Gaju Suite Hotel, Kathmandu

My stay ended up being nearly five months, from 31st March to 28th August, and I had come to think of Gaju Hotel as family. Its spot in the heart of Thamel is ideal, the owners are kind and respectful, and I believe they should know what happened because I don't think it was their fault. I made friends around the neighborhood, whose people are very welcoming, and Nepal now feels like a second home to me. Most nights I ate at the rooftop Mejaaz Restaurant, where I was treated like family. I also won't forget Sanju from the salon inviting me to festival celebrations, and Shantus sir became a brotherly friend. Rabin sir, CEO of LOD, was kind and professional, and as a Gaju guest I had access to LOD Club. I wanted to give the hotel five stars, but the staff experience changed that. I first booked three days through Agoda, then extended. I paid regularly during the first month, and when I decided to stay longer, asked for a discount and arranged payments in intervals because of international card problems. In my fourth month, bank delays and duplicate charges caused technical issues with my card. I explained and made partial payments, but Baba, who was supposedly the manager, was rude and unprofessional. She often changed what she said and didn't greet or speak to guests with basic manners. She sometimes blocked my room key, made me feel embarrassed by asking for payment in front of other guests, and told staff not to activate the key for more than a day. That made the stay very uncomfortable and felt insulting. Anu was rude too and seemed to lack hospitality training. I've traveled to more than 30 countries and haven't been treated this disrespectfully by hotel staff before. The owners should take notice and hire professional, properly trained staff, since this behavior hurts the reputation of a hotel with such a good location. Gaju itself has a lot of potential, but the staff need to improve considerably to meet the hospitality Nepal is known for. This review is late because of personal reasons.