Jennifer B.
Yelp
I booked this hotel with realistic expectations, knowing there was no elevator and that the building is quite old. Even so, we were incredibly disappointed by the poor upkeep and unclean conditions.
Our first night was fine; we requested a lower level room and were placed on the second floor (up two levels of a crooked, narrow, steep staircase). We were surprised to find that although I was told there was air conditioning, there was not. On the second night, we returned to the hotel to find that our room had no electricity. I went to the front desk, and was told that they knew there was no electricity in our room. Why didn't they tell us when we got our key? Why didn't they attempt to fix it? A cultural difference, I know, but nothing was done to remedy the situation until I asked. I was told nothing could be done, but they could move us to a 3rd floor room the next night. They offered to move us to another hotel for just that night, but the difficulties of moving back and forth with no help stopped us. They didn't even have a flashlight to lend us for the night.
The next day, however, there were leaking pipes in all the 3rd floor rooms, and the only available room was on the 4th floor. I have one weak knee, and the help I was promised moving our luggage up the two additional floors never appeared. When we got the key, it was bent and didn't work. It was the only key the staff had for the room, and we could not lock our room for two days until a manager finally arrived at the hotel and located another key.
There was dust under the beds, the dressers and tables weren't wiped clean upon arrival or daily, and we had an issue with some type of biting insect in our 4th floor room. It looked to me like spider bites; very itchy, red and painful. All carpets were incredibly filthy.
The hotel did adjust our rate because of all the problems, but I'm unsure if was adequate compensation; for a more sensitive traveler, all this could have ruined a trip. I used it as a teaching moment about cultural differences and smiled, but the truth is that my kids and I dreaded returning to this hotel at the end of each long day.
Keep in mind: no air conditioning. No elevator. No televisions, radios or even clocks in the rooms.