Harolds Hotel — Hotel in Cebu City

Positives: Location is great, parking is good as long as you can get one of the spots in the front.

Negatives: 1:Shower 2:Top Floor Noise 2:Bed Sheet Cleanliness 4:Poor/Disappointing Customer Service

The Shower: NO HOT water! Seriously? There's an actual tub but the water is lukewarm at best. Why have a tub when you can't fill it with hot water? NOBODY would ever take a lukewarm bath but everyone wants a hot shower. Totally Unaccepetable.

Top Floor Noise: There was an event at the rooftop which is fine. But the noises from the deconstruction at night and the next morning were REALLY LOUD. Not very peaceful.

Bed Sheet Cleanliness: I noticed some strange skin irritation when sleeping without a shirt on---not unusual because my skin is sensitive. But my wife also had strange red welts. Bites? Not sure. Pictures of our skin irritations below.

POOR Customer Service:

My wife went to the hotel restaurant to buy me an Americano-108p. I asked her to request an additional shot--expensive at 108 but it's ok because I needed strong coffee. What did they do? They decided to charge her for 3 espresso shots 108x3=324 and decided to round up to 340 for hot water. Just for a point of reference, a venti (4 shot) americano at Starbucks, which is expensive, is 190p. Seriously, 340p? That seems suspiciously like a white person penalty tax that you often hear about in the Philippines. Way to make visitors feel welcome!

There was a complimentary drink voucher, nice touch. But then we went upstairs and the promising choices of lemonade or tea weren't available. We asked for alternatives but those would be charged. Lame.

At checkout, they wanted to charge a 350 peso incidental room cleaning fee. It was for a stain on a towel. Full disclosure, it was a coffee stain from my personal mug courtesy of the 340 peso americano. But that's why hotel bed sets and towels are white. Bleach makes any whites white again! They insisted on holding their ground wanting to charge us an incidental fee for something that is a standard laundry task at the end of the day. I told them how ridiculous they were being and insisted they keep our money and hoped they were happy for the momentary gains of the world's most expensive americano and an excessive room cleaning fee, because they would never get our business again and have to suffer a terrible Google review. Well, here it is.

Only after a confrontation where I had to stand up for us did they decide to not charge us. But the damage had been done. Overall a terrible service industry experience where the one job they had was providing a warm, comfortable and welcoming stay. They failed at the start with a barely warm shower. Then they kept on failing by making us feel like they kept sticking their hands in our pockets looking for money. Just ask yourself why you would ever stay at a hotel like this...We certainly will NEVER stay at a Harold's...

Mixed Experience - Cautionary Tale and Room for Improvement

During a recent trip to Cebu, I had the opportunity to stay at this hotel, an experience that provided both lessons and insights about travel safety and accommodations.

With a travel history spanning over 1,300,000 kilometres and more than 1,300 nights away from home since 2011, my journeys have generally been smooth. However, an unexpected incident during this stay underscored the importance of remaining vigilant.

Upon checking in on a Sunday morning, an interesting challenge emerged at the breakfast cashier. Navigating between old and new Filipino currency to settle my bill, I found myself grappling with the different notes. The cashier and I sorted through my wallet, working to identify the valid ones. Little did I anticipate that this routine task, amidst the bustling staff, would lead to consequences.

Later that day, I secured some of my belongings, including older currency notes, in the safety of my room's lockbox. Following a nap, local explorations, and sampling native delicacies, I was taken aback the next day to discover a significant portion of my older cash missing when I opened the lockbox.

Growing increasingly concerned, I engaged with the hotel's management to address the issue. Despite multiple conversations, the mystery of the missing money remained unsolved. Investigations revealed that only my room attendants had accessed the room. Unfortunately, system limitations prevented access to the lockbox and door logs.

This experience prompted a reevaluation of my travel practices, emphasising the need for personal security. I've resolved not to rely solely on hotel lockboxes for storing money, having learned about their susceptibility to code overrides through online research. My approach to carrying cash now leans towards minimalism, ensuring greater peace of mind.

Regarding the hotel itself, it appears to have seen better days. The room could benefit from updates, and the "gym" is showing signs of age. Regrettably, the restaurant's food left much to be desired. The chicken wings my group ordered were undercooked, necessitating a second round of frying, and my pasta was disappointingly dry.

While this experience served as a valuable lesson, it hasn't dissuaded me from considering future visits to Cebu. Nevertheless, I'll be opting for a different hotel on my next stay. I recognise that the incident resulted from my own lapse in judgment and the importance of being cautious when...

I never expected such accommodations at Harolds Hotel. Harolds Hotel is a safe and lovely hotel. We stayed there for five nights and we were very pleased. The minute we checked in late at night, we were offered with complimentary drinks that was just what we needed from a long flight. We were helped by I think Allyssa? I am not sure of the name, but Carl was very helpful. He is a true asset of the hotel. We miss you Carl! Thank you for your help from the first night to the checked out date, you were there ready to help us along with the other guy who called for taxi multiple times for us (sorry manoy, I couldn't remember your name;)). Also, Caesar from the restaurant was very helpful and accommodating as well. He remembers to fill in my daughter's cup for her milk. Every morning, he will stop by our table and asked for the cup. He even stopped by to have a conversation with us. Such a friendly person. I couldn't think of anything against the hotel. It has been a great oasis for my family and I always remember hanging out the balcony at night to watch the cars and jeepneys passed by. It was truly a moment to remember. In behalf of my little family, I would like to thank the staff for a warm welcome and service. I hope Harolds Hotel will continue serving their customers...