Aeropod SOVO Block K — Hotel in Borneo

First off be informed that there are many different owner operators here offering rooms. And I do mean many. Units can be quite different inside. Found mine Aeropod Suites by Pinstay on booking dot com. The good thing about the location is it’s close to the airport. There’re a few restaurants within a short walk away. But I wouldn’t call this a happening area. First impression. There’s no reception. I received checkin instructions through WhatsApp. That’s fine. Walked into the mailroom to retrieve room key from the mailbox. You do everything yourself like some Airbnb style. Not expecting there’ll be any housekeeping either. Will drop the key back into the mailbox when I check out. These looked like office units converted to rental apartments. The room could not be more bare for a rental apartment. No bottled water supplied in room. Has a kettle to boil water. No cups! There’s a small empty mini fridge Don’t know what they use to wash the bath towels with but they smell funny. There’s a flat screen tv and Astro box in the room but they don’t work. Don’t see any free WiFi indicated anywhere. Not sure I’ll even use if there’s one as security may be a concern. The room interior is very plain. The lobby area, lift and corridors are very basic and dull… Will I stay here again? No. At least not with Aeropod Pinstay, some others may be better,...

The room was very good. Bed was comfortable. All surfaces were clean. TV worked well; Netfflix worked as advertized. The only issue -- minor at most -- was the ironing board legs were faulty.

Our issues were with the business processes. There was no address for the Aeropod, no unit number, no detailed map. The Aeropod estate is huge -- two blocks and ten entrances. Definitely, fix this with a much more comprehensive arrival instruction and info package.

Customer special requests on the booking were complrtely ignored. We asked for early check-in. No response frm the managing agent. Also, the POC was too abrupt, bordering on rude. Since check-out is around 10am, it is reasonable to have the room ready for the next occupant by 1pm, especially when it was a special request.

Final issue. We had to phone them. What if we did not have a local SIM card. They should have a better system for...

The room is clean and budget-friendly. The location is near the airport and Tanjung Aru Beach. The surroundings are full of marts and restaurants. They have two guards on the ground floor. The only problem is the sound of airplanes. They buzz throughout the day, making it difficult to get a good night's sleep. We didn't even want to stay in the room in the morning because the airplane noise was so frustrating.

One night, someone kept knocking and banging on the door, which scared us to death. We didn't open the door because we were afraid it was thieves. We called the homeowner, and she promptly arrived, explaining that our key had been misplaced outside. It was the guard who had found it while patrolling. Thanks to the owner and the guards...