Booking at Zen Rooms

We've been looking at rooms available through BOOKING (dot) COM a number of times but it was our very FIRST TIME to TRY booking at the hotel EMPHASIZING a tag line..."ZEN ROOMS Sleep Well, Pay Less".


THE LOCATION

Since our stay is confirmed on our way on the 3rd of May I called the hotel.
I made a call past 2 in the afternoon, a sleepy receptionist whom I caught YAWNING answered the phone. I even started greeting..."GOOD AFTERNOON IS THIS ZEN ROOMS?"
This was because the HOTEL RECEPTIONIST lack TELEPHONE ETIQUETTE.
I started asking for HOTEL exact location in BONI, I was enlightened about it through certain landmark location mentioning ROBINSONS FORUM.
We locate it and later on found ourselves walking, it was far from the landmark and it requires a number of steps going there.

After paying for the AGREED upon ROOM RATE we also PAID for  a SECURITY DEPOSIT amouting P1000.


ZEN ROOMS ROOM

We were given a CARD not a KEY at 2720. Not so much to EXPECT a BED and a separate CR with TV, MICROWAVE OVEN, REFRIGERATOR, A DINING TABLE but there was no SINGLE SPOON nor MUGS inside. This was a bit AWKWARD for you have to call the hotel to REQUEST for those.

Our tummies were hungry so after dropping all our things...we left for lunch.
In fairness, there was existing FAST FOOD CHAINS and RESTAURANT within the area...a walking distance and to NOTE there's more with a few more WALKS inside the Robinsons Forum.

Then we went back right away to at least feel our stay at the hotel.
I was actually fixing some of my things when suddenly the KIDS SCREAMED.
I said WHY? they said there's a COCKROACH and pointing it to the direction where it was CRAWLING inside the CR.
A few more minutes there's a FEW MORE CRAWLING.

Upon checking my e-mail I was asked if how was so far our stay at ZEN ROOMS.
This gave me the very opportunity to put everything on writing our COMPLAINTS staying at their room.

One of their customer service representative gave us feedback on this...

A few minutes after our SENT e-mail...we HEARD somebody KNOCKING on our ROOM.
They IMMEDIATELY moved us to the NEXT ROOM, room 2721.

Much of my concern is this, did they not CHECK this before they send us there? Because if ZEN ROOMS did...then there's no INCIDENT like this.

In room 2721, It was the same type of ROOM but there was no SINGLE insect there.

Since we never wanted to ruin our stay at the hotel...we moved on because that particular day was my youngest SPECIAL DAY!


ZEN ROOMS AMENITIES

The kids and the family enjoyed SWIMMING. We made a visit on weekday so EXPECT that there's no VOLUME of GUESTS coming in. So were like, in our own SANCTUARY.
I just admired their CR with locker rooms, clean and well-maintained.

I just don't have the chance to personally visit the GYM which was supposedly on my BUCKET LIST due to time constraint. 

ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END

The following day we checked-out. 

We TRIED to inquire about our OTHER CONCERN which was how can we get a hold of the MONEY they took us from our VISA CARD.

We were told that they're just only going to PUT ON HOLD that money...but still it WASN'T RETURN to us until the time we checked out at ZEN ROOMS.

There was even a VERBAL DENIAL from the receptionist that it wasn't ZEN ROOMS who hold our money...and that BOOKING (dot) COM was the one CAPABLE OF DOING it.

But TRY TO LOOK AT THIS...

But we CHECKED over and over again until this very day.

I just couldn't put the grab copy of our bank statement (due to some privacy concerns) which proves that we were DEBITED with the same amount of our stay...and that MONEY was still on-hold after we made an inquiry about it.

We are still WAITING for our MONEY to go back. 

For those who are READING this MAKE SURE that before leaving the HOTEL you have your MONEY BACK.

After this experience, I don't know...NEXT TIME we will be booking at HOTELS and SEARCH ENGINES that is TRUE with their SERVICE and PROMISE.

  

Barangay Election na...BUMOTO ka na ba?

Ilang beses ding napostpone ang eleksyong ito...finally we are now pushing for it and nangyayari na.

So I expect with that very LONG time given, handang-handa na silang lahat para hindi lang MAIHALAL kundi MAKAPALINGKOD sa BAYAN!

Pinili kong magtungo sa eskwelahan kung saan ako bumoto ng tirik na ang araw, umaga sana pero 'tila napahimbing ako sa pagkakatulog.

Muli na naman akong bumalik sa aking Paaralan kong saan ako nagtapos ng elemetarya ang "Daanghari Elementary School," sa lungsod namin sa Navotas. 

Ikukuwento ko lang po ng konti na malayong-malayo na ito sa eskwelahang aking kinamulatan noon pang 1986. Ang tagal na po kasi...at mula noon, ngayon ay may makikita ka ng pagbabago dahil may mga bago ng building, at makikita mong inaalagaan ito dahil parang tila ang itsura'y parang laging bagong pintura.

Bago nito, dumaan muna ako sa aking Ina upang kamustahin ito kung siya ba ay bumoto na at saka tumungo doon. Mula sa aking Ina nalaman kung saan kami presinto nabibilang para makaboto.

Dahil nga batid ko na kung saan ako magtutungo, diretso na ako sa building na binanggit niya. Pero para makasiguro hinanap ko pa rin ang aking pangalan sa mga listahang nakapaskil sa pasilyo at pintuan ng bawat silid-aralan na naroroon.

