I stayed in this hotel for four nights with my group, as part of an event in Pekanbaru. The accommodation was booked and paid for by the event, so I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth!

Nevertheless, staying at Sahid Raya was like entering some sort of horror movie. Seen Dark Water? It was like that. All the walls, ceilings and carpets were blotched with water stains. In the three rooms that we occupied, every bathroom tap and toilet dripped and ran continuously. The airconditioning units positioned above the entryway space near the doors leaked abominably -- one night we set out five plastic waterbottles to catch the drops, which made interesting noises all night long. Amazingly, the place didn't smell of mold, but the staff didn't seem at all perturbed by the puddles made by every aircon on the carpet and in the wooden wardrobes.

Sahid Raya has definitely seen better days. It's quite grandiose, with full marble bathrooms and swimming pools, but all the hallway... more