Hotel Holmes Johor Jaya

The reception staff were friendly and changed my two single beds to a larger bed after I realized I’d booked the wrong setup. For a budget stay, it’s pretty good. The rooms seem quite new and come with two bottles of drinking water and a toilet roll. There’s a kettle, while the iron is outside the room. Each level has a sofa for guests to chat, and there’s a large lift. Drinking water is available outside, and the lobby has free biscuits, coffee, and tea. The toilet smelled bad enough that I needed about half a bottle of perfume to cover it. The shower has hot and cold taps and a rain shower. The Sharp AC wasn’t very cold and took a while to cool the room.

We left without a refund, tired and disappointed. We’d asked for one, but the front desk said it wasn’t possible because the booking was made online through Trip.com. It felt like there was no flexibility even with problems like these, so be careful if you pay online. We didn’t get the room we’d booked. The front desk suggested a more premium one, but there was a large dead cockroach on the floor as soon as we entered. The door sensor also didn’t work when we tried to get in, possibly because its battery was dead. Then, after a quick shower, the power went out in our room alone, leaving us in the dark. It was heartbreaking to spend money on a place that seemed so poorly managed.

I checked out that same night because the room felt unhygienic and unsafe. At night I saw at least five or six large cockroaches. The room was dirty, had a strong unpleasant smell 🤢🤢🤮, and the air conditioning wasn’t cold enough. The smart door lock also didn’t work properly. I wouldn’t return or recommend this hotel to anyone.

I slept well, and the room was small but well maintained. It came with a toothbrush and shower gel, and housekeeping kept it clean and tidy. The Punjabi staff member at the front desk was kind and helpful. I arrived without expecting much, but the first impression was good: the Chinese aunty (read Manager) greeted me with a smile and got me into room 225 within minutes. Good value for the money, and I’d come again at the cheaper price.