Permanently Closed
My parents arrived about a week ago. And after a week around my home village we proceeded this past Monday to Perth.
That was a four hour and fifteen minutes flight, which was an hour late. So after we got the rental car and drove half an hour to our hotel it was 22:00.
We drove around all four sides of the "Wray Hotel" but it all looked dark and locked.
"Uh, dad, Google lists this place as 'permanently closed'"
"What?! I booked on hotels.com and it took my money!"
At this point we were idling in the exit of the hotel's parking lot and a car came up and angrily revved its engine behind us so we drove down the street and pulled over.
It being three hours later here than in Victoria, it was 1am where we'd just come from and i think we were all very tired and not wanting to deal with such shenanigans.
Dad called the listed contact number and a guy with a Chinese accent answered, there was a lot of background noise, i thought it sounded like kids but mom thought it sounded like he was in a bar. He did assure us the hotel was still open and we should go knock on the door of the attached bottle-o (drive through liquor store).
So we proceeded back. There was indeed signage of a bottle o along one side thought it was all dark. We pulled up to the door, which had the metal security roller door pulled down, and there was a door bell, which we rang several times without answer. While we were waiting two cars pulled up behind us. The occupants of one got out and said they were trying to get beer from the bottle-o. I don't know about you but i was finding this really weird. I was wondering if it was a drug dealing location and we were about to get ourselves mugged.
I decided to proceed around the building on foot and see if closer examination revealed anything.
And actually on the far side i found a propped open door with a "guest entrance" sign. Outside a younger couple was sitting on a bench smoking.
Went in and confirmed it appeared to be a currently operational hotel. Stairs led up to one hall with rooms on either side, lights on and everything in normal order. A young man exited a room and i asked him if there was a manager around but he said they went home.
Called my parents and they came up. We looked around and were like, well, we made it in but if we can't check in and get a room key i guess we still need to find somewhere else. Called the phone number one more time not very hopeful, but the guy said the manager was returning for us.
About fifteen minutes later a 30ish woman arrived, actually surprisingly cheerful, said she only lived five minutes away. She gave us room keys and checked us in.
Room was alright for a budget sort of place. Room was nice but had no AC. My parents had a bed and i had a couch with linens provided for it. Bathroom was down the hall; one bathroom for male and female but separate showers and toilet stalls for male and female. As is weirdly often the case only one hook was provided to hang your clothes in the shower stall, and especially it being a mixed facility it doesn't seem appropriate to emerge from the shower in just a towel, so one tries to hang all their things on that one hook and change w out dropping anything. Wasn't a fan of the bathroom situation.
And so we lived happily ever after.
The next day we went to famous Rottnest Island, but that'll be another entry.
That was a four hour and fifteen minutes flight, which was an hour late. So after we got the rental car and drove half an hour to our hotel it was 22:00.
We drove around all four sides of the "Wray Hotel" but it all looked dark and locked.
"Uh, dad, Google lists this place as 'permanently closed'"
"What?! I booked on hotels.com and it took my money!"
At this point we were idling in the exit of the hotel's parking lot and a car came up and angrily revved its engine behind us so we drove down the street and pulled over.
It being three hours later here than in Victoria, it was 1am where we'd just come from and i think we were all very tired and not wanting to deal with such shenanigans.
Dad called the listed contact number and a guy with a Chinese accent answered, there was a lot of background noise, i thought it sounded like kids but mom thought it sounded like he was in a bar. He did assure us the hotel was still open and we should go knock on the door of the attached bottle-o (drive through liquor store).
So we proceeded back. There was indeed signage of a bottle o along one side thought it was all dark. We pulled up to the door, which had the metal security roller door pulled down, and there was a door bell, which we rang several times without answer. While we were waiting two cars pulled up behind us. The occupants of one got out and said they were trying to get beer from the bottle-o. I don't know about you but i was finding this really weird. I was wondering if it was a drug dealing location and we were about to get ourselves mugged.
I decided to proceed around the building on foot and see if closer examination revealed anything.
And actually on the far side i found a propped open door with a "guest entrance" sign. Outside a younger couple was sitting on a bench smoking.
Went in and confirmed it appeared to be a currently operational hotel. Stairs led up to one hall with rooms on either side, lights on and everything in normal order. A young man exited a room and i asked him if there was a manager around but he said they went home.
Called my parents and they came up. We looked around and were like, well, we made it in but if we can't check in and get a room key i guess we still need to find somewhere else. Called the phone number one more time not very hopeful, but the guy said the manager was returning for us.
About fifteen minutes later a 30ish woman arrived, actually surprisingly cheerful, said she only lived five minutes away. She gave us room keys and checked us in.
Room was alright for a budget sort of place. Room was nice but had no AC. My parents had a bed and i had a couch with linens provided for it. Bathroom was down the hall; one bathroom for male and female but separate showers and toilet stalls for male and female. As is weirdly often the case only one hook was provided to hang your clothes in the shower stall, and especially it being a mixed facility it doesn't seem appropriate to emerge from the shower in just a towel, so one tries to hang all their things on that one hook and change w out dropping anything. Wasn't a fan of the bathroom situation.
And so we lived happily ever after.
The next day we went to famous Rottnest Island, but that'll be another entry.