Lucky Palace Hotel

The location was great, but I left after two nights of a three-night booking over NYE. I’d booked a king-size bed and was given two singles instead. They wouldn’t move me to the room I’d paid for, and charged me the same amount. The bathroom ceiling in that room was covered in mold, as shown in my photos. Then the toilet blocked. I spoke to the manager, who said he’d come fix it, but I heard nothing for two days, so I booked another hotel and left early. Maybe the room I originally booked would have been a better experience, with no mold and a proper bed and bathroom. I usually leave good reviews, but couldn’t this time.

We left to find somewhere else after being given a key to a room that hadn’t been cleaned. We’d asked about staying two more nights, but the receptionist told us to speak with the owner. We waited until almost 8 pm and still got no answer. The next morning, the receptionist showed us a twin room, then we spoke with the owner, who offered a king room and said it would be ready after noon. At 1 pm it wasn’t ready. We returned at 2 pm, got the key, and found the room still unclean. The service was terrible. We arrived after 6 pm and the owner checked us in, but the next morning the receptionist seemed unaware we’d arrived and asked for all our details again. Management needs to improve so guests can have a smooth stay and the hotel can be more organized and drama-free. The location is good, beside restaurants, grocery stores, and shops. Our deluxe room was alright, with a king bed, TV, table, fridge, coffee station with kettle and cups, plus a cute little coffee table and two armchairs. The bathroom let us down: water kept dripping and it smelled odd, probably from the pipes. The facilities were okay, and there is an elevator.

We weren’t told about ongoing renovations when we booked, but were put on the sixth floor with no working elevator. The rooms were filthy, and seeing the state of ours was appalling. The AC was broken, the floor was visibly dirty, dust covered the surfaces, and the bed linens had stains. They’re still renovating, and I don’t think the hotel should be operating this way without properly reducing the effect on guests.

The location near the skytrain station was good. Everything else was bad: the rooms were dirty, the beds were old and had bedbugs, and the walls were so thin you could easily talk to the neighbor through them. There were bizarre signs everywhere banning things like smashing the elevator buttons or bringing ladyboys to your room. The shower’s water heater didn’t work, and the water smelled like fish.