Reviews & Ratings for Santa Anita Inn

05/14/12

QUINCEANERA MAY 5, 2012

by gomart93

I JUST HAD MY DAUGHTERS QUINCEANERA ON MAY 5, 2012 AND EVERYTHING CAME OUT BEAUTIFUL. THE STAFF WERE VERY ATTENTIVE AND POLITE. EVERYONE COMPLIMENTED ON HOW GOOD THE FOOD WAS AND HOW BEAUTIFUL THE FACILITY WAS DECORATED. I HAD READ THE NEGATIVE REVIEW THAT PEOPLE HAVE POSTED AND I WAS NERVOUS ABOUT MY DAUGHTERS SPECIAL EVENT, BUT I'M GLAD I TOOK THE CHANCE BECAUSE EVERYTHING CAME OUT PERFECT. IF I HAD TO DO IT AGAIN I WILL DEFINETLY GO BACK. I TRULY RECOMMENDED THIS FACILITY TO EVERYONE. AUDREY THANK YOU FOR BEING HELPFUL AND HAVING EXCELLENT STAFF WORKING UNDER YOU. WANT TO THANK ALL THE STAFF THAT WORKED THAT NIGHT ON CINCO DE MAYO THAT MADE MY DAUGHTER NIGHT BEAUTIFUL...

02/24/12

will not use again

by Pwilley

will not use again

01/04/12

"MESSAGE FROM AUDREY" IS A LIE!! DO NOT DO BUISNESS HERE

by MIll

Let's start off by saying this place is THEE WORST place. I had my daughters sweet sixteen party here and as I signed the contract I was greeted with a friendly "planner" Audrey. She promised to help us plan a special day for my daughter. My daughter was happy and excited and so was I and my husband because as I read in her message and didn't believe the reviews that there are bridezillas out there. Once big day came it was a complete mess, I did not know that people could hate their job so much (Audrey) and once they had their money in hand and we we paid in full that their demeanor would change drastically. Boy I should've listened to the reviews! As far as her saying that she "mentors" teenagers she is more like a witchy boss that is condescending to her employees and doesn't know how to handle her attitude in front of customers. The food was disgusting and was cold and the veggies that were ordered were not cooked and the meat was cold with no flavor or no sauce. I'm not sure how she says that she has "clients that are hard to work with" when I consider myself very easy and laid back. I'm not sure how she can consider herself bending backwards for her clients and then be bitchy towards them when doing something that was originally contracted for. The bar was a complete mess serving $9 for a mixed drink and $ 4.50 for a soft drink. I don't pay $4.50 at an amusement park that we go to for the crapy service and flat soda. Not once did I ask her why she was in a bad mood nor did I complain at all the bad things that went wrong with the reception but they say that this is the best way to get the word out that they are horribly BAD at ANY party planning and service. I couldnt imagine paying and getting this service for my daughters wedding day and seeing the look on her face. I'm never reccomending this place again nor will I trust a liar that claims to be this helpful person that portrays herself as "giving back to the I community and sponsoring young adults". I guess she was going on about her personal life because she's incompetent in the party planning area. Audrey you do not come off as nice as you think you do when you are wanting a client to sign the contract. You are a terrible, horrible, very unprofessional, rude planner. Go back to school and learn a different trade because you ruin other people's special days.

06/09/11

A Message From Audrey

by AudreyEP

Hello my name is Audrey and I am an Event Planner at Santa Anita Banquets since 2002. I have a decade of experience and I always strive to be the best Event Planner in this business. I take pride with the services I offer and I work hard to make every event I plan special for my clients. I'm proud to say I am a mentor to many young adults who look towards making a career as an Event Planner. It's an honor for me to give back to the community by sponsoring and offering jobs to less fortunate teens and young adults in the inner cities. My team and I work very hard so our clients walk away with great memories. I have an amazing job and I really love and enjoy working with clients that allow me to express my creative side by incorporating their ideas and concepts, but yet staying in their budget. I'm responsible for planning once in a lifetime events so I understand, respect and honor my clients’ wishes and dreams. Even though being an Event Planner is a lot of fun, however it can be overwhelming when dealing with "Bridezillas" or other "unrealistic characters" that tend to be "Drama Queens" -you know the kind they make Reality Shows out of-(lol). Having over a 1000 events under my belt I guess I can deal with a few bad reviews. Don't get me wrong they are hurtful to me and my team and my family who know and see how much hard work I put into each and every event. But there is always going to be a few ugly spirited people who have nothing better then to talk nonsense. And unfortunately those are usually the people you bend most backwards for. Please remember there are always two sides to a story and never judge a person until you get a chance to make your own decision. We have several beautiful venues and amazing delicious food and we work well with your budget, so please don't let a great deal pass you up. I have tons & tons of great reviews from beautiful brides and satisfied clients, so please don't hesitate to give me a call (626)461-0313. I promise you won't regret it! God Bless You and Happy Planning.

