Place2Stay @ The Mines

A terrible stay. They demanded another 10RM for tourism tax, even though it was included in my Agoda payment. We showed the tax invoice and they still insisted we pay. We've stayed at different KL hotels, and only hotels in this area asked for extra money. We said we'd cancel the rest of the booking because we no longer trusted them. The front desk told us to request it through Agoda, but Agoda said it hadn't received any feedback from the hotel and couldn't refund us. What a scam!

I was fine paying one hour of late checkout, but charging for a second hour didn't feel fair when I reached the counter around 12.56pm. The receptionist wasn't there then, came down by lift around 1pm, and checked my room at 1.03pm. I was told it was already past 1pm, so I'd be charged for two hours. Their process is to check out at the counter, have reception go upstairs to inspect the room, then get the deposit back. The policy is rm10 per hour: 12.05pm to 12.55pm is rm10, and 1.00pm to 1.59pm is another rm10. No receipt was given for the charge, though I was a bit angry and forgot to ask. The guy before us seemed to be getting his room checked when I arrived, and I believe he was also late, but he wasn't charged. It felt unfair.

The room was clean, but very cramped for two adults, with barely any room to walk. During our stay my female friend got her period. We rinsed the sheet in cold water, and the blood was only slightly visible. It could be cleaned by soaking it in cold water, but the hotel charges RM50 no matter how little blood there is. After a long discussion, they charged us RM30 instead. We weren't told beforehand about the RM50 charge for even a small stain. We accept that we were at fault, but I'm sharing this so other guests take care not to get even a little period blood on the sheets. There are lots of charges, including for smoking and drinking, and the rules are very strict. This is the most tightly regulated hotel I've stayed in. If you want a clean place and are okay with the expensive penalties for smoking, drinking, or staining the sheets with even a little period blood, it may suit you.

Good for budget travellers, with The Mines Shopping Mall within walking distance. There are mamak places and a local convenience shop nearby, plus access to public transport. I'd come back for future events.