Hotel Meliden

I was relieved to leave by the time I checked out. I tried to stay polite and patient, but nobody made an effort to acknowledge how badly I was being treated or fix things. Hotel Meliden failed to provide even basic customer service. The staff were rude and dismissive from the moment I arrived, and made me feel like an inconvenience instead of welcoming or helping me. Their behavior got worse during my stay. Some were openly disrespectful and even harassing, leaving me extremely uncomfortable and unwelcome. That kind of unprofessional conduct is shocking in a hospitality setting. I rarely post negative reviews, but this experience upset me enough that I feel I should warn others. I’d strongly recommend avoiding Hotel Meliden. There are plenty of other places where guests are treated with kindness and respect.

What stayed with me most was that the help felt empathetic, not like someone just reciting policy. Manager Donny didn’t pass the blame to the third-party platform. He put himself in my position and worked through both how I might get compensation and where I could stay that night. His professionalism and warmth quickly calmed my initial anger and left me trusting and grateful to the management team. I couldn’t stay at the hotel because of the booking system issue, but Hotel Meliden’s service, especially Manager Donny’s, went well beyond a simple accommodation transaction. I highly recommend the hotel for the feeling of being respected and taken seriously. If I visit this city again, it’ll be my first choice. Eight months ago, I booked a room at Hotel Meliden through AirAsia on the OYO platform. When I arrived, the front desk couldn’t find the reservation. I’d already paid online, and I was confused and frustrated, wondering if I’d be left stranded or asked to pay again. Fortunately, I met the deputy manager, Mr. Donny Yapp. He shook my hand, introduced himself, invited me to sit on the lounge sofa, and listened patiently. I felt respected right away. I asked why there was no reservation, where I’d stay that night, whether I’d have to pay twice, and whether he could help me get my online payment back. He explained clearly that the hotel had ended its partnership with OYO in June 2023 over unreasonable pricing, so my December booking hadn’t entered the hotel system. He said the issue wasn’t caused by the hotel’s current operations. The hotel was full, but he didn’t dismiss me. After asking how many people were in my group, he promptly recommended a reliable nearby homestay, explained its location and price, and gave me contact details so I could arrange things directly. He also understood it could be hard to claim a refund from the platform on my own, so he prepared the official termination letter between the hotel and OYO for me to submit directly to AirAsia for compensation. The process was efficient and practical.

The bathroom had no water heater, the water pressure was low, and the sink pipe was rusty. In the room, the sheets hadn’t been changed and had lots of body hair on them. The air conditioner leaked, so I told reception at 10:30 p.m. Maintenance arrived at 11 and finished at 11:20, but it started leaking again around midnight. I couldn’t be bothered to report it a second time. I asked to change rooms, but none were available because the hotel was fully booked.

The maintenance worker who came to my room didn’t even try to fix the problem I’d reported. He just made excuses and seemed uninterested in solving it. That left me frustrated and made my stay uncomfortable. My experience at Hotel Meliden was disappointing because of the poor maintenance service. The staff need better training and accountability.