Traveller's Rest Hotel - A Warning

[alessandro_no]

I write this so that you will not have your holiday ruined like I had. Traveller's Rest is a guest house / hotel in Soi L.K. Metro. I've never encountered worse service at any hotel in my 8 years coming to Thailand.

 

I paid for a month up front when I checked in on January the 5th 2011. Other guests are extremely noisy and the owner Fergus Brennan and his wife are both incredibly rude. The first night I found out that there was massive renovations going on in the room next too me with drilling and hammering in my wall starting from 8 AM. The owner of Traveller's Rest Fergus Brennan said the renovations had started that very night but I went next doors and asked the people working there. They said they'd been working for 2 days already.

 

I asked Mr. Fergus Brennan for a refund after 3 sleepless nights and said they could charge me 800 baht per night and refund me the rest. Fergus said "Absolutely not. I'm running a business here and am fully booked all year. You are the first complaint I've ever had."

 

After asking around in this street (Soi L.K. Metro) it turns out all the other hotel owners strongly dislike him and told me that he got complaints all the time. His own staff confirmed the story. What they eventually did, as my room was impossible to sleep in, was to downgrade me to another room about a quarter the size of my original room after 4 days of pure hell and no sleep.

 

I was nice too them and moved my stuff to the the smaller room. The next day I asked for them to refund the difference as I was paying for their biggest room but staying in their smallest. Fergus Brennan then reiterated that he would absolutely not give me a refund as "this is Thailand."

 

SO THEY DOWNGRADED ME AND BASICALLY STOLE MY MONEY.

 

Another major issue at this hotel is cleanliness. There's cockroaches in the rooms and two days in a row now I've seen a rat in the kitchen. You walk past the kitchen when you head towards the rooms.

 

The hotel and it's owner Fergus Brennan;

makes a living stealing from his own guests in broad daylight. You should stay away from this man and the guest house and be weary of signing up for the golf trips that this hotel provide.

 

Here is a photo the owner's Thai wife whom is the acting manager;

 

DO NOT STAY AT THIS hotel. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

[scaffman]

thanks for you report will make sure i never stay there

[Darrel]

Lesson number one: never pay in advance until you have tested the place.

 

Lesson number two: use a (Visa) credit card whenever possible as you can often use the chargeback procedure if you are ripped off

 

Lesson number three: dont assume that farang management is automatically any better or worse than Thai management (in my experience farang-run places are often worse and cost more)

 

Lesson number four: name and shame. Loudly. Oh, you already know that one. Good.

[praf974]

you checked in on jan 5th so your still there for another 3 weeks? i hope the owner isnt a board member!

 

paying for a month in advance is a tricky one if youve never stayed there before .. but i guess not much choice checking in peak season you have to book in advance.

 

lesson number 5: if you have to book somewhere in advance for a long stay make sure theres plenty of good reviews of the place on here.

[Lestat]

This is the first time I have read such bad reviews about an accommodation in LK Metro.

 

Looking forward to hear more replies about this establishment.

 

Thanks for posting.

[alessandro_no]

you checked in on jan 5th so your still there for another 3 weeks? i hope the owner isnt a board member!

 

 

I for one hope that he is. I already told him that I was gonna write about this in the boards and he said "I'm fully booked all year so go ahead".

 

My reply to that was, "Then it shouldn't be a problem to let me move out then". His reply again was the standard phrase "This happens all the time".

 

I checked out his hotel on other hotel review sites and there was a Japanse customer with a very similar story to mine. I had to use google translate of course but he basically said the same. I'll link to it if it's allowed to link to other websites in this board.

 

Yes I'm here for another 3 weeks and once this thread has enough replies (I'm making another one on thaivisa) I will show him both as I promised him that he was gonna loose more money than he managed to steal from me.

 

According to his own staff (whom I will keep out of this thread for their own protection as what they tell me about their boss should remain between em and them) his hotel is half empty and there's been lots of complaints with angry people moving out.

 

The other business owners I've spoken to in Soi L.K. also claim that Fergus Brennan is on his way out as he is loosing money and is basically trying to flee with whatever he can steal.

 

I told him face to face with at least 15 witnesses down in the reception that this can be solved very easily. I want to move out so why don't you let me and we won't have a problem. He refused so I said I'll do whatever I can to let as many people as possible know about his dubious business antics.

