In my entire life, I've never experienced a worse hotel than this one. I can't imagine any hotel in the world being as distressing as this one was.
The nightmare began at check-in. We had booked in advance, confirmed our reservation 10 days before our stay, and provided copies of the IDs of all who would be staying, as well as full payment. Yet, we were made to wait over two hours in the hot lobby. When we complained, the front desk staff responded coldly, and a staff member named Kaye said, "If you're not satisfied, just cancel! Claim your refund from the booking site you used."
We wanted to cancel, but we had already paid 600,000 yen, and we weren't sure if we could get a refund from Expedia, so we were forced to endure it.
Later, we found out from reviews that this hotel offers a full refund if you cancel within four hours of check-in. But none of the staff, not even the manager, mentioned this. They shut down our complaints with their "policy," but when it's not in their favor, they don't bring it up. We only learned about the refund policy by reading the owner's response to a complaint in a review.
We requested to add another person to our reservation, and they readily agreed. We paid the additional charge and the fee for an extra bed, and finally, we were able to enter the room. When we requested the extra bed, we were cheerfully told, "It will arrive shortly, please wait." But even after waiting for over two hours, nothing came. When we called the front desk, we were told that an extra bed couldn't be added to our room. They ended the call as if it was no big deal. The woman who provided this information over the phone was Kaye.
Three hours later, the mattress, pillow, and blanket finally arrived, but the towels and toothbrushes didn't arrive until the third night. Because of this, we had to cancel a birthday party reservation at a restaurant, so the celebration never happened.
The next day, our room wasn't cleaned because the card key was left in the slot. A small note read: "We do not clean the room if a card key is inserted in the slot." When we asked for help at the front desk, they said the cleaning service for the day was already done, so we were forced to use the damp towels from the previous night. It would have been nice if they had informed us of this earlier.
When you call for a cart, even after 10 minutes, it doesn’t arrive. After a follow-up call, we were told to wait another 10-15 minutes. The cart arrived after 30 minutes. So if you book at this hotel and have plans, book your cart 30 minutes in advance so your schedule won’t be delayed.
Be careful about complaining at this hotel! When you do, the staff will glare at you as if they’re going to do something bad to you. Their stares are terrifying.
The pain and sorrow we experienced at this hotel are beyond words. Many other guests had even worse experiences, based on the reviews we read.
I can't understand how this hotel managed to be listed among the “high-rated” hotels on booking sites. Our much-anticipated trip to Cebu was completely ruined by this hotel. It’s sad that such a beautiful place like Cebu has been tainted by a hotel like this.
I also want to share our experience in Boracay. Once, we booked five rooms in Boracay through a booking site. A week before our departure, I had an accident, so we had to cancel. I knew getting a refund would be difficult, but fortunately, the hotel said we could reschedule our stay. They didn’t give us a refund, but they allowed us to stay on another date once I had recovered. Our communication with the staff was excellent, and even though I repeatedly asked questions out of fear, they patiently answered all my concerns. When it became clear that I couldn't go, they offered that even if I couldn't be there myself, as long as we had communicated, I could send my family instead. I never expected to experience such a level of service at a hotel in the Philippines. I wanted to share this experience to highlight the difference between the two hotels, even though both are in the Philippines.
I try not to compare, but the difference in service is huge. It pains me to think that I didn’t pay attention to the reviews before booking in Cebu, and now I can’t get back the money and time spent.
In the end, not all the staff at this hotel are bad. There are many hardworking and polite staff. However, a few staff members and the owner’s attitude based on reviews are enough to cause great disappointment.
I’m sharing this review to help you avoid similar experiences and to enjoy your travels in Cebu.