PARKROYAL on Beach Road, Singapore in Singapore

This hotel is located by the sea, near the Ferris wheel, but the 'city view' rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors have absolutely no view whatsoever. I'm shocked they even sell such a run-down, obstructed room with zero scenery. Just look at the window picture – no sunlight all day! And despite my request to avoid corner rooms, they gave me one almost at the end of the corridor. The fire escape door at the end is often left open, with staff and cleaning carts constantly in the hallway, making it feel very unsafe and noisy.

To make matters worse, every two hours there's a deafening water pumping noise that lasts for about fifteen minutes. When I asked a staff member to investigate and requested a room change, their response was that 'no other guests have ever complained.' Is 'no one else complained' a valid reason not to solve a problem? Clearly, this is machine noise from the equipment floor on the second level, yet the hotel shows no concern and uses that as an excuse.

Even more infuriating, I had to check out a day early due to an emergency. They refused to refund a single penny for both rooms, insisting I pay the full price even though I wouldn't be staying. Ctrip tried to mediate for ages with no progress. When I went to the front desk myself, the receptionist, Allen, had an absolutely terrible attitude. Not only did he offer no solutions, but he kept asking me why I needed a solution. Shouldn't paying for a room you don't stay in be something that needs a solution? I was so exasperated I almost laughed, and he just kept shaking his head.

The breakfast was decent, but it was incredibly crowded. When all the seats were taken, a hostess would help seat people. However, she clearly prioritized white guests. When I went to eat alone, she actually asked two white people already seated at a long table (a ten-person communal table) if they wanted to share it with me. It's a communal table, why even ask? She only stopped after I challenged her.

Overall, this hotel stay was a complete disaster. For 2000 per room per night, I received service worse than a budget hotel and an incredibly overbearing attitude. I strongly do not recommend it.