The Westin Carlsbad Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, CA

I travel frequently and stay at many hotels, but I have never felt as unsafe and disregarded as I did during my stay at the Westin Carlsbad Resort & Spa. What happened to me and my daughter during this stay should never happen at any hotel, let alone one that carries the Marriott/Westin name. When I returned to my room one evening, I found a third key card inside my room. At check-in, I was only issued two keys. I immediately went to the front desk, and they confirmed to me not once, but twice, that my room was only ever assigned two keys. Later, when I pressed for answers, the head of security admitted that three keys had in fact been made when I checked in. Even more disturbing, that third key wasn’t used until two days later—on September 19—while my “Do Not Disturb” sign was clearly on the door. Instead of answers, I was given a string of excuses. I was told maybe housekeeping “forgot” the sign, maybe the card “slipped through a crack,” or even that maybe my daughter had picked it up. These explanations are insulting and completely miss the point: someone entered my room without authorization while my daughter and I were away. I cannot express how unsettling this was. For the last two nights of our stay, I hardly slept, terrified that whoever had access to that third key might return while we were asleep. My daughter, who was competing at both national and international levels representing the USA, needed rest and peace of mind—yet instead, we were left anxious and exhausted. I did everything I could to escalate this while on property. I brought it to Assistant Manager Anna and Operations Director Colton, and later asked multiple times to speak with General Manager Leslie, who was “unavailable” each time. Only as I was waiting for my car to go to the airport did she finally appear, when it was too late for a real conversation. Throughout, I was repeatedly promised follow-up that never came. Even after sending multiple emails since checking out, I have received no response. The only employee who showed genuine care was Melanie at front desk, who at least offered to issue all new keys and deactivate the originals. But management? Completely dismissive, unaccountable, and more interested in making me feel like I was in the wrong than in addressing a serious security failure. This was not a minor inconvenience. This was a security breach that put my daughter and me at risk. The lack of urgency, accountability, and basic guest care at this property was shocking. If you value your safety and peace of mind while traveling, I strongly urge you to stay elsewhere.

Bring your swimming trunks. This is a beautiful hotel with a great swimming and jacuzzi, comfortable rooms and a decent restaurant. Only drawback is that breakfast is not served before 6:30, so it will be a rushed affair if you have an early flight or meeting.

Sometimes a “wow” experience is mostly about the customer service and in this case, as a hard to please sensitive pregnant woman, the staff went above and beyond to make me feel comfortable, cared for, and valued. Extra special thank you to Melanie, Ramiz, Michelle, Veronika, Taryn, and Nick. Also such a gorgeous hotel and setting with ocean views, extreme dog-friendliness, and amazing food.

I stayed at The Westin Carlsbad Resort & Spa from June 22 to 27. During my stay, I discovered bed bugs in my room and immediately reported the issue to the front desk. The staff assured me they would follow up with an investigation and get back to me, but unfortunately, I never received any correspondence via email or phone. After waiting several days, I reached out directly to the Assistant General Manager for follow-up (with help from a friend who had experienced the same in a different room). While she admitted to my friend's confirmed incident, she insisted that their investigation did not list my room as one of the affected ones. Despite my attempts to explain and share my experience, she stood firm on the findings, essentially disregarding my report and providing no support or resolution. Frankly, it felt unprofessional and dismissive to have this kind of back-and-forth with hotel management after going through such an unpleasant experience, especially at one of the most expensive resorts in the area. Having to contend both with the bed bug issue and the lack of operational transparency left me frustrated and uncomfortable. I am writing this review so others are aware and can approach their stay, especially concerning room cleanliness and staff accountability with caution.

Nice stay, checking in was fast and efficient. Some glitches like the elevator out of service for a few hours and the mini fridge accumulated a lot of ice inside, but livable. Nice pool, great fireplaces, and plenty of parking directly across the street (look for the yellow gate arm that says "gate opens automatically." The parking lot is shared with the other hotels so that's a bit confusing without a sign, but I asked the front desk during check in while parked right outside.