Pinetree Marina Resort — Hotel in Iskandar Puteri

Review for Pinetree Hotel – Unit 21-10

We regret to say that our recent one-night stay at Pinetree in a two-bedroom apartment (Unit 21-10) was extremely disappointing and fell far below expectations. Based on our experience, we are unable to give any stars but in order to post this review we had to give a star to proceed.

We were a group of three ladies arriving from Singapore and reached the hotel at around 9:30 AM. Upon arrival, we requested an early check-in. The front desk staff, Ridhuana, was notably unfriendly and dismissive. She initially declined our request for early check in without any courtesy. However, when we mentioned we were willing to pay, she immediately agreed and charged us for a half-day stay — without further explanation or hospitality.

Even though we paid for a half-day, we were denied access to breakfast. When we offered to upgrade and pay for breakfast at Fraser, that too was flatly refused. Upon asking to speak to a superior, we were told that no managers were available.

After checking in, we left the apartment around 10 AM and returned at about 9 PM. As we were preparing to sleep around midnight, we began experiencing loud and continuous pounding noises, as well as dragging sounds of furniture from the unit above us. These disturbances went on until around 4:30 AM, leaving all three of us unable to sleep. It was a terrible night.

To make matters worse, the Wi-Fi in the unit was barely functional, and there was almost no mobile network signal. There was no telephone in the apartment either. We were told to use WhatsApp to reach the front desk — but with no working internet, that wasn’t even possible. We genuinely don’t know how guests are expected to communicate in case of urgent needs or emergencies.

The next morning, we brought this to Ridhuana’s attention and requested that she look into the matter. We then went for breakfast, expecting some feedback upon our return. Unfortunately, she had no answers and simply remained silent, showing no initiative or accountability. She then casually offered us a late checkout at no additional cost — which, under the circumstances, was not a fair resolution.

We again requested to speak with a manager, but were told no one was available as it was a Sunday. This level of customer service is shocking and unacceptable.

What’s even more concerning is that we later came across a similar review describing the same noise and Wifi issues. This suggests that the management is aware of the problem but has taken no action to address or resolve it.

We are seeking a proper explanation from hotel management. Additionally, we strongly urge Pinetree to review its customer service standards and train front desk staff accordingly. In our case, Ridhuana was not only impolite and unhelpful, but also showed no interest in addressing our concerns — appearing more focused on collecting payments than providing even basic...

On our first visit to Pinetree, everything seemed perfect, leaving us eager to return. Unfortunately, our second experience turned into an absolute disaster. We've decided to give just a star rating due to the overwhelming number of issues we encountered, ranging from cleanliness to maintenance and even staff incompetence.

First, we were assigned a room with a stained sofa, filthy floors, and a foul odor emanating from the master bedroom's bathroom.

Second, when we requested a room change, it took an inordinate amount of time for them to process our request. They even mistakenly assumed we wanted to cancel our stay, despite us clearly asking for a simple room change. When they finally accommodated us, we hoped the worst was over, but it was just the beginning.

Third, the new room had a faulty main door that required significant force to close properly. Can you imagine how unsafe it felt knowing that if the door wasn't shut with force, anyone could easily enter?

Fourth, the entire unit reeked of a horrid smell, likely originating from poor drainage in the sink and washer-dryer. They should have at least placed a disinfectant machine to address the odor. Even the dishwashing liquid had gone bad, forcing us to buy our own. The master bedroom’s doorknob was so loose that it fell apart upon pulling. Shouldn't these basic issues be inspected before allowing guests to check in?

Fifth, there were two televisions—one in the living room and one in the master bedroom—but no remote control was provided for the latter. I reached out via WhatsApp, as instructed by their procedures, but my request went ignored throughout the night. The following day, they said they would send someone, but when they noticed the “Do Not Disturb” sign, they messaged me to say they’d come back later. I told them I would collect the remote myself, but upon reaching the counter, the staff seemed unaware. After yet another delay, they offered to send it to my room. I waited 15 minutes, but it never arrived. Am I supposed to wait indefinitely for a remote control?

Sixth, in my past experience, their response time was much quicker. However, after this ordeal, this will be my final visit. I texted them to inquire about extending my stay and paying extra, but they didn’t bother to check or reply to my messages.

What’s the point of advertising 24/7 service when you’re not even responding to basic inquiries? Avoid this so-called 4 starts resort if you wish to spare yourself from a nightmare. The staff were unprofessional, unapologetic, and utterly...

Apparently Agoda does not post negative reviews of properties, so here on Google to warn people about this property.

The only positive for this place was that the bed was comfortable.

Negatives:

You need your own private transportation if you choose to stay here.

There is no phone in the room, so you can't call reception. You have to physically go down to get their attention. For example, when I wanted to change my breakfast drink order for the final day on the night before, I went down to the reception to tell them, and they seemed to be inputting the change on the computer, but the order was not changed at all when we received the breakfast bento.

The room was very broken. The toilets in the room couldn't be locked. The toilet in the master bedroom didn't even have a lock attached, and it had a hole that you could see through. The TV remote didn't work. The bathtub couldn't hold the water even when it was "closed." And the worst part was the aircon situation, which I describe in the paragraph below.

The staff were slow to help. One of the rooms' aircon units broke down during our first day, and they couldn't fix it until the next day. They then successfully broke the second aircon unit in the master bedroom while we were out, presumably while trying to fix the first aircon unit. Only then did they suggest that we change rooms, which was at 7pm on the second night. This was annoying because we had three families in the 3-Bedroom Premier Apartment, and they gave us this option so late when we had already brought up the issues on the first day.

It feels like they tried to delay the room change instead of providing it immediately. This caused one of the families to pack up and leave the accommodation entirely instead of moving to the other room, as it was very uncomfortable for them to sleep in a room without AC and it was easier to leave than to pack and move to another room. The rest of us just stayed in the room, as the kids were already asleep at that point.

The cleaning staff only went to do the housekeeping of the room at 6.30pm when we already came back to our room, instead of at an earlier time, which caused us to have to wait for him to finish.

Overall, please consider other places instead of Pinetree...