Yours Truly,

Audrey

06/05/11

An Experience That Was Breathtaking

by dj2608

I recently had a wedding at the Santa Anita Banquets and my special day was absolutely wonderful! My husband and I are taken aback with the horror stories we have seen on here, which is why we would like to give our review about how breathtaking our entire experience was.

Starting with how amazing our set-up was when we arrived. We did not know that the already beautiful banquet room could be turned into such a masterpiece! My 200 guest have not stopped raving about how gorgeous the set-up was and even say that this is by far the most professional job they have seen at a wedding. The servers were so polite and all had smiles on their faces, they must really love their jobs! The food was absolutely delicious, especially our main course! Our cake was made exactly how my husband and I wanted it down to the beautiful detail. Lastly, we danced the night away until the end with their professional D.J.. It was truly an amazing experience. Audrey has given us the best wedding experience and we cannot imagine how our wedding would have been if we didn't have her planning it! Audrey and her staff are absolutely wonderful. THANK YOU STAFF!! 5 stars is not enough for your beyond wonderful job!

04/03/11

Sweet Sixteen Birthday Party

by Jack Price

For my Sweeet Sixteen birthday party, my parents had planned to have the party at our home in a spacious backyard. When the weather took a turn for the cold and rain was predicted for our weekend, we needed to find indoor accomodations for 80 guests quikley. Santa Anita Banquets had an opening for saturday. We negotiated a very resonable price. Audry and staff worked hard to create a fun and memberable experience for me. I was very impressed with the professionality of all the members who worked hard to make sure I had a good time. I was very pleased with the place and would recomend the santa anita inn banquet to anybody for any party.

03/22/11

Sweet Sixteen Birthday

by rdvilla

I recently had my daughters Sweet 16 here and I couldn't have picked a better place. I was so amazed at

the decorated banquet halls and decorations, cake and food. My daughter walked in and she wa speechless on how beautiful everythng was. The staff was very helpful. Audrey and her asst. Kim did a wonderful job.

I am still getting phone calls from all my 129 quests

that attended on how lovely everything was. I had quest as far as vegas and Palm Springs, Indio attend and they were so happy to attend. I would definately do it again. Thank you Audrey and Kim for making this Birthday a beautiful mile stone.

Love Kehau, Daisy and Ramon Villasenor

For those of you with bad reviews maybe your just to picky. Maybe next time you should plan everything on your own. This is why you hire a coordinator to coordinate everything for you. You ask and you shall receive. Audrey , Thanks again. I loved it.

02/01/11

I should've listened to the reviews

by MartinPaul

We had our wedding here, although this place is beautiful the service there is HORRIBLE. We rented both the inside and outside reception halls from 5 pm until 12 a.m. Once the music started within 2 hours the Arcadia Police were called and told us that someone that lived (not hotel guest/someone who lives there) in the hotel complained that the music is too loud. We complied and put the speakers inside the hall and continued with our reception.

It was explained to my husband that they have this problem here when they rent out the hall. I didn't know that we needed a permit from the city to have music past 10 pm . I was mortified to learn that and my reception was shut down because of not having a permit. I thought that since I was paying a very high price for just the reception hall that they were obviously okay with music.

I was advised of the price per plate there and thought it was too much pay for the food we tried at the tasting. We instead got our own catering which was 1000 times better than what they were trying to serve us.

Working with Audrey was another nightmare. She is RUDE and just plain incompetent. We paid for unlimited soft drinks for a 150 person wedding from them because they were asking $1500 fee if we took our own soft drinks and we thought that was crazy. I thought they would serve the soft drinks in nice plastic cups instead they served them from small plastic cups that one would find at the 99 cent store. They put the 2 liter bottles on the bar counter and people were serving themselves. If that was the case I would not have paid over $500 for them to serve our guests soft drinks.

3 days before our reception we went to pay off the final balance and took our champagne bottles for them to chill them for the day of and when we were going to do the toast there were no bottles anywhere because they had misplaced them. Once they were found 45 mins later they were not chilled and tasted gross.

Needless to say I WILL NEVER recommend this place nor do I feel this place should be in business.

08/02/10

IMPRESSIVE

by sandiie

Having my retirement party here was the best choice. The location, first off is gorgeous and the packages are very convenient. They are very helpful and understandable with one's situation. Audrey and Karla make a great team. Very friendly yet very persistent. One has got to understand that they are running a business still. I was extremely satisfied with the decor, the food and the service. THANK YOU STAFF!!

• Pros: Everything
• Cons: -

09/29/09

Can't wait to plan my baby shower now!

by Joanne Hayman

I was just married, and had my reception here. It was just like the wedding I have pictured in my dreams! Audrey was sooo on top of her game. She was so kind, organized and was the best. She made everything so afordable for my husband and I, espically with the economy the way it is. My cake was so pretty and delicious! The food was AMAZING! Now we're expecting our first baby, and I can't wait to plan my baby shower with Audrey. Audrey and her staff are great people. They truely are great at what they do =)

• Pros: I had the best wedding ever!
• Cons: NONE!