Palatinus Grand Hotel

Stayed at the adjacent *** multiple times. That hotel is quite excellent, I might add, so as I was informed that the two hotels would be under the same management, I waited for opening of this Grand Hotel Palatinus with bated breath . If only. This one is sheer horror. I paid my room upfront to begin with. Here on AGODA I see free parking. Turns out not only is it not free, but availability is strictly limited and no reservation is possible. Not a great start. Receptionist says no idea where the information comes from, certainly not from them as he has no idea what Agoda even is and they most certainly do no business with them. Upon entering, room looks like a construction site. Poor fit and finish everywhere. Skirting board smacked together job not even finished as there’s a huge gap between joints with rubble still in between. Room smells like dust, carpets ditto. Telephone hangs on a loose cable either not working or the receptionist cannot be bothered to answer. Upon descending it’s most likely the latter as I see him shoot the bull in the bar. After suffering from this shell shock and quite frankly in a terrible state, I rush to the adjacent *** to ask if a room swap was possible as they are under the same management anyway and at this point I’m desperate for some respite. The receptionist lady there handles my horrible state of mind extremely professionally and says no problem, she will arrange for it. Upon returning here the receptionist haughtily asks me what my problem was so I even did show him the pictures I took of the state the room is in. Upon seeing then he insists that in that case I myself should cancel my non refundable (!) booking - which was paid upfront anyways - on *** (!!!) even though I booked my room here on AGODA where there is no option to cancel to begin with (again: non-refundable booking paid upfront). This unspeakable unprofessional attitude I’m faced with when it is already late in the evening and all I need is a good night’s sleep and not playing receptionist for the hotel and busy myself sorting stuff out that they ought to was the straw that broke the camel’s back. When I ask for the necessary forms to file a written complaint, the receptionist throws a borderline tantrum and makes a show of violently tugging at all the drawers he sees, seemingly not knowing where the form is. Two diametrically opposite hotels, regardless the same management. If you want to suffer a nervous breakdown, stay at Grand Palatinus. If you want excellent service and professionalism (so far), stay at Palatinus Boutique.