Room 401 (River Suite)…read more
This room was advertised as a "Superior Room" online, and it certainly came with "Superior Room" pricing. However, the room was incredibly small. There was only one small cupboard for all our clothes and no chest of drawers. The "desk" was so tiny that it was completely occupied by the kettle, coffee machine, cups, and glasses. Two tiny stools were positioned under the alcove windows and were too low to sit on for any length of time, leaving the bed as the only seating option. The shower was so small that the door only slid back partially, forcing us to enter and exit sideways. Additionally, there were no grab rails for safety, making this maneuver quite challenging. I've seen rooms at IBIS hotels larger than this one, and it was half the size of the room we stayed in last year, for a fraction of the price.
When I went downstairs to complain, I was told, "the pictures are on our website" and "all the other rooms are booked."
One of the lifts was permanently out of service for "renovation" for the entire week, and the remaining two kept breaking down or overloading when they reached their capacity of "5 persons without luggage." The sign at reception instructed patrons to press both buttons for the lifts, causing them to stop at nearly every floor, even if there was nobody getting on. If someone did want to get on, they invariably couldn't because of "capacity." In short, getting to and from the lobby from the 23rd floor was a nightmare every time!
The bar staff were inexperienced and often quite rude. I was shepherded from one side of the bar to the other to order my drinks, order my snacks, and then pay by card. Once paid, I had to quickly ask for the receipt before it ended up scrunched up in a little ball on the floor.
Given all these faults, the least I expected was some sympathy and a reduction in the room rate, but I received neither. My complaint was met with complete indifference.
Last year, I would have given the UJC an overall rating of 8 and recommended it to all my Ex-Army friends. This year, it gets a one, because of the view from our window.
