H C
Google
Dear Management Team,
1 Star given to highlight for your attention.
I am writing following my recent stay at Waldorf Astoria Jeddah Qasr Al Sharq from 1 February to 3 February in Room 1309.
Let me begin by saying the room itself was of a good standard, and your staff were consistently polite, professional, and genuinely helpful. The service attitude of your team is a real strength of the hotel.
However, despite this, my overall experience was severely affected by one issue that, in my view, is unacceptable for a hotel of this category and price point: the mosquito problem throughout the property.
We went to the first floor café and restaurant specifically to have dinner. We ordered our meal there, but within minutes we began getting bitten repeatedly around our feet and legs. This was not mild discomfort. The bites were painful. In the space of around ten minutes, staff moved us three separate times to different tables and areas, including near a mosquito control machine, yet the problem continued. Eventually, we had no choice but to leave the restaurant entirely and request that our food be sent to our room, as we were simply not prepared to remain in that environment.
This is not just about a room stay. When guests book a hotel of this level, they are paying to use the facilities, to dine, to hold meetings, to host guests, and to spend time in shared spaces comfortably. That was not possible.
The following day, I had a meeting in the hotel with a very prominent Saudi family. The same situation occurred, with mosquitoes in the hotel areas and multiple people being bitten. We also experienced the issue again in the main lobby while waiting for taxis. This was not isolated to one location or one time. It was a property wide issue.
Upon checkout, more than one staff member mentioned that the problem is related to the fountains and that it is an ongoing issue. With respect, if this is known and ongoing, it raises a serious concern. Why has it not been resolved effectively, or at the very least clearly communicated? Guests should not be discovering this after being bitten repeatedly in dining and lobby areas.
For the rate charged and the brand standard associated with this hotel, the overall facilities experience did not meet expectations. In addition, I found the food menu to be very basic for a hotel of this calibre.
If I were to rate the hotel purely based on this stay, it would be one star due to the impact on comfort, dining, meetings, and overall usability of the property. Under normal circumstances, I would not return and would not recommend the hotel to colleagues or clients, which is disappointing because your staff themselves were excellent.
That said, I travel to Saudi Arabia every two to three weeks, and I may consider trying the hotel once more on a future trip in the hope that this issue is properly resolved. However, as things stand, the mosquito problem is serious enough to deter repeat stays.
I share this feedback candidly and constructively, as the hotel clearly has strong potential, but this matter requires urgent attention.