Areen Hotel Apartments

It wasn’t good, but it wasn’t bad either.

I left after one day because I felt uncomfortable. The room itself was okay, but the bathroom had no fan and smelled bad. I didn’t try the other services. The lobby floor was dusty, and the reception staff came across as cold, rude, and unprofessional. One staff member left me to heat up his food while he talked to a friend on the phone. Another Saudi staff member was sitting with his legs crossed, and his thobe had ridden up enough to expose his thigh. The staff lacked courtesy, flexibility, and hotel etiquette.

There was a smell of smoke from the moment I entered the building until I left, and the cleanliness was zero. When I asked a worker to show me a room, he opened the door and there was a cockroach. He stepped on it and stood on it, acting like he was being clever. The Egyptian worker wasn’t there during his shift.

The location near amenities and Granada Mall was why I chose this apartment, but I won’t deal with them again. I hope the service, customer care, and cleanliness eventually match such a nice location. I booked through Booking.com a week ahead and called the night before to confirm and say I’d arrive early. They assured me everything was ready. I reached Riyadh at 8:30 AM and called about eight times, with no answer. At the property, reception was empty. A Bangladeshi man who looked puffy-faced from sleep came out when I called. He said check-in was after 2:00 AM. I explained I’d called the day before, but he said he didn’t know and the rooms weren’t ready. Check-in took about an hour. In the end, they gave me a different apartment from the one I’d booked. The bathroom leaked, and the fridge still had things left by previous guests. 😔