Guided Hospitality

The way this was handled caused needless stress and ruined what should have been a peaceful birthday stay. I rarely leave a negative review, but guests should know about the misleading listing, the false allegation, the intimidating treatment, and the abrupt removal. In my view, the main problem was Chinedu’s pattern of dishonesty, deflection, and poor management. My son-in-law, who had been married to my daughter for just one month, and I planned a birthday surprise for her arrival from London on the morning of 12th February. Her husband arranged and paid for balloons and birthday decorations in advance through Guided Hospitality, for the room I thought I had booked. Based on our experience, “misguided hostility” might be a better description of the business. The website lists Standard Room, King Room, and Executive Suite. A suite, room, and apartment are plainly different types of accommodation. The Booking.com reservation said “Executive Suite” and showed it as the last unit available. We were given an Executive Room instead, just a room with an en-suite bathroom. Later we were told the room we thought we had booked was called the “Lagoon Room” internally, though that name appears nowhere on the website. I believe that is misleading and deliberate. I contacted the manager, Chinedu, who introduced himself with an American accent, expecting fair, transparent, professional help. Instead, he was evasive and opportunistic. Rather than resolve the mismatch, he tried to send us to a nearby “penthouse” hotel owned by a friend, at nearly twice the original rate. That was inappropriate when the problem came from the misleading advertising. The balloons and birthday arrangements had already been paid for by her husband and accepted by the property, so the couple stayed despite being disappointed. I was told the larger room, the so-called “Lagoon Room,” would be available on Monday. I asked for them to move there as a reasonable goodwill gesture for the distress and disappointment. After I spoke with Booking.com, Chinedu claimed the couple had refused to provide identification, and said that was why the booking was being terminated. That was entirely untrue. They had checked in and entered the room, and staff had gone in to decorate it. None of that could have happened without identification. It seemed like a convenient excuse to cancel. Soon after, they heard three aggressive knocks at the door, each harder than the last, telling them to leave. Removing a birthday guest who had flown from London for a four-day stay that way is unacceptable in hospitality. I was promised a full refund within 10 working days. After it was processed, the room was listed again on Booking.com at a lower rate, and the cancellation meant I couldn’t leave a review through the official channel. It looked like a calculated way to avoid accountability. This wasn’t just a room discrepancy. The couple faced misleading advertising, a false claim, and an abrupt removal during what was meant to be a celebration. I’m sharing what happened so others can make an informed choice and avoid the same experience.

They cancelled our booking for no reason, saying they hadn’t received our deposit before the stay. They never even tried to contact us.

I was there in late July 2024 and left an honest review about the service and the lack of an iron in the room. The owner got angry and kept my deposit, claiming I’d damaged the bedsheets, but gave no proof when I asked. The owner also arranged a rental vehicle for me with either hourly or full-day rates. I used it for seven hours and was charged for the whole day. All in all, a big disappointment. Be cautious dealing with this business. I’d rate my experience 3/10.

The room and apartment were generally clean and in good condition, the food looked good and tasted even better, and the staff on site, especially Godwin, were faultless. My stay was good overall. Finding the place was harder than it should have been because the directions didn’t mention Marion Apartments, where the accommodation is. The invoice also didn’t initially line up with the website prices, though guests reasonably expect the figures to broadly match. It took effort to get that sorted. When I queried the amounts, I was dealing with anonymous people on WhatsApp who were willing to get childish, which didn’t help. I reported a leaking a/c and was told it would be checked, but I saw no sign that anyone had done so. I can still hear it dripping as I write this :-). Management should take leaks more seriously because of both the slippery floor and the damage already done to the property. I asked for suggestions for another hotel for a later stay in Lagos, then waited more than eight hours without a reply and gave up and booked an apartment. With a time-sensitive request, a quicker answer, even just “sorry, can’t help,” would have been appreciated. Security were also so keen that after I stepped out, I was left waiting outside for over 30 minutes for a taxi because they wanted me to call to get back in immediately. One last small thing: I find it odd that places in Lagos check rooms before you leave. I’m not aware of even high-end five-star hotels doing that. Is the worry that guests somehow smuggle TVs or fridges out?