This was one of the most unprofessional and frustrating hotel experiences I have had in Sri Lanka. My Agoda reservation was for two guests, with me listed as lead guest. When my partner (Sri Lankan citizen) arrived later, the staff refused to allow him into the room. What followed was more than one hour of changing explanations and inconsistent excuses. First they said my partner's name was not on the reservation (even though it was booked for two people). Then they vaguely referred to “local police regulations.” My partner’s physical ID had been stolen, but he provided an official police letter confirming his identity and offered a digital ID copy via WhatsApp. They refused both. At one point, they even mentioned an unrelated story about “a girl who came with her local boyfriend and something happened.” This had absolutely nothing to do with us. I was shocked to be given such an irrelevant justification. They said they would “check with management” and kept us waiting without clear answers. When I went to ask for clarification after almost an hour, they refused to explain and shut the door in my face. I had to enter their office to finally receive some form of response. They refused every possible alternative. I even offered to record a video statement assuming full responsibility for my guest. They rejected that as well. They would not even allow my partner to enter briefly to help me carry with luggage. When I asked staff to assist me instead, they said they would come — and never did. None of these extreme policies were mentioned anywhere on Agoda or at check-in. If strict regulations exist, they should be clearly communicated in advance. Instead, we were given shifting reasons with no clear final explanation. To this day, I do not know the real reason. We did not use the room at all (the bed was untouched), yet they refused to refund us. They claimed they would “lose money,” even though the hotel appeared almost empty with many vacant rooms. Even when Agoda requested a refund due to the circumstances, they refused. For comparison: we immediately moved to another nearby guesthouse where the exact same police document was accepted without issue and registered legally. Everything was handled calmly and professionally there. The entire interaction was documented. This experience showed poor management, lack of transparency, and zero customer care.
