Travel blogger ‘totally stranded’ after learning Egyptian hotel he booked actually didn’t exist
A travel blogger was gutted to find out that the hotel he booked in Egypt turned out to be ancient history.
Mark Jeavons, 43, was excited for his four night stay at the Pyramids and Sphinx View Hotel in Giza, Egypt, which was quoted as £40-per-night ($52 US).
But when he arrived at the listed address at midnight, he was alarmed to discover there was no hotel – just an empty back alley.
It was nothing like the photos on the listing he had booked via Booking.com – which had dozens of positive reviews and featured a rooftop area from which you could see the Pyramids.
Mark, an English teacher, from Wolverhampton, said: “There was nothing at the address.
“It was a back alley with no sign of a hotel.
“The taxi driver was asking people on the street but no one had heard of it.
“I was totally stranded – it was not ideal.”
He had reserved a room from January 4 to 7 2024 for his “bucket list” solo adventure.
Mark was quoted around £40 ($52 US) a night to be paid in person at the non-existent hotel with the address of Gamal abd al nasser st nazlet elsemman, 12557, Egypt.
He reserved the room through Booking.com but was not made to pay any deposit and had made plans to pay in person at the hotel.
He was forced to roam the streets until he found emergency accommodation more than an hour later at The Sun and Sand Hotel.
He ended up shelling out more than £80 ($104) a night on his last-minute refuge.
Mark said: “You just assume it is going to be good if the reviews are all good.”
Mark said the hotel’s reviews were glowing and he didn’t think twice before booking.
But on his return, he set about unearthing the mystery of the invisible hotel.
He said: “I later found out on Google reviews that there were lots of people saying it was a scam and not to book it.”
After Mark complained to Booking.com, the hotel vanished from the site.
A record of the hotel still exists on hotel comparison site Trivago – with no photos or reviews but a location still visible on a map.
The Sphinx and Pyramids View hotel in Giza was uploaded to the Booking.com site on July 19, 2024 – and is listed on the same street as The Pyramids and Sphinx View hotel on Trivago.
The hotel has so far received 44 reviews to garner a 9.0 rating, with glowing recommendations drowning out a handful of reviewers calling the hotel a scam.
The hotel’s Booking.com photos depict luxurious bedrooms, scantily-clad women posing in bath tubs and women standing in front of the pyramids.
Despite the false start, Mark had a great time touring the pyramids, temples and taking to the skies in a hot air balloon over Luxor.
He said: “There is more freedom when you are solo travelling.
“It would have been worse if there were wife and kids.”
Mark has travelled to more than 40 countries, writing up his experience for his MJ Travel Guides blog – https://mjtravelguides.com
A spokesperson for Booking.com said: “We were sorry to hear about the experience of this customer with a property listed on our platform.
“While the hotel has successfully hosted a number of guests, we are investigating further and will be in contact with the customer directly to offer any further support.”
