Shepherd Hotel

The second room wasn’t much of an improvement. Bugs were in the bathroom, so I left the lights on all night hoping to avoid them. There were also two nightclubs in the hotel, and the music and dancing were so loud I could feel the vibrations in my room. I was too exhausted to move hotels in the middle of the night, but I’d never recommend staying here. I’m still shocked this so-called hotel has an 8.5 rating on Booking.com when it has only 3.2 on Google and 2.4 on TripAdvisor. This was the worst stay of my life, despite having stayed in at least 200 hotels around the world. The online photos are completely misleading. I walked into a smelly lobby, went along an old, dark hallway, and found a moldy, unpainted room that clearly hadn’t been cleaned. The sheets were full of hair, and the toilet flush didn’t work. Furious, I went straight to the lobby to complain. The receptionist tried his best to calm me down and offered a slightly better room. I accepted because I was exhausted after an 11-hour flight and had another flight early the next morning. If you’re planning to enjoy Amman and Jordan, check Google reviews first. Apparently other platforms can’t be trusted for accurate ratings.

The room was decent, but it gets too cold in winter. The aircon doesn’t warm it up at all, and the blanket is practically nonexistent. I could smell cigarette smoke in the room, though I’m not sure whether it came from the hallway or downstairs.

The price is good for the service, and I found the staff helpful, always smiling, and the service great. Restaurants, rest areas, grocery stores, and tourist attractions are all close by. It’s about a 15-minute walk from the city center. Better than I expected, and highly recommended if you want a place that makes your stay more enjoyable.

Basic, but it’s not expensive and the location is good.