you again for taking the time to review our hotel. We appreciate your loyalty and we look forward to having you as our guest again soon.