Q&A Residential Hotel is a fantastic place to stay: it is a luxurious apartment Hote, very nicely furnished, fantastic finish, excellent location!
We stayed there twice within the last months: first for 4 nights, then, returning for a whole week.
When we stayed for our shorter term period, we have been allocated a two-bathroom, separate bedroom, living room, study apartment on the third floor, which - as we have realised only later - was an upgrade. It was were very kindly allocated to us at our first arrival, and we loved it.
All the staff was incredibly helpful and kind during this 4 days stay, going out of their way to help us with everything. The atmosphere between us was incredibly friendly and amicable
Although, we have booked both of our stays within an hour of each other, way in advance, via Booking.com, when we checked it, our second (one week) booking did not appear on the Q&A system, to our surprise.
We had our confirmed booking printed out with us, and asked them to sort it. We kept coming back to this problem every single day, mornings and evenings, while our first stay at the Hotel, but every time we had only a promise that they ‘will sort this’, and nothing was sorted.
Finally, after 3 days of delays and promises, Juan the manager was on duty, when we asked, and he sorted this strange anomaly within ten minutes. We were very grateful, and were promised that we would actually get back our upgraded apartment, or the equivalent of it, i.e. the very same upgrade when we return: an apartment with two bathrooms, separate bedroom, living room, study, as during our first stay!
We were very happy to hear this promise, and left to California, before returning to Q&A again in two weeks time, for our week long stay.
Our flight was overnight, and we both are over 65!
We have arrived at Q&A Hotel exhausted, at 8 am for our return stay.
Khalif, a young staff member was on duty. We told him how happy we were to return, and would love to get our place as soon as possible as we felt exhausted, travelling all night.
He then looked at the computer for about 10 minutes and announced that within 15 minutes we would be given our apartment. We were incredibly happy to hear this, and thanked him very much.
Indeed, we were given our keys within 15 minutes, but when we entered the apartment: it was a studio place, one double bed, one bathroom, kitchenette area. We were sad and disappointed that our promised upgrade did not realise, so we went back immidtaely, to ask about this.
Khalid told us first, that there is no chance for any upgrade as none of them would be empty till next Tuesday (this was Sunday morning). Two minutes later he said, without even looking at the computer, that actually none will be empty till Thursday - or Wednesday! He changed his mind by the seconds!
We were looking at each other in total amazement. What is going on?
He must know which day people leave the Hotel? Why is he changing his mind every second?
He then announced, to us : ‘if you insist on an upgrade you must sit it out, and wait till 3pm!
We said: ‘you mean, there WILL BE an empty two bathroom, separate bedroom place after all TODAY?
He said, yes, there will be.
This was a bit of a turnaround within the space of 3 minutes!
But Khalid continued: ‘you cannot stay even temporarily in the studio, you must wait till 3pm, otherwise you cannot get the two bathroom place. If you do not accept this, you will not get the upgrade! My final offer!’
To be honest, we were utterly puzzled by this blackmail style approach, but decided we did not have much choice.
And yes, there WAS an empty two bathroom, separate bedroom apartment ready that day, but Khalid made sure we did not get it till 2pm, in the end.
Since we were exhausted we literally never left the Reception area, and two over 65 years old people sat there from 8am to 2pm, i.e. six very long hours (!!!), while Khalid was watching us slumped on the couch, all that times, sitting opposite us, with a glee. He ‘punished us’ and made us ‘pay’ for that upgrade.
A&Q is a high class, fine establishment. The way Khalid treated us was gutter standard low!
Even, assuming, that only ONE of these size apartments was emptied that day, it still had to happen before 12 noon, as that was the rule. However, sitting there all morning we SAW that people left by 11am!
Khalid could’ve asked housekeeping to clean that apartment first, and let us in by noon or any time after 12 lunch time even, but he did not. So only over two-three hours after the apartment was emptied, did another person who came on duty and felt sorry for us (and remembered us well, kindly – from our previous stay there) let us in, i.e. just after 2pm rather than at 3pm
Meanwhile we asked very politely Khalid - around 9am - why could he not allow us to stay in the studio till 3pm, even if it would’ve needed cleaning again, which would’ve cost the company about $20, at worst, in cleaning costs – as a courtesy gesture ! Why to make two over 65 years old people sit here for six or seven hours?
Khalid just looked back at us and said absolutely nothing. Did not have any explanation, why he could not do that.
But his colleague actually started to have a go at us, that instead of being grateful that we could go into any room at 8am when we arrived, and stay there all week, we were ungrateful and unappreciative.
We said, that was not the case, we were extremely appreciative just were very much hoping for an upgrade, which was promised for us. If Khalid suggested us to move the next day into our promised upgrade we would’ve very happily excepted it! But Khalid insisted that we can ONLY get the upgrade if he can make us suffer, and sit there, in front of his nose, enjoying us feeling extremely uncomfortable and exhausted, and wait for that room, and wait as long as possible. It gave him some sort of pervert pleasure, and his colleague took his side.
This still was not an argument, we were actually more sad than anything.
In fact, the colleague even suggested at this point that I could have a shower in the basement, which I happily accepted. She was very courteous towards us, just insisted on misunderstood ‘employee solidarity’ - no matter what! But her extra kindness suggested to me that she actually felt bad about the situation!
I have to say, the only thing I could think of, while sitting and ‘earning’ our upgrade, during these six long hours, was the firm knowledge that I will tell the world all about Khalid’s behaviour via Tripadvisor.
I have never threatened him or even raised my voice, to be honest I was so shocked and so exhausted I was just sitting on the couch at the reception, very quietly and counted the minutes, for six long hours, until we could ‘earn’ our upgrade.
But you can imagine how I felt inside.
I am sure Khalid has grandparents, who probably are younger than we are. Did he not think of them being treated the way we were?
How did he have the heart to carry on his ‘method’ of punishment, is truly, truly beyond me.
He was clearly making it up about ‘no apartment being available till Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday’, as it WAS available by 2pm that day! That is a FACT! We moved in at that time!
Khalid also insisted that he cannot allow us to wait it out in the studio, while waiting, despite it being obviously empty and clean: we were in it for about 5 minutes, at 8am
All week we avoided the Reception area, unlike during our first stay, as we did not feel like even seeing people who treat old people, who happened to be guests, retuning guests, staying rather lengthily, in this manner. We are the very people who provide the jobs for Khalid and his colleagues, obviously.
But treated in this manner….. out of pure spite! Not nice!
I have to stay, I will not forget this soon.
And wanted everyone else out there to know what Khalid - at the otherwise excellent quality Q&A Apartment Hotel – did to us on September 11th, 2016.