 

Major Brennan as he calls himself messed with the wrong guy.

 

Other business owners in Soi L.K. even contacted their police connections for me but the reply was that technically he ain't breaking the law and they can't do anything. But they all agreed he should compensate me for living in a small cockroach infested room or at least charge me the normal daily rate and refund the rest.

 

He brought this upon himself.

[alessandro_no]

paying for a month in advance is a tricky one if youve never stayed there before .. but i guess not much choice checking in peak season you have to book in advance.

 

I've been staying in Soi L.K. on an off for up to 6 months at the time for the past 5 years. I always pay up front as I like to show that I am an honest guy who will pay his dues. I've never had an issue before and paying up front gives you instant credibility and lots of good will with most people.

 

However Brennan and his wife knew about the construction next doors and that was also why the room was available at the busiest time of year. They had lots of other rooms available (I know now) but chose to scam with with that one.

 

Let's even suppose for a second that they didn't know. Once it happens they should deal with it in a respectful manner and refund the customer some money. I offered to take a loss and said they could charge me 800 a night which is 300 more than I pay for at the monthly rate but they refused.

[Edge]

............................................

Other business owners in Soi L.K. even contacted their police connections for me but the reply was that technically he ain't breaking the law and they can't do anything..............................

 

Tourist Police?

 

The renovations must be way overdue by now.

Someone booked me in there 4 years ago when I first came to Pattaya.

It was an absolute shit hole back then.

Luckily I only paid for 2 nights when I checked in, but I couldn't get out soon enough.

 

 

Edit -

I offered to take a loss and said they could charge me 800 a night which is 300 more than I pay for at the monthly rate but they refused.

 

Are you saying if you walk out now you lose about 10k?

I think I might take that loss rather than have my holiday ruined - keeping possession so there's no chance of them letting the room again of course.

[ausielad]

why spoil your own holiday?

move to a new hotel.

you can still bag him and his buisiness out on forums.

enjoy whats left of your holiday and chalk it upto experiance.

[PawYai]

It's a real surprise to me that you are the only one slating this chaps business. I have said it before I don't like bms slagging off peoples business especially if they are a lone voice as it would be good to get Brennans account of what went on plus one or two more reviews of this place as the LK Metro area is well reported on and I have never seen it mentioned before... The jury remains out on this post until other bms add negative stories as this kind of stuff can really harm a business, especially printing a pic of the owner IMHO just a bit too far and sounds very personal to me

[praf974]

sounds like they did scam the wrong guy! sounds a bit crap .. i tend to just take the hit in situations like that and just move on (and post a warning like this of course), lifes too short to ruin a holiday im sure theres plenty of vacant rooms in the area (fully booked all year lol right).

[alessandro_no]

It's a real surprise to me that you are the only one slating this chaps business. I have said it before I don't like bms slagging off peoples business especially if they are a lone voice as it would be good to get Brennans account of what went on plus one or two more reviews of this place as the lk metro area is well reported on and I have never seen it mentioned before... The jury remains out on this post until other bms add negative stories as this kind of stuff can really harm a business, especially printing a pic of the owner IMHO just a bit too far and sounds very personal to me

 

I agree with you. A lone voice like min counts for nothing. But I only made this post today and seeing as this part of the forum isn't that active, it may take more time before people witha similar experience come forward. And if it doesn't happen, please try and stay here yourself.

 

But don't come back complaining later on that you weren't warned ;-)

[praf974]

It's a real surprise to me that you are the only one slating this chaps business. I have said it before I don't like bms slagging off peoples business especially if they are a lone voice as it would be good to get Brennans account of what went on plus one or two more reviews of this place as the lk metro area is well reported on and I have never seen it mentioned before... The jury remains out on this post until other bms add negative stories as this kind of stuff can really harm a business, especially printing a pic of the owner IMHO just a bit too far and sounds very personal to me

 

did you search for "travellers rest" here? its not all glowing reviews ..

[alessandro_no]

why spoil your own holiday?

move to a new hotel.

you can still bag him and his buisiness out on forums.

enjoy whats left of your holiday and chalk it upto experiance.

