Hotel Gulberg Grand

The owner was polite and respectful, and the room I chose looked nice. The rooms shown before booking also seemed clean and comfortable. But my stay of more than 10 days was full of problems. The Booking.com app listed the total as 54,415 PKR. When I paid with a UK credit card, the hotel added a 3.5% fee. I’d used that card around Lahore at car rental places, hospitals, and malls without anyone else adding this charge. The washroom had a loose, unstable toilet seat that felt like a slipping risk. When I raised it, the owner brushed it off, saying “all washrooms are the same.” There was also a persistent drain smell that sprays couldn’t get rid of. Hot water wasn’t provided either. The owner said “the weather is fine so no hot water is needed,” so I had to bathe at my sister’s house every day. There was no electric kettle in the room, which meant walking to the kitchen each night for hot water. The AC remote was hard to use because its button labels had faded. Breakfast was listed as included in the room rate, but kitchen staff rudely asked me for another 100 PKR for one paratha and laughed when I declined. The owner later explained that only a “standard breakfast” was free, with other items costing extra. That hadn’t been disclosed beforehand, and after that treatment I didn’t use the breakfast facility for the rest of my stay. The kitchen was extremely dirty. I saw cockroaches running across the counters where food was prepared when I went for hot water at night, and recorded video evidence. Staff hygiene was poor too. The servants smelled bad, had no manners, and were loud in common areas. I accidentally broke a small cup and immediately offered to pay. The owner charged me 350 PKR, which I paid in cash. I also needed to add two days to my stay because of surgery, paying another 10,500 PKR in cash. I paid and cooperated at every step, but the facilities and service were far below what was advertised. I’ve used Booking.com for over 10 years in many countries, including Saudi Arabia, USA, Canada, Switzerland, France, and Germany, and this was the first time I’d encountered standards this poor. In my view, the service isn’t suitable for international travelers and doesn’t meet what I’d expect from a 3-star hotel. I ask Booking.com to investigate and survey the property, update the listing to show the actual situation, including limited breakfast, no hot water, and poor hygiene, and take action to protect future guests, especially those traveling from overseas. I hope this feedback helps improve the platform’s listings.