Was very disappointed in our stay in...
Was very disappointed in our stay in this hotel. Firstly, the front desk reception was charging us an exorbitant exchange rate of Php50 to the US$1 despite of the fact that the advise you emailed to me was at Php45.75 and the official exchange rate of that day was at Php44.56. When I told them to charge my credit card in US dollars, they still had to consult with their front desk manager and returned saying that their credit card terminals are not capable of charging in dollar, only in Pesos. (Which leads me to question why they need to quote prices in US$ in the first place!) Fortunately, one of our companions had US$ cash with him and we settled our bill in cash. Seems like this is a method employed by the management of the hotel to increase their revenues?
As for our room, the toilet seat covers of 2 of the 3 rooms we got had really dirty stains on the cover and on the seats themselves. Really makes you wonder why a 4 star hotel doesn't even bother to change a simple plastic toilet seat cover. On top of that, the plumbing in our toilet was leaking so that every time you flush the toilet, a pool of water is formed behind it. Room size was very good, big compared to other hotels, just about the only thing going for this place. I really hate the hard wood planks that the site is so proud in advertising, they creak and snap with every single step you take and is bound to wake up your room mate, no matter how gently you tread.
As for the service, well, I hope the space here is big enough. Let's start of with the reception. As mentioned earlier, they were not very helpful at all. Tried to pass off payment at their ridiculous exchange rate and only noticed when I rechecked the printout that I fortunately brought along. Room was advertised as having free local newpaper but we never saw a single sheet throughout our stay. Worst of all, I encountered on several occasions, cleaning crews lying down on the beds of rooms they were cleaning while sending SMS messages on their cell phone. 1 particular room, beside the elevators with a very long corridor, hence away from the view of most guests, seems to be the favorite hangout of the cleaning crews. It is in this room that most of them congregate and seem to spend the whole afternoon swapping stories and telling jokes. On our first morning out, I had personally requested a cleaning crew member to make up our room as we left for our breakfast. Upon our return an hour and a half later, our room was still in the same state and there was not a single cleaning crew member to be seen on our floor.
Overall, I'd never ever want to stay in this hotel again. It is such a waste, it's location is very good, right in the center of town and quite near to all the places you might want to go to in Cebu. But the terrible service is just such a let down.
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