Apart Hotel TOMO

I stayed for three nights with my child. When I asked reception for shampoo so we could shower properly, they gave me a tiny 10ml hair and body shampoo sample. I said it wasn’t enough and asked for more, but was told there was only one per person. Seriously? I’ve stayed in hundreds of hotels worldwide and never heard of limiting each guest to one 10ml shampoo sachet. There was no shower gel or shampoo in the room, just a bar of soap. At least toilet tissue wasn’t rationed, though it was 10 sheets per person.

I was in Riga for training, and the room had been arranged for me. Otherwise, I’d have left right away. The rooms and corridors smelled, the bathroom was moldy, basic facilities were missing, and the staff seemed unprofessional. Housekeeping didn’t seem to be done regularly, supposedly for environmental reasons, but that puts guests’ health and hygiene at risk. When I asked for clean towels, the man at reception said he didn’t know where the housekeeping key was. I suggested taking towels from empty rooms, but he claimed the hotel was fully booked. I knew that wasn’t true, since I work in hospitality and there are always rooms held for emergencies. I checked booking.com and saw several options. When I showed him, he said booking.com had made a mistake. Breakfast was just as bad. They didn’t even have eggs or honey, though there was at least some cucumber and tomato. I usually don’t leave negative reviews, but my experience at Hotel Tomo in Riga fell far below an acceptable standard. The place badly lacks hygiene, comfort and customer care. I wouldn’t recommend it if you care about your wellbeing or having a clean place to stay.

The front desk man came into my room without knocking, warning me or making any sound first. That left me feeling very uncomfortable and unsafe. It’s alarming for any guest, especially women and children. There were also lots of unsettling, sketchy people hanging around the hotel, adding to the unease. I was already shocked on arrival to find alcohol bottles and someone else’s credit cards in the room. That’s unhygienic and makes me question how carefully rooms are cleaned or secured between guests. I rarely write negative reviews, but I feel I need to share this. I absolutely wouldn’t recommend the hotel to anyone, especially families or people traveling alone. Management needs to address this before someone gets hurt.

The hotel itself didn’t look good, and the reception interaction made things worse. I was bringing food up to the third floor and was told to take the stairs, even though I’d just seen someone leave the elevator. It clearly worked. I can only assume couriers were treated as less deserving of using it. 🙃