SUN1 Pretoria

This was my third visit to the hotel, and by far the worst. On the morning of 14th February, I phoned reception to ask if they had a room for the night. The receptionist said rooms were available but their booking system was down, so I would have to come in and check at reception. When I said I'd arrive earlier in the afternoon and asked if she could hold a room in case the hotel filled up, she sounded irritated and repeated that I needed to come in to check in. I said I understood and would come later. At reception that afternoon, she seemed friendly and gave me Room 211. The air-conditioner didn't work, and the toilet seat was broken and came loose from its hinges when used. I had to lift it back into place by hand, which felt unhygienic. I went back to reception to complain and ask to change rooms, but she again seemed annoyed. She said she'd call the supervisor. A few minutes later, a friendly woman arrived and said she'd been sent to my room. When I asked if she was the supervisor, she laughed, so I took her to be someone senior and showed her the problems. She checked the toilet and said she'd move me. I was then given Room 103. The toilet there worked, but the air-conditioner leaked even when it was off. My partner had just arrived, and I didn't have the energy to complain again, so we put towels underneath to stop water spreading across the floor. Later that evening I went to reception for ice cubes and found a different receptionist on the night shift. Earlier in the day, before her shift, I'd also asked for ice. A friendly cleaner was at reception while the receptionist was briefly away. She asked whether I wanted tap-water ice or prepared ice from the pack. I asked for the prepared ice, and since the pack was still sealed, she opened it and gave me some. That was helpful. The night receptionist hurriedly took an ice tray of tap water from the fridge and handed it over. The ice was barely frozen and still watery. I asked if I could have prepared cubes from the pack instead. Without looking away from the computer, she said, "we only have that one." She didn't say the pack had run out or explain further, so I went back to my room. The day left me heartbroken. I felt the receptionists were treating me according to how they judged me, and that I got more attitude when I complained. In my view, staff need proper customer-service training so they don't profile guests, or they may be looking for other jobs. The property also needs regular maintenance, and staff need to report damage. This is bad for business. Thanks for the stay, but at this point the chance I'll return is very slim.