When you make a reservation anywhere in the world from a reputable website such as Agoda, you generally don’t suspect that you will be victim to drastic fraudulent advertising of properties. Arriving in Yangon, Myanmar though, I was definitely surprised to find my room had only two of the facilities in the tiny windowless shoebox, which the staff enthusiastically were offering as our home. Generally, when I travel all I require is a bed, wifi, security and access to a bathroom somewhere on the property. For this leg of the journey however, I had compromised as am travelling with my wonderful father and we both settled on a medium accommodation where we could both be comfortable.
As usual for anyone researching travel to Myanmar, you are forewarned that accommodation is overpriced for what is on offer. If you haven’t here it is: You don’t get much bang for your buck when it comes to accommodation in Myanmar. You have the option to book for a window or windowless room, often for the same price and all ranging generally from 20-35 USD in moderate guesthouses. But when you are offered and pay for particular facilities advertised for a room, you expect to receive them. This however was not the case in Myint Myat Guesthouse in Yangon’s Downtown. On arrival, we learnt that our floor did not have access to wifi and we would have to go up to the corridor on the level above – that was the first facility taken. After requesting a room on that floor we were quickly denied as they were booked out. Our bags were collected by the polite staff who led us to our room. You could almost here our jaws drop as the door opened to reveal a room which barely fit two beds in it. I quickly refreshed the list of what we had paid for in my mind to find it only ticked two of the many facilities promised. After turning down a few cheaper guesthouses to splurge a little extra for these comforts, I was motionless in the doorway for sometime before taking a seat on the bed adjoining the entrance.
The helpful and enthusiastic staff saw our dismay and immediately offered us an upgrade to a “superior room.” With this we were thankful and made our way up the stairs. The superior room, although it had more facilities, like a fan and a bathroom, still was lacking. In particular, it was lacking oxygen and was probably the stuffiest room I have ever entered. Again we were dismayed and asked if we could at least have a room with a window as promised in our booking but “All our rooms are fully booked…” It was time to throw in the towel, get a refund and head off into town in search of more reasonable accommodation. But, oh, how futile was this plan.
The “boss” promptly turned down any chance of a refund as it was not her fault that Agoda had the wrong information on their website but ours and we would receive no money as they had no access to any cash even after stating they had received payment from Agoda already. Confused? So were we, don’t worry. Miracles were constantly in supply here at Myint Myat Guesthouse as all of a sudden another room became available. This one was the same type of room we booked which was surprising as it contained its own bathroom and fan, unlike the first room we were showed. Again, we politely declined and resubmitted our request for a refund. This was with little success as the owner did not believe our story of the list of facilities we were claiming.
After much deliberation we were finally allowed to present our case to the owner who began in an arrogant, dominant and “I’m better than you” attitude to “Ok, maybe she is right about this” insecurity. Now finally they agreed to look at the Agoda website to see what we were expecting for the money we had paid. Miracle! A room with windows became available! Who would have thought this fully booked guesthouse would have one after one hour of trying to leave with our money. Taken back downstairs to the no wifi zone we were taken into a room adjoining reception whose walls all consisted of windows. It had air-con, a desk, two beds, lots of space, a balcony (only keys given to VIP guests) and a mirror. Very basic and not nearly close to the description, but it had air and a promise from reception staff (opened 24hrs) to be quiet throughout the night which they were. It did get slightly awkward when we had to walk through reception every time we needed to use the bathroom.
Overall the other rooms we were shown were clean and well kept, except for poor ventilation. With other guesthouses offering same sized rooms with the same basic facilities for less money it is not worth paying the extra these non-existent room facilities. Most rooms contained air-con, beds and a TV (not that you actually need one). It was a lottery if you received the promised shower, fan, mini-fridge etc even within the same price and room type. So if you get stuck with nothing you should definitely request for other rooms of the same type and price to receive a little more comfort in the shoebox you are to call home. It also can be humorous at the changing upgrade costs from 5 USD a room with window to 10 USD for different room with windows (as no window rooms left) to free of charge.
The staff were absolutely phenomenal and patient and I felt very sorry for them as they understood the situation and wanted to give us a refund, which their boss denied continually. The customer service provided by all the staff was excellent; all aiming to please you and make you feel comfortable. However, they are kept on a very tight leash to offer true help in these predicaments.
We received no form of refund or discount even though we received just five of the facilities promised when we booked and overall we did feel a sense of entrapment with no choice to leave and forfeit the money. Especially as a long-term traveller I was already at the very edge of my allowance staying at the guesthouse and it was a real shame that it took an hour and a half to be given the room we had no choice but to accept. The room we were finally given seemed to be freshly created and the floors were still covered in a thin layer of dust we could feel under our feet. As the guesthouse is located on a busy street it was quite noisy in the room from down below. But that is the price you have to pay for having windows.
All opinions are subjective to the writers personal travel experience. The writer travelled at her own expense.