 

I already have another room lined up pretty soon and the owner of that establishment has had several feuds with Mr. Brennan himself and wants nothing to do with him so I'll be in good hands ;-)

[redfred]

sounds like he is on his way out and dont care

[alessandro_no]

Tourist Police?

 

The renovations must be way overdue by now.

Someone booked me in there 4 years ago when I first came to Pattaya.

It was an absolute shit hole back then.

Luckily I only paid for 2 nights when I checked in, but I couldn't get out soon enough.

 

 

Edit -

 

 

Are you saying if you walk out now you lose about 10k?

I think I might take that loss rather than have my holiday ruined - keeping possession so there's no chance of them letting the room again of course.

 

No it wasn't the tourist police. This was regular Thai police they've known for years.

 

Yes loss would be about 10K. Of coure I'll keep possessions here so they can't rent it out to anyone else but it won't really matter as there's so few people staying here now anyway.

 

Lucky you who only had to stay 2 days ;-)

[Edge]

No it wasn't the tourist police. This was regular Thai police they've known for years.

....................................

 

Yes I knew that - sorry I wasn't clear.

 

The Thai police will only do anything (regardless of whether he's breaking the law) if you pay them.

 

The Tourist Police just might be more helpful - plus they speak English..

[Kandinski]

It's a real surprise to me that you are the only one slating this chaps business. I have said it before I don't like bms slagging off peoples business especially if they are a lone voice as it would be good to get Brennans account of what went on plus one or two more reviews of this place as the lk metro area is well reported on and I have never seen it mentioned before... The jury remains out on this post until other bms add negative stories as this kind of stuff can really harm a business, especially printing a pic of the owner IMHO just a bit too far and sounds very personal to me

 

Every journey starts with the first step and same goes for complaints. I find the warning from OP both right- and helpful and see absolutely no reason not to shame in this situation. Remember we are the ones paying the bill and should as so be treated accordingly but unfortunately some of the small guesthouse owners looks at tourist the same way BG does; walking ATM's.

There are shitloads of nice guesthouses around struggling and it will be survival of the fittest where there should be no room for this sort of treatment. The owner's story "I'm running a business here and am fully booked all year. You are the first complaint I've ever had." is not consistent with the OP was moved to an empty room but show the guy is full of hot air. Could be interesting to hear both side of the story to get the full picture.

[alessandro_no]

Could be interesting to hear both side of the story to get the full picture.

 

The funny part is that there is only one side to this story. The owner agrees with my storyline. I outlined everything twice infront of all his guests and palls in the reception. The only thing we disagree about is that I think I should've been either;

 

#1) Allowed to move out and receive a partial refund

or

#2) Be compensated for staying in a small room when paying for the biggest.

 

He refused to do either.

 

In other words I think he owe me some reciprocation as I've been nothing but polite about this.

 

IMAGINE BOOKING AND PAYING FOR A SUITE IN US OR EUROPE ONLY TO RECEIVE A STANDARD ROOM WITHOUT GETTING A REFUND OR SOME FORM OF COMPENSATION.

 

He even threatened to throw me out if I continued to demand a refund while yelling at me in the reception. His friends/golfers looked real embarrassed though.

 

I meet some of them at another cafe in Soi L.K. the next day. They said that you can't argue with the Mr. Brennan and that, quote "Mr. Fergus is alright until he opens his mouth".

 

So if you don't take my word for it, please take theirs as they should know him better than most.

 

I made this thread as the first week of my holiday has been pure hell. I've had no sleep and no fun. I write this not so much to get back at the hotel owner as I'm writing it to prevent fellow tourists from stepping into the same trap that I did. Don't deal with this hotel and you will be better off. If I prevent one fellow Pattaya monger from checking in here it's worth the effort.

[td5855]

I live just off Soi Bongkot, when walking to Champagne Agogo late afternoon pass the place.

It and one other bar in LK Metro I have never went in?? Just the vibes and the lack of smiles from staff put me off. Hope your holiday gets better. I arrive home from offshore this saturday, If you want to drown your sorrows with a few cold ones..... PM me.

[Darrel]

A trip to the Tourist Police to complain will do you no harm and will only cost you a wasted couple of hours at worst. And you may even get on one of the English-language papers/TV channels.

 

I would go for it.

