A deeply frustrating experience and a hotel I would never recommend to anybody!
I arrived at Hotel Central Souk Inn on 29/12/23 at around 10AM and requested to leave my bags and insulin injections at the hotel until my check-in time. I was assured that my belongings would be taken care of, and they should they would check me in later as it was busy and it was not my check-in time yet which was fine by me. However, upon my return in the evening, I encountered a series of distressing issues that severely impacted my experience.
Firstly, when I requested my insulin injections, they could not be located in the refrigerator, as promised. To my dismay, I found my medication lying on the floor next to the reception desk, having been neglected for 12 hours without refrigeration. This negligence poses a significant risk to my health and is entirely unacceptable.
Secondly, the staff encountered difficulties locating my booking confirmation, and despite my showing them the confirmation directly from the manager with whom I made the reservation, I was told there were no available rooms. Subsequently, when attempting to resolve this with the manager on the phone, I faced unhelpful responses and delays in communication.
The manager, rather than addressing the issue responsibly, asserted that the hotel had been fully booked there are always no-shows and last-minute cancellations so he has to give places away and that I should have come earlier. I explained that I had been at the hotel at 10 AM, but it was the staff’s choice not to check me in. Despite my plea for a resolution, the manager offered no assistance, insisting there was nothing he could do to rectify the situation. His indifference to leaving a young, lone female at night without a hotel to stay in made me feel very uneasy.
At this point, I had been waiting at the hotel for an hour with the staff and myself going back and forth with the manager. As I began to attempt to find another hotel, the manager called back after five minutes and said that he would find me a hotel.
Furthermore, when the manager finally managed to secure alternative accommodation, I was told that the hotel room and transportation would be covered. I confirmed this information twice with your staff before accepting the alternative arrangement. However, upon reaching the new accommodation, not only was it located further from the city center and of lower quality, but I was informed that the hotel had not been paid for. When I contacted the manager for clarification, he abruptly hung up the phone without offering any resolution (FYI he did pay 10 QAR for taxi but only after me being persistent).
The entire experience has been unprofessional, disrespectful, and has left me in an extremely vulnerable position as a solo female traveler. I am appalled by the lack of responsibility and accountability demonstrated by the management. The disregard for my health, safety, and overall well-being is unacceptable.