Hotel New Star

The owner refused to return any of the deposit, saying they had taken a loss. We had booked a three-bed room at the New Star Hotel for two nights through Booking.com on the day we were due to check in. After the confirmation came through, we set off. On the way, the landlady called to say there were no three-bed rooms and offered a comfortable two-bed room 2 km farther away. Driving in an unfamiliar city made checking addresses and negotiating difficult, so we agreed, on the understanding that we could add our own folding bed. The address took another 20 minutes to reach. The area looked like the outskirts, with old panel buildings and dust. They wouldn't let us look around. Then they offered a great room with a city view at the central "Panorama 360" hotel, for the same price for both nights. Once we'd checked in, though, we were told we could "stay for one night" and then "move to the Astoria" (the owner's words in an email). We checked Booking.com: there was an Astoria with decent reviews, and the photos they'd sent looked similar. They said they understood and agreed to move us, especially as three-quarters of the booking was already paid. When the time came, they said we had to wait for the maid to give us our linens. After 40 minutes, we left for a 25-minute drive to the address they'd given. It wasn't the Astoria, but the Astoria Sky, in the same "Georgian ghetto" we'd rejected on day one. The place was even worse in person. The rooms had barely been renovated, the shared hallway was chalky, and the bed was worn out and cracked. There was a strong plastic smell, no basic furniture like chairs or nightstands, and just one outlet, so we had to choose between charging a phone, using the kettle, or running the refrigerator. The shared kitchen was filthy, with a dirty plastic table, two chairs, dim light, unwashed dishes, too few dishes, no microwave, and dust, chalk, and dirt everywhere. Swearing kept coming from the neighbors' room. There were three of us, yet after booking a specific three-bed room at the Star Hotel, they tried to put us in a two-bed place on the outskirts. The landlady is a scammer!