Swiss-Belhotel Mangga Besar

The nice, tidy photos on the travel app gave me the wrong impression. I stayed just one night, and the updated room I got had a kettle with a broken cap, plus a dirty bathroom mirror and shower. The hot water was only warm, not very hot. The receptionist was very helpful, though.

I was expecting a budget hotel and kept my expectations low, but the room and hotel were still worse than I’d anticipated. The photos don’t show the actual condition, and I’d avoid staying here. The mattress was stained, and the pillows and sheets were too, with marks that looked like possible bed bug bites. The room was spacious, but clearly hadn’t been cleaned. Staff acknowledged the problems I raised and quickly changed the sheets, but after seeing the mattress I wasn’t willing to risk skin problems by sleeping there. The street corner was dingy, the lobby looked abandoned, the walls and hallways were stained, and the elevators felt creepy.

The room had some good points: it was fairly spacious, there was a deposit box, and the TV had a good range of channels. The rectangular bathroom might feel claustrophobic to some, though. What bothered me most was the smoking rule. Smoking in the room is banned but allowed in the bathroom, which seems ridiculous, especially if housekeeping doesn’t clean properly. The blanket and mattress smelled of cigarettes, and as a non-smoker I found that really uncomfortable. The whole building felt nearly abandoned, from the unclear receptionist and odd-looking front desk to the empty, dim lobby. Outside, they don’t seem to try to make the hotel look open, and guests are told to park behind the building. The noisy elevator felt a bit creepy too. I’m not coming back.

The location is good, and the receptionist was helpful, but the hotel itself feels abandoned. There was dust everywhere, plus cockroaches and bed bugs. The AC was broken and there was no hot water. I wouldn’t expect three-star quality here.