I had stayed regularly at The Royal Mandaya Hotel in Davao since January 2025 because of its convenient location near my office. A late-night arrival on June 17, however, produced enough reservation, room and service failures to end that trust.
A confirmed reservation that could not be found
I had booked two nights and confirmed a late arrival with Lea. When we reached the hotel close to 1 a.m., Fred said there was no reservation on record. Hoping to end the delay, I asked for another room with two beds.
We were directed to an elevator roughly 30 metres from reception, only to find it defective. After returning to the desk, we eventually reached a room—but it contained only one twin bed. A disagreement followed over whether two beds had been requested, and we were moved again about 10 minutes later.
Room condition
The next room had a strong odour coming from the bathroom. Other rooms shown to us smelled mouldy or felt uncomfortably cramped. After several unsuccessful room changes, I chose to leave.
Follow-up
The next morning, Lea confirmed that the original reservation did exist. I asked for the general manager to call me, but no return call came within the following six hours. Being routed through a service passage to another elevator further diminished the experience.
Verdict
Despite the hotel’s convenient location, the inability to locate a confirmed reservation, unsuitable room assignments and limited management response mean I would not stay here again based on this experience.
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