Infinity Hotel Makkah

The carpets were filthy and full of dust, and I ended up with serious allergies and a cough. The rooms are old and seem to have no maintenance. The washroom drainage needs serious work, the shower area is too small for one person, and there’s no light near the shower. Most of the power sockets didn’t work, and the locker looked like it was from the 18th century and was broken too. At check-in, it took almost 30 minutes to find someone to carry my luggage. Most of the time there was just one person at reception, and they were very slow to understand and respond. Nobody told me about the Wi-Fi or complimentary breakfast. This is not a 5-star hotel. I wish negative ratings were allowed, because I’d give this 1-star, really a 0-star hotel, a -5.

This is one of my favorite hotels. When I come here, it feels like my own home. The security guards are funny and very friendly with people. I like spending time with them. We taught them our mother tongue, Gujarati, with the phrase “chalo chalo vato na vada nathi karo.” Ask them if anyone has taught them that when you go.

The day staff were pleasant, and the south Asian workers were the only ones who seemed to understand the problems. But dealing with the Saudi reception staff for a simple question felt abusive. One night receptionist, a dark-skinned man with glasses and curly Afro hair, shouted at me and told me to move when I asked for another key card for my uncle. The hotel claims its policy is one key card per room, but the gentleman ahead of me had been given two without any issue. I didn’t get the receptionist’s name. He lacks basic customer service, and I’m baffled this hotel is still operating. The rooms also didn’t look like the pictures, at least for us as South Asian or East Asian guests. Nearly every morning we had no running water, and there weren’t even prayer mats in our rooms. The maintenance and housekeeping staff were pleasant apart from one Sudanese brother, who complained that I kept asking for the toilets to be cleaned. If the rooms were maintained, I wouldn’t need to ask every day. Never again. Management needs to do better.

The location was the biggest problem. It’s far from the Haram and unsuitable if you have a car, a baby, or a disability. The room was unclean, the carpet filthy, and the closet broken. Room service staff tried to help, but couldn’t fix anything. A major disappointment, and I’d avoid it.