I arrived at Poli House in Tel Aviv at 2:00 AM after a two-hour drive from the south, only to be met with one of the worst hospitality experiences I’ve ever encountered. From the moment I walked in with a friend to check in, the receptionist spoke to me as if he was doing me a favor.
Nowhere in the booking process was it stated that a physical credit card was required for check-in. Upon arrival, the receptionist demanded the card and refused to offer any alternative, despite my willingness to leave a cash deposit or authorize a charge on my card. His attitude was dismissive and unhelpful, treating us as if we were an inconvenience rather than guests.
When my friend provided his credit card instead, the receptionist sarcastically remarked, "This is just the beginning of the check-in, and you're already off to a bad start." I was shocked—as someone who has stayed in high-end hotels worldwide, I have never been spoken to so rudely by an employee. When I told him he should be ashamed of the way he treated us, it clearly bruised his ego. Despite us meeting his demand for a credit card, he still refused to check us in, saying we were "not the kind of guests he would like to accept."
Mind you, this was not a manager—just a power-tripping employee deciding on his own that we didn’t "deserve" to stay. He then refused to provide any manager’s contact information, leaving us stranded on the street at 2:00 AM with no accommodation.
If you’re considering this hotel, think twice—this is the level of treatment you can expect. There are plenty of hotels in Tel Aviv where professionalism and respect are actually practiced. Do yourself a favor and book elsewhere.
