Review of The Guardian 4*

WORST EXPERIENCE IN MY WHOLE TRAVELING LIFE We booked a suite at The Guardian 22-24.10.2022 for three people but as you very well know, we could not sleep the first night in our suite as one of the three beds was making such an awful very loud banging noises that even the people in the second room woke up shocked. As you also very well know, we naturally realized this only after getting to sleep in the night, when actually lying in the bed. Since the hotel was according to you fully booked that night, you could not provide another room or a spare bed in The Guardian. Since your receptionist just kept on saying “what can I do? ” “I cannot do anything” and not even trying to make any effort to solve the situation so that we (or the one out of three of us who was using that unusable bed) and not showing even a tiny bit of concern, care or interest for your guests, we were forced to guide him and to insist over and over again how to solve this. This was at 1 AM at night after a very long day of traveling, when we were supposed to be at sleep! You can only imagine the amount of tiredness and complete disappointment we felt! We had booked THE BEST SUITE to ensure a smooth and pleasant stay, in a hotel group that says to be focused on great customer experience — and what we experienced was total opposite, it was pure torture not to get to sleep and while forced to stay awake, to have to fight for even some tiny bit of decent service and to do someone else’s work while we were supposed to be on a relaxing vacation! One hour later after we guided and directed your receptionist relentlessly, he finally got us a room in your group’s other hotel The Republic a couple blocks away. Yet again, we first ended up in an absurd dispute that I was supposed to pay for the room — a normal room that was to compensate the suite where I could not sleep in! How insane was that! Naturally, I refused to pay for an extra room since I had already paid for the suite, and it was only the hotel’s fault I could not enjoy my suite. When after another round of unbelievable unnecessary calls and conversations you finally agreed that of course the customer does not pay, you set conditions for that: you will pay for the extra room only if all of us move to the other hotel. This was just pure harassment and bullying! Only one of our suite’s three beds was unusable so there were absolutely no reason whatsoever to make all of us change hotels at 2 AM in the morning — except just you being very evil. Moreover, the whole argument of paying was completely unnecessary from you, since it was about your own hotel! We were way too tired to continue the absurdity and fighting with you, so we gave in and we all thus packed all our bags, which we had just a couple of hours before unpacked, and got to another AG hotel at 2 AM. Just to be greeted by yet another super unfriendly unapologetic rude receptionist — and a room where the air conditioner was broken, making a terrible loud noice! Just like from a nightmare… Luckily it wasn’t summer anymore and not hot so I could turn it off and get at least some hours of sleep. The only kind customer-oriented person who actually made an effort to help us was the Republic’s receptionist in the morning. We first ourselves called to The Guardian, to get to speak to the manager who was supposed to be there at 7 AM, only to find out that, no the manager is not there… The lady receptionist at Guardian on the phone in the morning was again just completely against us, blaming us, claiming that “we just didn’t like the room” (note: who in their right mind would like to switch a SUITE to a regular room at a lower class hotel IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT if they are not forced to?!? ). Luckily, the receptionist at Republic promised he’ll make sure we have room/rooms at Guardian for our second night because even this was not clear for Guardian’s own reception. So again imagine how we felt when being long away from home, in a foreign country, and not knowing if you have a place to stay for the next night! Guardian receptionist at least promised to get the manager to the hotel in the afternoon, and thus we finally got to meet her at 4 PM. Though manager Ylenia was kind and friendly and even apologized for all the inconvenience, she did not make any effort whatsoever to compensate the fact that our first night and thus the first day as well were completely ruined. It’s only ironic that as an apology, she sent us a bottle of Prosecco — which she and everyone else had forgotten was part of the suite already, even though we reminded about it already the first day when the hotel had forgotten to deliver it! When we got the Prosecco, we had to again ask for the fresh fruits which were also included in the suite — and again forgotten. And to ask for a third glass, which they forgot to bring, as there were only one or two of everything from glasses to bathrobes in our room of three. At this point, I don’t know if I should laugh or cry. Never ever had I experienced anything like this when traveling even in the middle of African desert! I so wish that the absurdity and series of failures and disappointments would have been over but… The next morning when we were checking out, just before our booked winery tour was starting and the car was already waiting for us to go, we ended up again in the same insane dispute this time with the manager herself! She claimed that she had discussed with booking department and claimed that you could not compensate your total failure other than by paying 24€ forth of drinks at the hotel rooftop bar! I mean, seriously? Ruining the first night, ruining the first day because lack of sleep the first night and because of all the unnecessary stress and disputes that just continued and continued… Worth 24€ in your mind?!? And still, the manager showed total ignorance and her cluelessness by claiming that oh yes, in addition to this 24€ they did apologize with the Prosecco — and still did not remember and even did not believe it was part of the suite until we showed her the text on your own website! Again, to laugh or to cry. I choose crying, since this unnecessary episode at check out made us 30 mins delayed from the winery and we thus lost 1/3 of our tour time just because of you. I said it very clear and straight that we do not accept any other compensation at this point than to at least refund the first night — which should the only reasonable thing to do. I honestly though we finally agreed on this with the manager, as she put only one night payment in the credit card machine and we could finally solve this. But now I noticed that you did charge the first night as well! It was pre-charged from my credit card as a warranty before our stay, and as the money had not left my account, I naturally assumed you had freed up the sum. But no. So AG group keeps on bullying us and not just ruining our vacation time, now ruining my weekend as well, taking care of matters that should have been handled by you already a week ago. I do not accept this payment from the first night at The Guardian and demand it to be payed back immediately. I also expected finally to get a true apology from AG hotels for all your cruelty. I have also requested the have the full names of the night receptionists, the morning receptionists and the manager. This was promised to be sent out to this email address by the Guardian manager, twice. Still I don’t have them, please send the list ASAP.