Hotel City Tower Chennai Central

We booked three rooms, then were unexpectedly charged Rs600 for early check-in. New guests were being offered the same rooms for Rs.400, while the online booking site had them at Rs.1000. We also found other guests angry about the hotel's mismanagement. It felt like a complete rip-off, and the owner came across as a fraud. Inside and outside the hotel it was filthy. There was a cow shelter outside, and the cow dung smell was unbearable, even around reception. The toilets were dirty, there was no hot water, and the TVs didn't work or have remotes. The elevator was there, but they wouldn't let anyone use it. After we checked in, staff changed the sheets only after we asked several times. The room photos provided by the owner are false, so don't get fooled by them or book online. There are better hotels nearby.

It's been 05 days and the money still hasn't been refunded. I called the staff many times for the owner's number, but they wouldn't give it to me. I even asked them to clearly say if they weren't going to refund me, but they wouldn't do that either. The owner seems dishonest, and the staff have no clue about hospitality. I booked 02 rooms for the night of 15 Jan 26, then edited the booking in the app when I realized one room was enough. Booking.com sent confirmation of the change. The owner wasn't there and wouldn't give me his number directly, so I spoke to him on the receptionist's phone. He said he hadn't received the cancellation confirmation and told me to pay for both rooms, promising to refund the balance once he got confirmation. I believed him and paid. The guest house is walkable from chennai Central, but the area feels like a slum. Cleanliness? What's that? Check-in was very slow, and the amenities were poor.

After spending the day travelling on the first day of our holiday in India, we arrived at a loud, rough-looking part of Chennai. There were cows tethered by short ropes on the roadside in the sun, without food or water. One calf was shaking on the ground. At reception they said every room was taken, despite our booking being made and confirmed through booking.com three weeks earlier. I showed them the confirmation, and the receptionist made a phone call, but still said our room wasn't available. We had to walk around Chennai looking for another place to stay. Awful service, an unclean hotel, and a terrible location.

The room was in very bad shape, and the service was just as bad. There wasn't a clean bedsheet. The lift didn't work, so we had to carry our belongings up to the third floor. The hotel is right in front of an open cow shed. I'd advise against booking a room here.