This was going to be my 85-year-old wheelchair-bound mother's (probably) last Umrah, so I wanted it to be the best experience and memory for everyone, especially her. So, I reserved a ‘Full-Kaaba View’ accommodation at the Fairmont Makkah (Accor), followed by a 'Partial Haram View' 2-room suite at the Sofitel (Accor), Madinah, and finally a 'Full Kaaba View' Junior Suite at the Swissotel Makkah. Both Makkah Accor facilities lived up to their 5-star classification in terms of room description accuracy on the Accor website/app, cleanliness, personnel warmth and sensitivity to my mother's demands, room standards, features, breakfast quality, and so forth. Knowing Sofitel's global standards firsthand, I chose this facility over other 5-star brands for our Madinah leg of the journey. When we arrived at the property about 6 p.m., the first thing I noticed was how inaccessible it was for a wheelchair user. The hotel has erected makeshift ramps throughout, but they are too steep for a single person to manage upward or downhill, needing the help of hotel staff in pushing/pulling the wheelchair to the ground-level elevator lobby. Once we had surmounted the barrier of even getting to the check-in, it became clear how dark, antiquated, and unpleasant each space in the hotel was. Having booked a 'Two-Room Suite' with a 'Partial Haram View', I was surprised to discover that there was NO Partial Haram View from the room-the only way to get a partial view was to open the window and look to the left-yet all the windows had been locked shut and all window handles had been removed, leaving only holes and partial lock fittings visible in the window frames that the hotel had not bothered to close and seal up. Turning to face the bed, I noticed that the left bedside light was falling away from the headboard and that the light button was missing. The second light, located on the opposite side of the bed, was completely missing, leaving exposed electrical wires where it had broken off from the headboard. My elderly mother wanted to use the bathroom, where the soap is mounted to the wall at a high level, which she found difficult to use, so I requested a regular soap bar from the hotel, only to be told that they didn't have any by the housekeeping staff sent to the room. What’s more the faulty ablution hose did not turn off after use causing flooding on the floor and posing a fall hazard for my elderly mother, causing her unacceptable amount of stress as I had to intervene in helping to get re-dressed and move seat her back in the wheelchair with water still gushing from the faulty ablution fitting. After a long trip from Makkah, I expected the Sofitel 5-star hotel reservation to provide relief for my mother. However, it turned out to be a complete nightmare. In complete disbelief of what we had experienced, I brought the above to the attention of the front desk, where the duty manager stepped in to help resolve, with a single alternative of a similar suite-but with a double bed that was inappropriate for my mother and I, and no view or partial view of the Haram that I had paid extra for to make my mother's trip memorable! It was now midnight, and the hotel still hadn't come up with an adequate response. I decided to leave the Sofitel and book my (now very tired) mother into a real 5-star hotel, not one that is (at the very best) only 2-stars and parading as a 5-star. Only then did the Duty Manager offer us a 3-bedroom suite or a discount on our existing booking. We took the alternative suite because it wasn't about money. Although the suite exceeded our expectations in size, its location on the same floor as the health club made it less ideal. The carpets were dirty and soiled, and the lighting was dim and in dire need of improvement. And. despite communicating the issue to nearby housekeeping workers, the door to the suite remained jammed and required full body weight to push open each time. The apartment itself had carpet stains, there was no view of the Haram, the Accor Wi-Fi coverage was weak in the suite, and even though the apartment had its own Wi-Fi connection, I requested its password and was informed that it was "not working," so we had to make do with the poor connection. The bathroom fixtures were almost falling off the walls, and the bathroom skirting had completely deteriorated. The aging air conditioning did not work correctly; the thermostats had pulled away from the wall, and it was too noisy for a good night's sleep. Despite being informed earlier that the hotel did not have soap bars, each of the three bathrooms had one! Consequently, sadly we spent the majority of our time outdoors and tolerated our stay! At the time of checkout, I kept repeatedly calling for the reception/service to collect the luggage, but the phone cautiously returned with a dead tone, resulting in having to take all the luggage as well as my mother in her wheelchair down to the waiting taxi myself. After arriving in Makkah the same evening, I realized I had left a brand new bottle of Prada Homme EDT (worth approximately $180) in the suite, so I immediately contacted the hotel and asked if they could find it and send it to the Swissotel Makkah (also an Accor property), assuming there would be plenty of shuttles between the two cities. My contact and booking information were reconfirmed, and the staff said they would investigate and get back to me. After a few hours of not hearing from them, I called again, and again, and again. Each time, I had to explain everything and confirm my booking and contact information. We checked out of the Sofitel on September 2, and none of the five separate staff members I dealt with have reverted to date !!! I therefore believe that the staff have decided to keep the EDT bottle. This experience has been nothing short of a disaster; shame on Sofitel for such shoddy property, terrible service, and an unacceptable amount of undue stress caused to my elderly mother.
