Ekono Hotel

The room alone made this the worst hotel stay I’ve ever had. There was visible mould, which felt especially unsafe given my heart and lung problems. We were there only a few hours, but I believe staying longer could have caused health issues, particularly for children, older people, or anyone with existing conditions. I’m not sure how Saudi regulations work, though I think a hotel like this would be shut down in the UK, and continuing to operate could put people at risk. Please look at the photos before reading on. We chose the hotel because it advertised a free airport shuttle. When I asked the receptionist about a 4:00am ride for two adults and three bags, he first agreed and asked for the terminal. After I said Terminal 1, he said the shuttle only serves the North Terminal and that taking us to a particular terminal would cost extra. That was our first major problem, and the advert felt misleading. The bathroom smelled very strongly, like diesel or petrol, and the fumes gave me a headache within minutes. There was no heating, yet a notice asked guests not to take long showers. The safe was broken, had no battery, and came without a key, so it was useless for protecting our things. This was easily the worst hotel experience I’ve had. 10/10 for being the worst hotel imaginable.