Fabexpress Zara Inn

We asked repeatedly for water and waited an hour before getting just one bottle. The included breakfast was only two slices of untoasted white bread with butter on our first morning. When we complained, staff said the menu changes by day. The rooms and service were awful, and the hotel smelled of cigarette smoke. The place looked nothing like the photos, and its location is right over the gutters. We'd booked two rooms, but found cigarette ash on the sheets and pillowcases when we arrived, so we had to ask for fresh ones. We left after three or four hours and found somewhere else to stay.

At 3am, after we arrived for a business exhibition, we were told our two booked rooms weren't available because of an error. We'd booked through booking.com and called that night to confirm our arrival and rooms. Before explaining the room problem, the staff member charged us 2000 rupees above the booking.com rate, then said it was tax. I also heard him laugh and say something in Hindi to his friend along the lines of “two deluxe rooms and exhibition.” Since we'd already paid for two rooms, we asked for the money back when he said he could only put me and my colleague in one shared room. He refused, saying not to worry because we'd get our rooms at 8am. His manner felt very slimy. The shared room was filthy and hadn't been cleaned. There were no pillowcases, cockroaches, holes in the bedsheet, and a horrible mix of cigarette and faeces smells. I stayed there for a few hours expecting to move in the morning, but woke up with bites all over my face, perhaps from bed bugs or mosquitoes. At 10:30am the rooms still weren't ready. Staff apologized and blamed an electrical issue in some rooms. We had to leave for an event; when we returned, the rooms still weren't free. We were told 9pm, but they weren't available then either. We also heard a family with small children arguing at reception because the hotel couldn't provide the two rooms they'd booked online. We had to spend another night in the shared room. The next morning, the rooms were available. When we asked politely for a partial refund since we'd paid for two but received one, the staff member claimed they had been ready at 1pm the previous day and we'd been away, so the hotel gave them to someone else. That was clearly a lie. He expected us to wait at the hotel all day and said he didn't have my contact number, even though I'd already been messaging them. They refused to refund anything. Later we saw they had marked us as a no show on booking.com, effectively cancelling our booking. We think they may have done that to avoid commission fees or taking responsibility for their mistakes. I understand it's a budget hotel, but I still expect to get the rooms I reserved, not be overcharged or lied to. It felt like they were trying to squeeze money out of as many people as possible because there was an exhibition. Breakfast was included in our booking, but nobody mentioned or offered it.

We were charged extra despite having booked ahead, and it was the worst hotel stay I've had. We reserved a room for four but got one small bed for two. The bathroom stank, had no exhaust, and was so unpleasant we had to leave the door open. Neither the room nor bathroom locks worked, which felt completely unsafe. There was rubbish under the bed, and the sheets were dirty and torn. There were barely any pillows or blankets. Disgusting and unsafe place, and I'd avoid staying here.

The bathroom wasn't clean, and the rooms smelled foul and had mosquitoes everywhere. There was no ventilation, tea or coffee, electric kettle, or geyser. Photos don't reflect the place, which isn't a three-star hotel, palace, or international hotel. It's beside a large drain covered with iron sheets, and cabs can't get in, so you have to get out on the road.