With more and more hotels opening, competition is getting tougher and hotels are taking steps to attract travelers. More focus is now placed in customer service and well-being of guests. So it came as a surprise that the Mei Mei Da Hotel in Siem Reap offered nothing but poor customer service.
Location
Here are the details of our stay in Mei Mei Da Hotel.
Mei Mei Da Hotel is located along an unpaved side street named Bakheng Road, off the busy National Highway 6 in Siem Reap. The hotel is about 700 meters from the Cambodian Cultural Village, 2 kilometers from the popular Pub Street, 5.4 kilometers from the airport, and 5 kilometers from Angkor Wat.
Reservation
Mei Mei Da Hotel has its own website for information about the property. The website, however, cannot process reservations. Reservations directly with the hotel has to be made via phone or email.
We booked our room through Agoda to get discounts for BPI credit cards. We chose a Deluxe Double Room with Balcony for only PHP1,324.28 nett per night.
Check-in
Our flight arrived at 7:50AM in Siem Reap which was too early to check in to hotels. We requested for early check-in but Mei Mei Da Hotel did not respond to our email.
Upon arrival, we were told to wait until a room becomes available. We reminded the Front Desk staff that our room comes with a balcony. She said that all rooms in the upper level are occupied and will only be available the following day. We disputed and asked that we be given a Deluxe Double Room with Balcony since that is what we booked and paid for. The Front Desk staff, with her limited English, said that it is not possible.
We tried contacting Agoda to dispute and do something about issue. Agoda's Customer Service was quick to respond and advised they will be coordinating with the hotel directly to settle the issue.
After about 2 hours of waiting, we were given a Superior Room in the ground level. Apparently, Agoda tried contacting the hotel but was unable to get any response.
Update: After more than a month of back and forth email, Agoda has confirmed that the hotel is not responding to their emails. Agoda offered a gift card worth USD10.20 as courtesy and promised to re-open the case once an update is received from the hotel.
Layout and Ambience
Mei Mei Da Hotel has structures built in traditional Khmer design. It features an outdoor pool, garden, and rooms with balcony or terrace. The hotel promises a great place to relax that is a perfect complement to any visit in Cambodia's historic city.
However, our experience destroyed any semblance of ambience the property had.
Our Room
We booked a Deluxe Double Room with Balcony but were asked to stay in a Superior Room. The Deluxe Room was described as a 40 square-meter room having a balcony, sofa, and separate dining area. Instead what we got was a smaller 30 square-meter room on the ground floor having no balcony, sofa, or a separate dining area. It was also housed in an older building and looked dark even when the windows were opened.
The Superior Room was basic but had all the amenities and furnishings we needed such as air conditioning, TV, work desk, wardrobe, hot and cold shower, bathtub, electronic safe, and bottled water.
Dining
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| The alley leading to Mei Mei Da Hotel |
Mei Mei Da Hotel has its own website for information about the property. The website, however, cannot process reservations. Reservations directly with the hotel has to be made via phone or email.
We booked our room through Agoda to get discounts for BPI credit cards. We chose a Deluxe Double Room with Balcony for only PHP1,324.28 nett per night.
Check-in
Our flight arrived at 7:50AM in Siem Reap which was too early to check in to hotels. We requested for early check-in but Mei Mei Da Hotel did not respond to our email.
Upon arrival, we were told to wait until a room becomes available. We reminded the Front Desk staff that our room comes with a balcony. She said that all rooms in the upper level are occupied and will only be available the following day. We disputed and asked that we be given a Deluxe Double Room with Balcony since that is what we booked and paid for. The Front Desk staff, with her limited English, said that it is not possible.
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| The room we booked but the hotel downgraded us to a lower room category |
Update: After more than a month of back and forth email, Agoda has confirmed that the hotel is not responding to their emails. Agoda offered a gift card worth USD10.20 as courtesy and promised to re-open the case once an update is received from the hotel.
Layout and Ambience
Mei Mei Da Hotel has structures built in traditional Khmer design. It features an outdoor pool, garden, and rooms with balcony or terrace. The hotel promises a great place to relax that is a perfect complement to any visit in Cambodia's historic city.
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| Mei Mei Da Hotel is built in traditional Khmer design |
Our Room
We booked a Deluxe Double Room with Balcony but were asked to stay in a Superior Room. The Deluxe Room was described as a 40 square-meter room having a balcony, sofa, and separate dining area. Instead what we got was a smaller 30 square-meter room on the ground floor having no balcony, sofa, or a separate dining area. It was also housed in an older building and looked dark even when the windows were opened.
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| Downgrade to a Superior Room |
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| The room felt dark and gloomy compared to the Deluxe Double Room |
Dining
Mei Mei Da Hotel has a small in-house restaurant next to the reception. It is open air and overlooks the pool.
The restaurant serves mostly Chinese with a few selection of local dishes. Food prices were a bit expensive and were already comparable to the prices in the touristy Pub Street.
Service and Experience
For us who work in the travel and hospitality industry, we were very disappointed to experience poor customer service at Mei Mei Da Hotel. First, there was no attempt to explain why our room was downgraded. Also, there was absolutely no effort to offer alternatives considering that they cannot give the room category we paid for - no offer to refund the difference or to transfer us to a different property. After we left, we did not get any response from the emails we sent them. Even Agoda did not get any feedback from them.
Overall, we felt that Mei Mei Da Hotel will try to get away with cheating guests if they can. This is a hotel you must avoid at all cost.
If you have questions about this hotel, please leave a comment in the box below.
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| Restaurant Menu |
Service and Experience
For us who work in the travel and hospitality industry, we were very disappointed to experience poor customer service at Mei Mei Da Hotel. First, there was no attempt to explain why our room was downgraded. Also, there was absolutely no effort to offer alternatives considering that they cannot give the room category we paid for - no offer to refund the difference or to transfer us to a different property. After we left, we did not get any response from the emails we sent them. Even Agoda did not get any feedback from them.
Overall, we felt that Mei Mei Da Hotel will try to get away with cheating guests if they can. This is a hotel you must avoid at all cost.
If you have questions about this hotel, please leave a comment in the box below.
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