 

There is no doubt in my mind that any hotelier anywhere in the world should give a full refund if excess unusual noise causes people to check out. And they should make it perfectly clear in advance if noise or other inconvenience is likely. That's the price they pay for owning a hotel and if they dont like it then they are in the wrong business.

[pallmall]

Sorry about your situation mate. Which place are you now moving to? I hope you do not abandon this thread as I for one am interested in what is happening. Please keep us updated.

[alessandro_no]

There is no doubt in my mind that any hotelier anywhere in the world should give a full refund if excess unusual noise causes people to check out. And they should make it perfectly clear in advance if noise or other inconvenience is likely. That's the price they pay for owning a hotel and if they dont like it then they are in the wrong business.

 

I couldn't agree more ;-)

 

What you wrote is what the other hotel owners in Soi L.K. Metro said as well.

[Kandinski]

The funny part is that there is only one side to this story. The owner agrees with my storyline. I outlined everything twice infront of all his guests and palls in the reception. The only thing we disagree about is that I think I should've been either;

 

#1) Allowed to move out and receive a partial refund

or

#2) Be compensated for staying in a small room when paying for the biggest.

 

He refused to do either.

 

In other words I think he owe me some reciprocation as I've been nothing but polite about this.

 

IMAGINE BOOKING AND PAYING FOR A SUITE IN US OR EUROPE ONLY TO RECEIVE A STANDARD ROOM WITHOUT GETTING A REFUND OR SOME FORM OF COMPENSATION.

 

He even threatened to throw me out if I continued to demand a refund while yelling at me in the reception. His friends/golfers looked real embarrassed though.

 

I meet some of them at another cafe in Soi L.K. the next day. They said that you can't argue with the Mr. Brennan and that, quote "Mr. Fergus is alright until he opens his mouth".

 

So if you don't take my word for it, please take theirs as they should know him better than most.

 

I made this thread as the first week of my holiday has been pure hell. I've had no sleep and no fun. I write this not so much to get back at the hotel owner as I'm writing it to prevent fellow tourists from stepping into the same trap that I did. Don't deal with this hotel and you will be better off. If I prevent one fellow Pattaya monger from checking in here it's worth the effort.

 

I totally agree with you mate and you did the right thing posting your impression as a warning to fellow BM's.

What i ment was it could be intersting to see what kind of explanition he would have come up with. To me it's unbelievable the owner of a service business isn't willing to try an meet his costumers request; that's a sure way out of business and, as you say: who would accept andowngrade anywhere else. It takes long to build a good reputation and only a couple of unsatisfied costumer to tear it down but seem he don't give a shit.

I really hope you find a solution and don't let him ruin you hard earned vacation

[alessandro_no]

This was posted on tripdadviso rby a Japanese customer about The Traveller's Rest (Google Translate);

 

 

-----------------------------------------------------

Pattaya: "hotel rip-off"

 

Stayed at the end of December 2009.

In the room there was another door at the entrance door was closed chains.

Understand at first, but somehow was connected to the next room.

Voice and loud guests sleep on TV next to the door 筒抜Ke sound.

If we can not check out what we want to replace it because the room to sleep for two days

I want to be asked to pay back the money at first, because the heating up late making noise everywhere,

Moraezu would communicate with each other to sleep no problem, paid in advance to stay there for five days were not returned persistently.

After all, it will interfere with travel, money is moved to another hotel resignation.

The owners have no other piece of the gentleman in British men.

 

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/ShowOneUserReview-g293919-d1441321-r53650256&sl=ja&tl=en_SG&hl=en_SG&ie=UTF-8

 

---------------------------------------------

 

Here's the original in Japanese;

http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/ShowUserReviews-g293919-d1441321-r53650256-Travellers_Rest_Hotel-Pattaya.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT

 

I especially love the last phrase about the Owner 'have no other piece of the gentleman in british men".

 

I take it this poor Japanese traveller had read or heard loads of the by gone ethos of the English gentleman before he ran in to the Irish Major Fergus Brennan.

 

Yes I'll keep you guys updated about what's happening. A trip to the tourist police is long overdue. I will also try to snap photos of the rats in the kitchen. I'll borrow a camera from a friend. Last but not least I'll post a review of my new place in Soi L.K. when I move during the week. Only reason I didn't stay there from the beginning as that it was fully booked as the owner is an honest businessman.