Poor Customer Service and Complete Lack of Honesty

I specifically booked and paid for a **mountain-view room**, yet I was deliberately given a room **without** a mountain view. At no stage before or during check-in did anyone have the decency to tell me that the room I had booked was no longer available. The complete lack of honesty and communication from the very beginning is simply unacceptable.

What immediately raised red flags was that the original room number on our key card sleeve had been covered with Tipp-Ex and replaced with a completely different room number. That alone made the entire situation look suspicious.

When we entered the room, we found flowers, birthday balloons, and a birthday card clearly prepared for another guest. It was obvious that this room had already been allocated to someone else. Shortly afterwards, reception called and claimed the decorations had been left there "by mistake" because our original room was not yet ready. That explanation made absolutely no sense and only made the situation feel even more dishonest. Instead of simply admitting what had happened, they chose to make excuses and, in my opinion, **** to us.

What angers me the most is that this entire situation could have been avoided with one simple thing—honest communication. Had someone explained the situation when we arrived, I would have appreciated the honesty. Instead, I was left to discover the truth for myself and was then expected to accept an unbelievable explanation.

The only reason I did not make a scene was because I was travelling with my daughter. I refused to let the hotel's incompetence ruin her experience. Looking back, I regret staying silent because it became increasingly obvious that the room we were given was never the room we had booked or paid for.

To make matters even worse, when I raised my concerns during checkout, **Mpho**, the receptionist, was rude, dismissive, and showed absolutely no interest in resolving the issue. I asked to speak to the manager, but Mpho claimed that **he** was the manager. Whether that was true or not, the outcome was the same—my complaint was brushed aside, no meaningful apology was offered, no accountability was taken, and no attempt whatsoever was made to resolve the situation.

This wasn't simply about not getting the mountain-view room I paid for. It was about being misled, treated with disrespect, and then having my concerns dismissed. I expected honesty, professionalism, and basic customer service. Instead, I experienced poor communication, excuses, and unacceptable behaviour from the reception staff.

This is by far one of the most disappointing hotel experiences I have ever had. I left feeling deceived, disrespected, and completely let down. I cannot recommend a hotel that treats paying guests this way.