Despite the room being grand, well-decorated, and with nice lighting (aside from a very dirty sink, pictured), I was severely disappointed with the service and honesty at this hotel. I’m honestly shocked at the number of good reviews, because this was the most expensive stay of our Yunnan trip — yet by far the worst of the four hotels we stayed at. Mind you, I travelled with a friend who could speak mandarin and yet all this happened.
Misleading information on Trip.com:
The listing stated they could cater for vegetarians. This is untrue. I contacted the hotel weeks in advance, even before booking, to confirm. They repeatedly said yes. In reality, the only thing they served me was vegetables boiled in salt water — we did not use the breakfast vouchers for the next 2 nights.
When Trip.com contacted the hotel about this misinformation, the owner told them I was “too strict” and refused to refund the unused breakfasts. This is simply dishonest. Vegetarian means no meat or meat-based broth, which I clarified in detail, even sending them a Chinese translation. They only point the innkeeper showed interest in ever understanding what vegetarian means was on the very last day, during checkout, when I mentioned my vegetarian friends bring tour groups of 20 — suddenly, then, the boss said he would “personally cook.” Why not take it seriously from the start? Why were no meals made for me then if you clearly had the ability to do so?
Other inaccurate claims on the listing:
Free ironing service: False. I asked in person before leaving for the airport, and the owner admitted they didn’t have it.
24-hour desk reception: False. Half the time nobody was at the front desk. The boss was only sometimes reachable on WeChat, and I think this is what he means by "24-hour desk reception". Once again when trip.com contacted him, he denied it. I have sent trip.com video proof as well. If it was one mistake, it would be fine, but there are so many things promised on the listing that was not there in real life.
Smoke-free level: False. There are only two levels, and level 2 balconies had ashtrays and were INWARD facing. So there were guests who were smoking on their balcony and since its inward facing the smoke was reaching us as our balcony is literally adjacent to theirs and all facing the inner stairs. The owner himself was smoking with non-hotel guests in his personal office, which is at the entrance when you step into the hotel, so smoke drifts into public spaces.
Overall, there was zero effort made to resolve these issues. Language barrier is not the excuse — my travel companion speaks Chinese, and Trip.com also spoke to the owner directly. Yet he continued to deny the problems and blame the guest.
We were so disappointed we even considered leaving after the first night. If you are vegetarian, sensitive to smoke, or simply value honesty, I strongly recommend choosing another accomodation.
