Anonymous User
My last night during a layover turned out to be the worst hotel experience I've had since arriving in Xinjiang. Due to an unexpected flight cancellation and rebooking, coupled with the hope of getting free accommodation upon arrival, I didn't have time to thoroughly compare hotels. The flight was also delayed, so it was already past midnight when I landed, and I had to leave again at 6 AM. I just wanted to find a place nearby to crash for a few hours, saving travel time and getting an extra hour of sleep, plus saving some money. Ctrip showed this hotel was a few hundred meters walk away. Although the rating was only 4.1, I figured I was only staying for a few hours. It was a capsule hotel, which I hadn't tried before, but I'd noticed that the free overnight accommodations offered by airlines were often capsule hotels, and this one was located at the airport training center, making me think it might be the same place. So I decided to pay for it myself, prioritizing getting some rest. After booking, I saw there was a shuttle service. I thought, 'Why would I need a shuttle for a few hundred meters?' But then I worried about getting lost and wasting time, thinking maybe it was just a straight-line distance. So I called to ask for directions and say I probably wouldn't need the shuttle. I was curious why they'd offer a shuttle for such a short distance, wondering if there were restrictions. Once I got in the car, I found out it was a 10-15 minute ride, but having the shuttle service was still okay. There were other hotel guests in the car. Upon arriving at the hotel, I was told it had shared bathrooms, and they subtly suggested an upgrade. But I don't mind shared bathrooms; I'm a frequent hostel guest and often use them. Plus, I was only sleeping for a few hours and wouldn't need the restroom much. I wasn't expecting five-star service for a few tens of yuan. I'd seen the low rating beforehand and was prepared to rough it. Once I got to the capsule, I was initially intrigued, but figuring out how to adjust the lights and the noisy fan took some time. Later, I realized I was sleeping in a sealed box, which felt terribly stuffy. But the fan was too loud to sleep with. I couldn't find one of my earplugs, so I went to the front desk to complain about the noise and ask for earplugs. The front desk gave me one, but it was tiny and of poor quality; it squished into a thin strip and was almost useless. I tried leaving the capsule door open to make do, but the room had no door, and there was another male guest. I simply couldn't sleep. I saw there were single rooms available for an extra 14 yuan. I assumed these were normal rooms. So I went back to the front desk to upgrade, thinking it was a small price to pay to get some sleep quickly. I was polite and careful throughout, afraid of upsetting the front desk staff. The front desk said it would be an additional 30 yuan, explaining that regardless of the online price, she had only actually received a little over 50 yuan for the capsule. I didn't argue; 30 yuan was fine. She told me to get my belongings. I only had a small carry-on bag, so my luggage was minimal. As she led me to the single room, I asked if it was a normal room. She said it had a bathroom (I later realized she was avoiding my actual question). I didn't want to stay in the capsule anymore and thought paying extra would get me a normal room. When she opened the door, it was a room with a large glass window, which looked decent. But after she left, I discovered that the window couldn't be opened, so there was still no ventilation; it was still a capsule! I started trying to figure out its lights and fan. The noise was even worse. But I saw an air conditioner and thought maybe I could turn it on to make it less stuffy for the night. However, the AC had only one switch, like the fan, and when I turned it on, the noise was even crazier than the fan, and I didn't feel any air. There was a note saying to use 'Xiao Ai' to control the AC, but trying it proved it was just for show; Xiao Ai said it needed to be set up. I tried putting both small earplugs she gave me into one ear. I was stuck in a loop: close the capsule and feel stifled, or open it and endure noise even louder than the first capsule. It was unbearable. I couldn't imagine how I'd survive the next few hours. This was worse than sleeping on an airport chair, where at least it wasn't stuffy. I couldn't tough it out. So I went to check out. They actually knew the fan was loud; someone sleeping on a nearby sofa told me to go to another room number where it wasn't noisy. The front desk said the fan in that room wasn't noisy and suggested I stay in the room near the front desk. But it still had no window. I wondered, what if it was noisy again? She said she could only refund the 30 yuan difference I had just paid, as she had already marked me as checked into the previous room, so it couldn't be refunded. I thought, 'Okay, fine.' But while waiting for the shuttle, I noticed a cancellation request option on my order, so I clicked it, thinking that if she couldn't refund it because she'd clicked check-in, maybe I could cancel it from my end. When writing the reason for cancellation, I didn't want to hurt their business, so I thought about writing that I made a mistake and they could refund me, assuming she'd understand the real reason. Later, I found out they rejected it instantly. It turned out it wasn't that it couldn't be refunded, but that they didn't want to. This entire ordeal, costing 65 yuan and causing me to rush around in the early morning against my wishes, taught me two things: 1. High ratings on Ctrip can be inflated, but low ratings are truly low. 2. If you find a place intolerable after checking in, leave immediately. Don't bother trying to upgrade for more money. I wasn't expecting five-star service for 65 yuan; I could have put up with the dirty bathroom and the thick dust in the capsule's remote control box because I hadn't paid much. I just wanted to be able to breathe while sleeping, or for the fan not to be excessively loud. This hotel is really strange. From the outside, it looks like a normal building with an impressive facade, yet there isn't a single room with an openable window. You can see cars outside, but it's just a glass pane that doesn't open.
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