The Colony By Cactus Hotel Johor Jaya

I booked through Agoda, then found out at the counter that my room wasn’t available because its air conditioner was broken. Why wasn’t I told before I arrived? The staff offered a room at their other branch in Setia Tropika, saying it was nearby, just down the road. I only realized on the way there that it was actually 14 km away in another district, which completely disrupted my travel plans. At OYO Setia Tropika, the room was nothing like the impression the Agoda photos gave. The walls were dirty, and the sheets, towel, and blanket had small brown stains. I spotted a couple of bugs at night. The TV had no signal input, so it was just for show. The bathroom was only slightly bigger than a single bed, and the fixed shower head between the toilet and sink made bathing extremely difficult. The mirror was stained too, and some air-conditioner thermostat wiring was exposed and literally taped to the wall with duct tape. After the first night I asked the counter staff to have housekeeping clean my room. She acknowledged the request twice, but nothing had been done when I got back that night. The staff seemed to have no accountability. Other Agoda reviewers have mentioned no hot water, broken door locks, bedbugs or cockroaches, and air conditioners blowing warm air. I guess I was among the luckier ones. I understand this is a budget place and expectations need adjusting, but the experience still left a lot to be desired. It might work if you arrive after a red-eye flight and only need somewhere to crash for a few hours before moving to another hotel the next day. For more than one night in Malaysia, I’d advise choosing a slightly better standard so you can get decent sleep and have the energy to explore during the day.

On our second night, Oyo was offline, but we contacted Eg and they kindly gave us the Oyo rate anyway. We even got an upgrade to a bigger room for the same price, with better air conditioning. The staff were nice, and we cleaned the rooms before leaving. We had booked the two nights separately because we weren’t sure where we’d spend them. For the first night we got twin singles in a 10x10 room. They had no other rooms, so we squeezed in our air mattress, which made it suitable for four, with barely enough space left to pray. I’m sharing a picture of that first room.

Money was deducted, but they said I had no booking even after I gave them the booking number from Booking.com. We had no room. The staff were extremely rude, and the customer service was awful. Never coming back. Shame on OYO for letting someone like this run a business. I also saw a customer ask the Bangla receptionist about call girls, and he told him to go upstairs and choose one. Not recommended.

I don’t feel safe staying here, and the service is very poor. The reception staff were foreigners and didn’t seem to know how to keep guests’ private information secure during their stay. Even with an access card, police can knock on the front door to check without the reception giving any information. This wasted time and disturbed people at 4 a.m. If you’re not clean, watch out!