Mahirap pala yung ganoong proseso, kasi nga literal na titingin ka sa mga listahan.

Medyo natagalan ako doon hanggang sa may nakapansin sa akin na mga Election Officers at nagmungkahi na maaari akong magpa-assist sa COMELEC, ibigay lamang ang aking pangalan at madali ko ng mahahanap kung ano bang presinto ako nakatalaga.

Hindi ko naman napansin ito sa aking pagpasok, dahil hindi naman sila nakabungad sa gate ng eskwelahan nasa gilid pala sila nakapuwesto. Nagtanong sila ng aking pangalan at sinabing isulat ko ito sa isang papel, pero ibinigay ko na lang ang aking SSS Id para mapadali ang proseso.

Maya-maya pa ay iniabot na sa akin ang listahan na may nakalagay na Pangalan ko, PRECINT NO., CLUSTER NO., at DES BLDG.

Kaya po pala hindi ko matunton ay dahil sa mali pong building ako nagtungo. Kaya ang mainam na gawin lumapit po tayo sa mga OTORISADONG tao na tutulong sa atin para mapadali ang paghahanap sa ating mga pangalan.

Nakaakyat na po ako sa building kung saan ako nakatalaga para bumoto at doon ko nakita hindi lamang ang pangalan ko and naroon kundi maging ang mga pangalan ng buong pamilya ko na REHISTRADONG bumoto.

Matapos po akong pumirma iniabot na sa akin ang ELECTION BALLOT na walang nakasulat na anuman. Pero nakapagtatakang bago ako magtungo sa upuan kung saan ako maglalagay ng mga PANGALAN ng mga IBOBOTO ko ay NILAGYAN na agad ng INDELIBLE INK ang aking daliri.

Nakapagtataka ano? dahil dapat ay inilalagay ito MATAPOS kang bumoto at hindi BAGO KA PA BUMOTO.

Hindi ako nagtanong bagkus ay nagpatuloy. Nag-OOBSERBA rin ako upang malaman kung nagagawa ba ng tama ang PROCEDURE ng mga ELECTION OFFICERS kapag boboto at ang mga botante.

Ang sabi ng aking Ina, nangyayari o ginagawa daw ito kasi nga yung iba pagkatapos bumoto ay hindi nagpapalagay ng INDELIBLE ink kaya upang MASIGURO na hindi na uulit ang mga ito para bomoto pa...nilalagyan na sila ng mga indelible ink.

Bago pa man ang itinakdang araw ng ELEKSYON marami ng mga SK at mga KAGAWAD ng nagiikot-ikot upang IKAMPANYA ang kanilang mga sarili.

Pero ito po ang karaniwang OBSERBASYON na akin pong nakita na madalas ay sasabihin lamang o ipakikilala lamang nila ang kanilang mga sarili at madalas NAKAKALIMUTANG banggitin ang kanilang mga PLANO kapag sila ay NAIHALAL na.

Isa lang naman ang gusto ng mga MAMAMAYAN ang MAPABUTI ang PAMUMUNO sa kanilang mga BARANGAY. Dahil lahat naman tayo ay nais ng PAGBABAGO kaya nga may ELEKSYON para tuluyan na itong MAISAKATUPARAN.

Mali po na boboto tayo para lamang masabing nakaboto na tayo. Dapat po ang PANGUNAHIN nating LAYUNIN ay MAIHALAL ang mga NARARAPAT na MAGLINGKOD sa BAYAN.

Sa mga MAGWAWAGI sana naman po PATUNAYAN natin na may MAGAGAWA tayo para MABAGO ang mga MALI at MATUTULUNGAN natin ang ating mga nasasakupan sa ating mga BARANGAY.

Babalikan po namin kayo upang alamin kung GINAWA nga po ninyo ang inyong SINUMPAANG TUNGKULIN dahil ito po ang TUNAY na DAHILAN kung bakit kayo NAHALAL. 

The amazing BOOKING (dot) COM

Last February we had booked at AZURE through BOOKING (dot) COM.
And we felt that we were screwed because what was posted in their site specifically the HOTEL RATE were HIGHER when we were asked to pay.

I never let this particular thing end as if we were victimized or scammed.
Right then and there, I sent an email to complain about what took place in our stay in AZURE.

They were replying but I couldn't get what I wanted. I am actually asking for JUSTICE and I will only think of achieving that at the time they do not just responded on my email APOLOGIZING but only by SENDING BACK the EXCESS MONEY Azure charged us.

Until I think a week or two, after several emails I sent them, I got a reply saying that they were sending back extra amount of money the hotel charged us.

At first I couldn't believe it. I thought I will just keep on receiving EMAILS of PROMISES...not until they asked for what existing bank I have in the present and after 14 working days, I had it BACK!

At the time I was so pissed-off with the service they're providing with us, I think I said it many times that I wouldn't be ANYMORE use their SEARCH ENGINE and will look for another one TRUE ENOUGH with their PROMISES.
But after what they did, it's like I AM DISCOVERING FEW MORE GOOD THINGS on BOOKING (dot) COM...ONE THAT IS TRUE AND VERY RELIABLE!

Now, again I took my time using the same search engine to have a memorable celebration of my youngest.