Thursday, May 13, 2010

"I don''t think so!"

I'm back from Oman.
It was quite a good trip, work-wise.

I was staying at the Ibis this time. I gotta say... this is the worst service I've received from a hotel ever!

I get to the airport and wait there for around 20 minutes. Usually, there's a guy with a placard waiting to pick me up. This time... nothing! I finally call the hotel and the guy at the reception says that a driver was sent and waited for 40 mins before leaving. Which was ridiculous, cos my flight was on time and I had been waiting for over 20 mins by then myself.
But forget that! Forget that they didn't send a pick-up. When I told the guy at the reception that I'd been waiting for the past 20 mins, he doesn't apologize, he doesn't say they'll send someone across.
He says " I don't think so!"

Excuse me?!!
What the hell does that mean? I'm lying about no one picking me up?! I prefer being stranded at the airport at 6:30 in the morning and then complaining about it?!

I took a taxi to the hotel with another guy who was also staying at the same place and hadn't had a pick-up sent (big surprise!). I went to check-in and the woman at at the reception says
"Sorry ma'am, we don't have a double room for you. We can give you a single room."
If looks could kill, she'd have been giving her sorry-assed excuses to St. Peter by now!

"What room was booked for me?"
"Ma'am, a double room."
" And you confirmed the booking?"
"Yes ma'am." *slight squirming*
"Then. get me. a. double. room."


Two minutes later....

"Ma'am. A double room just became available."

(who the fuck does she think she's messing with?!)

Here's the other stuff that they never put in their websites :

* They don't have a bell-boy. You are required to carry your own luggage (which I can't due to my neck problem). The guys at the reception carried my luggage as a favour for me!

* They don't have room service! You call and order the food from the restaurant, they make it ready, you either go down and eat at the restaurant (which I don't prefer to do as I'm usually alone) or else you go down, they give you a freaking TRAY, and you carry your food back!
I got my food delivered to the room cos the guy at the restaurant was a nice guy. They don't even deliver water as a policy across all Ibis hotels!

I gotta say though, the room itself was clean and good. A bit small, but I've stayed in smaller ones in Europe. They also have free wifi, which is a huge plus when compared to places like crowne plaza where you gotta pay for internet access and the rates are quite exorbitant.

I think they're mainly targeting business-people as it's not very family-friendly.
Not sure where they got the idea that people on business would want to carry their own luggage and not eat in their rooms!

The hotel is centrally located and quite close to all my clients, so I'm torn between switching hotels or staying there again and taking "favours" from the staff.
But the bad service and callous attitude overrules everything else!

Will I be joining their club membership program?
"I don't think so!"



9 comments:

Saaketh said...

If only u were in US to sue them or in India to scream at them n get things done :D

SwB said...

But Ibis are budget hotels, aren't they? Like Air Arabia ... where you get nothing! :) At least they gave you free wi-fi.

Sonia said...

Saaketh: hmm... i dunno. maybe.

SwB: I didn't realize they were budget hotels till my friend told me. I don't really know how to distinguish budget hotels really. I chose this one cos it was close to where I needed to be. Even so... their attitude sucked! They were rude and inefficient!

Saaketh said...

looks like you are still angry, its ok its over now :-)

Sonia said...

Saaketh: :o) I'm not mad at them anymore. I just won't stay there!

AB said...

Oh god! It sounds like a dark comedy. How can they make you carry your own luggage however budget it may be?!!!!:O

And btw with ref to your last post -- they would introduce as this jet-setting fantastic girl who can make your life a fun-filled ride:) Muah!

Sonia said...

AB: well.. they carried my luggage for me... as a "favour".

But I'm not going to any ibis ever if i can help it!

and thanks babe! :o)

Sid said...

Hmm, it must be a really cheap budget hotel. But did you get a chance to go out anywhere? Or was it all business and no pleasure :)

Sonia said...

Sid: i guess it was quite cheap. receptionist did the booking. but no more!