Protea Hotel Karridene Beach — Hotel in KwaZulu-Natal

I had a horrible experience. Firstly, Karridene hardly ever answers their phones due to "issues with the phone lines for the past month". The email that was sent to me to make payment, had a link to click on to process the payment, which I followed using my debit card and the payment was successful, the money was debited out of my account. After many attempts of calling Karridene, I eventually spoke with Nishi, telling her that I had made the payment, she said it will take a day or two to reflect, but If it was successful on my side, everything should be fine. I made the payment 4 days before my stay. Tried calling again during that week but the lines went unanswered. I get there on the 22nd April '22 to check in, (it's the eve of my birthday) and the reception staff cannot pick up my payment. I'm panicking, I showed them the email that was sent to me, the link I followed, I also went onto my banking app and showed the staff that the money had been taken by protea hotel, they tell me that they cannot use the messages on my banking app, and I would need a letter or statement from the bank to show that protea hotel took my money. I was preparing for my birthday weekend, I'm not confrontational, I then swiped my debit card again at karridene to pay a second time for the room. They told me that once I get a statement from the bank, they will refund me. I told the reception staff that protea hotel has a very stupid system where they send guests links for payments but cannot pick up the payment. I calmed down and went up to the room. The TV and plug points were not working so I called reception and maintenance came and sorted the issue out. I get up at 3am on the morning of the 23/04/22, on my birthday, and again the plug points and TV was not working. I called reception at 4am and the staff member said that I had to wait for maintenance staff, they come to work at 7am. So I could not charge my phone, I couldn't put the TV on, I literally had to just wait. I was so annoyed, I could not go back to sleep. Eventually when I called reception again at 07h10 to sort the issue out with the plug points, the staff member told me that maintenance staff still haven't arrived but he will come and check, he eventually sorted it out. I had to leave my room at 8am to have breakfast downstairs with my family. The quality of the food really disappointed me. Karridene used to serve really tasty food. This time, the food was basic & bland and definitely not worth the money we paid for the buffet. Most of the restaurant staff are stubborn & have an attitude like they are doing us favors by bringing our drinks or taking down additional orders from our table. I still haven't heard from Karridene regarding my refund. Karridene hotel used to be one of the best places to stay & dine at on the south coast. My entire family and I have been staying there for years and we were always more than satisfied with the service, the staff & the atmosphere. However, alot has changed and it's like everyone there just has a don't care attitude.

I never ever leave reviews, I've had good and bad experiences before at many other places, but it's not in my nature to leave a review, but this time I had to, there were too many issues just for a couple of hours of accommodation, considering I paid twice the amount. I had checked in after 4pm on the 22/04/22 and I checked out at 10am on the 23/04/22. I was there for around 18 hours and it was the most horrible experience I've had at a hotel. I would not recommend Karridene...

Good Day

I trust this mail finds you well.

THIS HAS BEEN THE WORST WEEKEND I EVER STAYED AT THE KARRIDENE HOTEL

We checked in around 20h00 to 20h30 Ndumiso welcomed us in and Ntokozo took up the luggage

The family settled in for the night in room 118 My 2 kids were on the bed when they saw a cockroach and screamed

I immediately did the necessary as a father I did not inform the reception or management I thereafter went to put on the TV and it would not work I called reception and spoke to Ndumiso and told him about both encounters Please look into the aircom flap and see the layers of black soot inside

Soon thereafter the room service arrive with the hot chocolates my kids ordered Whilst getting the bill signed off we hear a loud rumbling noise from the aircon Suddenly balls of ice sprayed out of the aircon One in particular was the size slightly bigger than a golf ball Lucky enough a witness was the hotel staff member , i asked him to take the big one and show to the duty manager Your bed was sprayed with black soot from the aircon itself

The safe in the room was just placed in the shelf not even bolted to the shelf or wall

Soon afterwards NDUMISO arrived and moved us to room 212

Once again we settled in and eventually my wife and kids fell asleep

I could not sleep at all due to the fact that safe in the room is not working and i have a firearm with me as the safe was not working in the new room allocated

I pay your establishment for an experience with good memories and i can relax

But this was a more stressed weekend than any other weekend spent at your hotel

In have paid for a weekend at your establishment but it was a disaster

My wife has even gone to the extent of cancelling the booking of the weekend 23 to 25 April 2021 after this weekend that passed

I wait to hear your response to the above listed complaints Thank you Sean...

Worst hotel experience ever — avoid at all costs! Where do I even begin? From the moment we arrived, it was downhill. Check-in was average at best, but the room we were given was a complete joke — tiny, cramped, and uncomfortable. You couldn’t even open the cupboard doors properly without smashing them into the bed. I’ve stayed in many hotels, and this was by far one of the worst. Protea Hotel advertises a mini golf course and a games room — what they don’t tell you is that you have to pay extra for every little thing, and it’s not cheap either. It’s blatant false advertising. Breakfast? Over R200 per person! I have two small kids who barely eat anything, yet I’m expected to fork out R200 each for them too? Absolutely ridiculous. We refused to eat at the hotel because the prices were a complete rip-off. The staff (except for one man at the bar) are rude, disinterested, and make you feel like you’re an inconvenience just for asking for basics like a towel. The woman working at the poolside kiosk — don’t even get me started — she clearly hates her job and has no interest in being polite, never mind helpful. The so-called mini golf course is a dangerous mess. Thorn bushes line the sides of the course, where balls constantly roll off. Children walk around barefoot — it’s just a matter of time before someone gets hurt, and sure enough, a child got a thorn stuck in his foot while we were playing. Completely unacceptable and dangerous! The facilities are badly run down and nowhere near what the Protea standard used to be. It’s sad, honestly. What used to be a trusted hotel brand has become a complete disaster. Our stay was horrific. I wouldn’t stay here again if you paid me. Save yourself the frustration, the money, and the bad memories — go...