Beetham Park Motel

After six hours on the road, we got to Beetham Motel and found reception shut, with a note sending us next door to Hygate Motel to check in. The room was in awful shape, but it was too late to find somewhere else. The bed smelled of stale urine, and the air freshener was so strong we had to put it outside. The air conditioning was filthy with dust, and we woke up feeling sick. There was dust everywhere, the vanity leaked, and the walls were in terrible condition. The shower was tiny, leaked across the floor, and you had to step down from the bath to get out, which seemed like a slipping hazard. A fire alarm went off at 9:30 PM, and nobody explained whether it was serious. We'd booked two nights. When we complained the next morning, they refused a refund and said we could move to a "refurbished" room. That room was worse: more filth, cockroaches on the bathroom toilet, dirty air conditioning, and a greasy light switch that could give KFC a run for its money. We asked for a refund instead of staying the second night, but staff were rude and unhelpful. They said only the manager could approve refunds on Monday and told us to email. We're still out of pocket with no resolution after almost three weeks of trying to get our money back. They just refuse. Their timeline in the response is wrong and doesn't accurately describe what happened. They're liars and won't refund you regardless of the circumstances. In an email, they told me, "As per our policy, once a room has been occupied and prepared exclusively for a booking, refunds cannot be issued." In practice, once you've paid and stepped into the room, you won't get your money back. They didn't immediately reclean the first room. The second had cockroaches, and the third, a spa room, wasn't a real offer. I can't believe it was booked during the ten minutes between them offering it and us accepting. Booking.com can't issue a refund without motel approval either, so once you've paid, you're stuck staying or losing the money. The whole stay was a nightmare, and the service was appalling. This motel shouldn't be in business. Don't stay here. If you ignore this and have a bad experience, you'll only have yourself to blame.