Roami at 250 Collins

The room was spacious and the location was good, but after paying a premium through Capital One Travel, I’d rather have stayed somewhere great 30 minutes away. We were left outside for over an hour because the entry code from management didn’t work. The call center couldn’t help and had no one local to send. After about an hour, another guest heard us asking for help and came over. Once inside, we found a musty, drab apartment with cold resin floors and no warmth to it. The cleaners apparently missed the great message on the art. The reviews on the Capital One Travel portal seem completely different from what’s shown here. Buyer beware, it wasn’t worth the money.

The location was the one good thing. The apartment in the photos bore little resemblance to what we got: it was small and dark, with heavy curtains, stained and worn surfaces, scuffed floors, stained sofas, mold in the bathroom, and a strong smell of mold and cigarette smoke. The host was awful too. Getting basic problems addressed, like the broken oven and missing iron, meant weeks of waiting. I sent messages and called every day for three weeks, but got promises and no action. I was told I’d be compensated for that stressful time, but nothing was refunded and nothing was resolved. This was the most stressful and disappointing rental I’ve had. I don’t recommend it.

There’s no real security here. The rear doors open directly onto an alley that homeless people regularly pass through, and we had constant door knocks and attempted break-ins at all hours. One evening around 7 PM, 911 was called because a man with a weapon tried to force his way through the door of an elderly woman’s unit. He wasn’t a guest and had no access code. It felt completely unsafe, and the sort of guests this place attracts are awful. When it rains, water pours through the ceilings, including onto the bed from outside. We reported the damage and management tried to blame us. We were also locked out of our unit for hours with no help and nowhere to go. There are parties from Thursday through Sunday, all day and night, and no local staff to help when you call. Rooms are left damaged before guests arrive, then guests get blamed at checkout. The call centers are all in the Philippines, and nobody local ever helps. They cancel bookings at the last minute, double-book rooms, and even make people leave with one day’s notice. The rooms aren’t cleaned properly, and the whole operation feels chaotic and untrustworthy. It should be shut down. Even if the pictures look fine, don’t book here. It’s unsafe and unprofessional, and they truly steal from guests. Book at your own risk.

We’d used this hotel four times before, but this last stay was unacceptable. Getting my booking sorted out took three hours. I wouldn’t book direct here, use Booking.com or another third-party site. They gave me a nonworking key to the front gate three times, and at 4 a.m. I had to jump the fence to get in. The rooms were dirty, and the sofa bed was broken.