SOUPHAPHONE HOTEL

Had the worst hotel experience of my life by the manager and her staff member. After being badly bitten numerous times by bugs during the middle of the night, I had to spray the bed and use anti insect roller on me and the bedding. The next day I was moving rooms in the same place and had slept very badly due to the bites. I left to head out for breakfast and sightseeing and came back about noon to sleep. I was very rudely woken up by the staff constantly banging on my door to say I had to pay for the bedding as I had spoilt it. I told the rude staff that it washes out as I apply anti insect roller and spray to my clothes in the evening when I’m out. She insisted that I would be charged 50,000 Kip and stormed off. I went down to reception to speak with her and the manager. The verbal abuse and rudeness I received was utterly appalling and when I said I had been bitten during the night by insects, the manager told me to leave the hotel. I asked for my second night’s money to be paid back to me (600 baht) and asked the staff to help with my bag from the room as the stairs were tricky for me. She told me rudely to leave and get the bags down myself. The brazen rudeness and aggression was disgraceful. Because I was shocked and upset about the treatment and ejection from the hotel, the incorrectly asked for 300baht to be returned to me. The staff was shockingly rude and eventually paid and then had the temerity to follow me to the next hotel where she spoke to them and they then said they had no availability. I told the staff if she kept in following me, I would call the police. She was smirking and clearing relishing the distress it was causing me. When I booked into another hotel, I realised I’d been shortchanged by the staff by 300 baht. I found my receipt and went back. The manager and staff laughed at me, told me that it was my problem and weren’t going to pay me the correct amount. They even suggested that I owed them money as I had stayed beyond noon and were deliberately difficult and were laughing at me. They were cruel, vindictive and clearly enjoying the distress they were causing me. I lost my temper and shouted at them, threatening to call the police to which they laughed and were openly contemptuous and hostile. In short, I was physically assaulted by them and told them to stop touching me.
I eventually got my remaining money after much shouting and abuse. The manager threatened me, saying she had my passport details to which I was so upset I told her to ‘ fxxx off’ to which she shouted at me telling me ‘fxxx off too’ before I left the lobby. I’m from London, in my late 50s and have travelled around the world (with this being my fifth visit to Laos) staying in numerous hotels and guesthouses and I’ve never in my life been threatened, physically assaulted or had utter aggressive, hostile treatment like this or brazen theft by refusing to give me the correct money. They laughed and clearly enjoyed the distress they were causing - it was like they had mental health issues quite frankly. I have reported this to the tourist information centre, a Laotian tourist problem website and tried to explain the incidences to the police who had trouble speaking and understanding English. I felt and continue to feel deeply upset and aggrieved by the physical and psychological abuse and cruelty afflicted by the manager and staff member and think they should be summarily dismissed if not prosecuted. Don’t stay at this hotel as this review and some others attest to the despicable, hostile, abusive (physically and psychologically) treatment by the manager and staff and the theft of money. The hotel should be closed.