OYO 1400 Cochin Metro

I booked through Oyo on a new account to get an offer, and the room 302 at metro Cochin was nothing like the app photos. Honestly, this place shouldn't be on Oyo. Everyone staying here would give it one star, and if there were a minus rating, I'd use it. Check-in was a mess: nobody was at reception, and we waited five minutes before anyone showed up. The AC remote was broken and dirty, though the AC was controlled from outside anyway. The room smelled bad, the linen was dirty, and the towel was grey instead of white, probably from poor washing. The curtain had come off its hooks and was held on one side with a safety pin. We had to fix the other end ourselves with another pin. The WiFi was called METRO 2, but the staff member didn't know the password and gave us a wrong one. When we asked again, he said he'd check with the manager and tell us, then seemed to dodge the question. He was rude when we asked for mosquito repellent, saying we must have left a window open, though the mosquitoes were coming from the dirty toilets. The complimentary breakfast was so dirty and off-putting that we couldn't eat it and were told to go to a nearby restaurant instead. Please stay away.

We paid 2400 for a triple AC room, with a 50% Paytm cashback deal. We arrived at 1 a.m., exhausted, so we put up with the lack of cleanliness: stained bedsheet, awful towels, and an unclean washbasin. The room looked okay otherwise, and I didn't mind the lizard. Breakfast was brought to the room in limited portions. The masala dosa and appam were decent, but the egg curry tasted like chlorine.

Please avoid this place. We first checked the room rate and were told a double room was 1000 Rs, so we stayed at the adjacent lodge instead for 550 Rs, with good ventilation, water, soap, and a blanket. The next day we thought we'd try this place, but the receptionist quoted 1200 Rs. When we reminded him he'd said 1000 the day before, he smiled and agreed to that price. The non-AC rooms have no ventilation, so breathing and getting cool air is difficult, and mosquitoes make it worse. There's no blanket, soap, or water included, and you have to pay extra for them. Take a room at 'Raviz lodge' next door instead. It has ventilation and provides water, soap, and a blanket for 550 Rs. Don't trust what the receptionist tells you, especially if you're from out of town.

I booked a one-night stay for August 29-30, 2019 through the OYO App for a personal appointment. I arrived at noon, since my appointment was at 12:30. The receptionist wasn't welcoming, and made us feel we could stay or leave. There was no room boy to show me the room or help with language, but I had only two small bags, so that was fine. The bed sheet had lots of blood-colored spots and wasn't clean. I asked reception to change it while I was out, but the receptionist said it had already been changed and couldn't be changed again. When I repeated that it was dirty, the property manager started shouting the same thing. I was in a hurry, so I left and said I'd raise it with OYO, since I had booked through them. I contacted OYO by WhatsApp. They said support would call, but nobody had by the time I returned from my appointment. When I went for the key and asked again about the sheet, the property owner/manager shouted at me. He asked, "What will OYO do to me and to my Hotel if you complain at OYO customer care". I said I just wanted a clean sheet. He told me to call OYO and complain, said they wouldn't change it, and that I should ask them to move me if I couldn't adjust. OYO customer care arranged another hotel, fully OWNED BY OYO. I had to pay there again and was told the refund would come only after they investigated. I agreed to move. OYO called three or four times asking me to explain the issue, and after I explained it on each call, one person approved my refund and said it would arrive within 48 hours. That time passed. I followed up by email and was told I'd get a link to submit account details, then receive the refund within 7 to 14 working days. I still don't know if it'll happen or if I'll just get another email. OYO told me they would take action against this hotel, "COCHIN METRO", and follow up with me, but that didn't happen either. OYO needs to improve how it selects hotels for contracts, its refund policy, and its other customer services. I know this is long, but the stay was a very bad experience, and I wanted to warn others.