Grand Guest House

The only thing I liked was the central location. For the same rate, I’m now at a guest house five minutes from Weygoss that’s much cleaner and has better furnishings. Don’t stay here. The room and service were terrible. Blankets and pillowcases smelled of cheap detergent, and there were no comforters, only old, rough blankets like the kind security guards wear when cold. The closets smelled as if they’d never been cleaned. The bed was old and clanky, and sharing a balcony with the next room was very inconvenient. WiFi was poor. The TV had just four channels, two of them impossible to hear properly. I waited two hours for the toilet paper I asked for, and the towel they gave me was torn at the corners. The shower equipment was very old. The receptionists were kind but unprofessional. Given those hygiene conditions, I didn’t even try the breakfast.

It took a lot out of me just to find this place. It’s tucked away in a close, and I had a difficult time locating it. The rooms come in different categories, but none seemed exciting. The lighting is poor, and the building looks very old. The staff seemed unconcerned about what happens there. The security guards also appeared not to care who came in or what they brought. For security reasons, and because it wasn’t much fun, I don’t think I’d want to spend time there.

I wouldn’t recommend this guest house. I don’t know how it got three stars. On our first day there was only one towel for two people, and no toilet paper. The first receptionist said she didn’t have any and would get some in the evening. Another woman later told us to wait until morning, and in the morning a man who seemed not to care said he couldn’t provide it either. The first woman had said breakfast ran until 10:00 am, but when we arrived at 9:10 am, the man said it was over. I’d left the guest house to buy toilet paper, so we missed it. We tried to make a complaint using the instructions in the bedroom, but the man couldn’t provide the form. We then tried calling the manager, who didn’t answer.

I’ve been stuck here for a week, writing this on 21-June-2023, and the problems just keep piling up. There’s no water, so you can’t use the toilet, and hygiene is poor. The towel they first gave me was ripped all over. I thought they’d handed me a floor mop, but they shamelessly called it a towel. This is a big no-go. It’s cheap in every sense, from the facilities to the infrastructure. Foreigners considering it because of the low price, please don’t come, even if they paid you to stay. I only ended up here because my previous landlord took an advance and didn’t provide a room. I’d just arrived in Ethiopia and needed somewhere immediately. This place is horrible in every way.