A travel blogger was disappointed when he found out that the hotel he had booked in Egypt was long gone.
Mark Jeavons, 43, was looking forward to his four-night stay at the Pyramids and Sphinx View Hotel in Giza, Egypt, which cost £40 ($52) a night.
But when he arrived at the address given at midnight, he was horrified to discover that there was no hotel there – just an empty side street.
It had nothing at all to do with the photos at the property he booked through Booking.com – which had dozens of positive reviews and featured a rooftop area with views of the pyramids.
Mark, an English teacher from Wolverhampton, said: “There was nothing at the address.
“It was a side street, there was no sign of a hotel.
“The taxi driver asked people on the street, but no one had heard of it.
“I was completely lost, it wasn’t ideal.”
He had reserved a room for his bucket list solo adventure from January 4 to 7, 2024.
Mark was quoted a price of about 40 pounds (52 US dollars) per night, to be paid in person at the nonexistent hotel at Gamal abd al Nasser St. Nazlet Elsemman, 12557, Egypt.
He had booked the room through Booking.com, but did not have to pay a deposit and had planned to pay in person at the hotel.
He was forced to wander the streets until he found emergency accommodation at the Sun and Sand Hotel more than an hour later.
He ended up paying more than £80 ($104) per night for his last-minute accommodation.
Mark said, “You just assume that if all the reviews are good, it will be good.”
Mark said the reviews of the hotel were glowing and he didn’t think twice before booking.
But after his return, he set out to uncover the secret of the invisible hotel.
He said: “Later I found out in the Google reviews that many people said it was a scam and not to book.”
After Mark complained to Booking.com, the hotel disappeared from the website.
There is still an entry for the hotel on the hotel comparison website Trivago – without photos or reviews, but with the location visible on the map.
The Pyramids and Sphinx View hotel in Giza was uploaded to the Booking.com website on July 19, 2024 – and is listed on Trivago on the same street as the Pyramids and Sphinx View hotel.
The hotel has received 44 reviews so far, giving it an overall rating of 9.0, with the glowing recommendations drowning out a handful of reviewers who called the hotel a scam.
The hotel’s photos on Booking.com show luxurious bedrooms, scantily clad women posing in bathtubs, and women standing in front of the pyramids.
Despite the false start, Mark had a lot of fun visiting the pyramids and temples and flying in a hot air balloon over Luxor.
He said: “When you travel alone you have more freedom.
“It would have been worse if his wife and children had been there.”
Mark has traveled to more than 40 countries and written about his experiences in his blog MJ Travel Guides – https://mjtravelguides.com
A Booking.com spokesperson said: “We regret this customer’s experience with a property listed on our platform.
“While the hotel has successfully accommodated a number of guests, we continue to investigate the matter and will be in contact with the customer directly to offer further assistance.”
