"We checked in late at night. I’m not sure whether there was some miscommunication between the hotel staff, but our experience started off quite confusingly.
I had originally booked one night and later added a second night. Before arriving, I contacted the hotel in advance and specifically asked whether we could stay in the same room for both nights. The hotel confirmed that this would be possible. However, when we checked in, we were asked whether we had only booked one night, which was confusing considering that this had already been discussed and confirmed with the hotel.
What concerned us much more was the first room we were assigned. After taking the elevator to the fourth floor, we had to walk up another half-flight of stairs to reach it. As soon as we entered, the room was extremely hot and humid, and the air conditioning did not seem to be functioning properly.
More importantly, there was a dead small fly on the bed, and there were numerous ants crawling around the room. The bedding itself did not feel particularly clean either. Overall, the room gave us the impression that it had not been regularly used or properly prepared for guests.
To make matters worse, the bathtub drain was broken, so we could not even shower properly. When we reported the problem, we initially received an explanation about which side was hot water and which side was cold water, which had nothing to do with the actual issue. Eventually, a staff member came up to the room, checked it, and confirmed that the drain was indeed broken.
I also mentioned how unusually hot and humid the room was and asked whether there might be a problem with the air conditioning. We were then offered a room change.
The replacement room was completely normal and in significantly better condition. This actually made the situation even more difficult to understand. If a normal room was available, why were we initially assigned a hot and humid room with numerous ants, a dead insect on the bed, questionable cleanliness, and a broken bathtub drain?
I obviously cannot know the reason, but the difference between the two rooms was so significant that I genuinely found myself wondering why we had been given the first room in the first place — and even whether the fact that we are Asian had anything to do with it. I am not claiming that this was the reason, but the experience was uncomfortable enough to leave me with that question.
There was another interaction that added to my negative impression.
At check-out, I paid an additional €40 and was given an explanation of the charges at the time. However, after thinking about the amount again, I wanted to make sure I had understood the breakdown correctly. The city tax was €7.50 per person per night, so for two people staying two nights, that would be €30. Since the total was €40, I was unsure what the remaining €10 was for.
We had purchased some bottled water during our stay, which I understood to cost around €2 per bottle, and there were also bottles of water provided in the room. I therefore politely contacted the hotel afterward to ask for a detailed breakdown of the €40 and to clarify whether the water provided in the room was also chargeable.
The hotel explained that the €40 consisted of €30 in city tax and €10 for four bottles of water at €2.50 each. Once this was explained, I understood the charge and had no issue with the amount itself.
What bothered me was the tone of the response. It began with “As I said…” and ended with “You can check the receipt.” I fully understand that the charges had already been explained to me at check-out, but I was simply asking for clarification because I had not fully understood which bottles of water were included in the charge.
Considering that my message was polite and was only asking for a breakdown, I found the response unnecessarily dismissive and condescending. A simple clarification of the charges would have been sufficient.
I understand that maintenance issues can happen at any hotel. However, this is a four-star property charging a city tax of €7.50 per person per night, so I expected a considerably better standard of room preparation and guest service.
Being initially assigned a poorly maintained room with ants, a dead insect on the bed, a broken bathtub drain, and apparent air-conditioning issues was disappointing enough. The confusing communication and the way my later inquiry was handled made the overall experience even worse.
Unfortunately, I would not choose to stay here again."
