Not my first stay here, but my last. Last time we saw the room before taking it - and I wrote an excellent review for the fresh, clean room we enjoyed. Oops! Not all rooms are the same!
My first night was spent in a grungy room with filthy curtains still mostly hanging and the stench of stale smoke. I was delayed and arrived after 10:30 pm, so no one available to talk to and the only phone number I was provided with was the abandoned front desk. I got little sleep that night, but was just glad to have gotten inside with the help of another guest who was able to retrieve my key. Still not sure how that worked... The next day I moved to a better room, but still sparse and in need of a deep cleaning. NOT my former experience, or I wouldn’t have returned.
Not wanting the hassle of moving I requested an additional night in the somewhat better room for the same price. I received no apology, only poor excuses (no, they can’t control guests who smoke, but charge cleaning fees - so clean it. Yes, there’s an emergency number for after hour issues - but I wasn’t given it, so how could I be responsible for not using it?). After debating with the manager he finally agreed and even lowered the rate slightly. That should have been a given. On the upside, reception staff were great.
Clearly, booking a room at this hotel without seeing it first is a gamble. And the hotels response was challenging. Keep your expectations low and fingers crossed.