GK Central Hotel — Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City

Never go there. I travel around the world for work, so I often stay in hotels. (I have been an Agoda Platinum member for over ten years)

I arrived at the hotel last night after work, asked for the room I had booked and showed my passport photo on my phone. The receptionist told me that I needed a real passport and that she would email me a photo of my passport since few hotels these days ask for a real passport. They refused, saying they couldn't give me a room without my passport. I was very embarrassed, but when I searched my bag, luckily I had my passport and was able to get a card key.

When I received the card key and went to the hotel room, the door did not open with the card key. When I went back down and asked for a replacement card key, the card key was reset without any apology. As I went back up to the room and was unpacking, I could smell a strong odor of cigarettes coming from the room. I called the receptionist and they came to my room and checked the smell. And they said they would change the room. I had already gone down there once due to their mistake and I felt bad because I had unpacked my luggage, but I was so tired that I changed rooms without complaining any further. Of course they didn't apologize to me.

I was lying in my room trying to sleep, but the loud music outside continued until 2 am. I booked a deluxe room, but it had glass on one side and was not soundproofed at all. After that, I went to sleep, had breakfast the next morning, went up to my room to use the bathroom, and another incident occurred.

A huge amount of water was gushing out from between the lights attached to the bathroom ceiling. When I heard the sound, I realized that the shower water was leaking from the upstairs. I was so disgusted by the water, but I was so shocked and feared for my life that I could get electrocuted by the water flowing between the electrical appliances. I was so shocked that I explained the situation to the receptionist over the phone. Finally they apologized and said they would call an engineer. An engineer came to the room, looked at the situation, and suddenly said he would change the room. I couldn't bear these situations any longer.

I repacked my bag, came down and asked the receptionist for a refund. She told me that last night's hotel cost was non-refundable, only today's cost. I said I would not complain about that and just asked for a refund of the cost today. She told me to wait because she needed confirmation from the manager, and I stood there and waited for a few minutes. I didn't want to stay there even for a moment, so I asked when I could get a refund. I was told that I would wait 15 minutes and a manager would come. I had already wasted so much time in this hotel that I couldn't wait any longer and left the hotel. In fact, what I couldn't stand the most was her tone. She continued to talk to me in a very rude and aggressive tone. If the hotel manager sees this he will absolutely have to retrain his staff. As a victim, I did not speak in a kind tone, but why on earth did the receptionist speak to me in an aggressive tone? If I had cursed or screamed, I wouldn't have anything to say, but I only talked about the unfairness of the situation.

Whatever the situation, I have now left the hotel and am writing in a cafe. I warn you again. Never go to this hotel.

PS. Breakfast was...

For the price, I cannot fault this hotel. Stayed in a twin room for 3 nights.

Location: few minutes walk from market. There is a mini mart convenience store opposite for any drinks, food and other essentials. 10 mins walk to Independence Palace, and 15 to the war museum. About 30-45 mins from airport but does depend on traffic. I used GRAB a bit and cars could pull up outside and wait which was an added bonus.

Room: The twin room had a safe, walk in shower, good Aircon, comfy beds and pillows, clean towels and toiletries (comb, shower gel, shampoo, toothbrush and paste). The room we had was at the back of the hotel and only thing I could hear was people in the hallway, otherwise it was very quiet. TV worked and had the usual English channels (BBC news, cnn, etc). The plug sockets had variety - 2 pronged and 3 pronged UK ones worked without any adapter.

Breakfast: It's very basic but again, for the price, can't argue. There is usually one hot dish with either rice or noodles. There is cereal, yoghurt, toast, fruit, tea, coffee, juice. There is also a cooked to order menu which includes bacon, sausages and variety of cooked eggs.

Staff: Staff were very helpful and polite even though didn't have too much interaction with them. When I did, spoke good English.

Overall, can't really complain. Had a pleasant stay and would recommend this hotel for numerous reasons. If I was to come back, would look to...

1/5 Stars - Disappointing Stay at GK Central Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City||||My recent stay at GK Central Hotel from August 21st to 22nd was a nightmare due to the hotel's unprofessional staff and fraudulent practices.||||The receptionist was extremely rude and harassed us after checkout, falsely claiming that we had missing items in our rooms, including a chair and slippers. Despite our protests, they insisted on charging us $29 for a minor food spill on the bedsheet, which could have been easily removed with bleach.||||To add insult to injury, the replacement bedsheet they provided was torn and worn out, which we discovered after returning to India. Shockingly, other customers we met during our stay shared similar experiences of false accusations and unfair charges.||||I strongly advise future guests to:||||- Take pictures of their rooms before checkout to avoid false claims||- Inspect the rooms thoroughly before checking out||- Be cautious of the hotel's scamming tactics to earn extra money from customers||||Attached are images of the minor spill and the torn bedsheet, which support our claims. Avoid this hotel at all costs to prevent similar experiences.||||Rating Breakdown:||||- Cleanliness: 1/5||- Staff: 1/5||- Value: 1/5||- Location: 3/5||||Will not recommend or return...