Ovolo Southside

After a long journey, dealing with a fire alarm for nearly 2 hours was the last thing I wanted. It started just after I checked in and kept ringing. Staff gave no clear explanation, communicated poorly, and offered no solution, leaving guests confused, stressed, and unable to rest. That's unacceptable from a hotel claiming to provide comfort and safety. I wouldn't recommend staying here, and won't come back.

The free self-service laundry was a great touch, and the open Internet was fast. I had no trouble connecting my Amazon Firestick to stream shows and movies in the evening. The corner room was comfortable, though the beds were a bit stiff and the couch lumpy. We appreciated the bottled water, and housekeeping cleaned the room impeccably. The staff were lovely, especially the breakfast attendant. Breakfast tasted good, though the choices got a little repetitive. Getting around was easy, with buses, the mall, and metro just around the corner. A convenience store and a few restaurants are directly across the street. The mall, about a five minute walk by the train station, has a huge grocery store, lots of restaurants, and plenty of shops. The hotel exceeded my expectations.

The MTR is only a 5mins walk away, which is a good location. But my friend and I ordered a burger and an omelette for breakfast, both simple dishes, and waited about half an hour. There was just one waitress handling a full dining room, and breakfast was disappointing. Noisy water pipes kept going 24 hours and seriously affected my sleep, making this an unpleasant one-night stay.

Three weeks after checking out, my deposit still hadn't been returned, so I emailed the hotel. They then forwarded a note saying their bank had acknowledged the cancellation request on the same day I wrote. There was no apology or explanation, only "check with your bank. the deposit return is 7-14 days after check out". The deposit wasn't returned right after checkout, which was clear, and I don't know if they forgot or were up to some monkey business. I wouldn't recommend staying here.