26.01.04I stayed at Ovolo Central with my girlfriend from December 26 to January 3, booked via Agoda, and unfortunately the experience fell far short of expectations.
The biggest issue was sleep — or rather, the lack of it. The hotel is located directly above a very busy bar street, and the noise levels were extreme. This wasn’t just background noise; the bass was so strong that the room physically vibrated, with sound traveling through the bathroom and into the bedroom. On some nights, the noise continued until 3 a.m. and even as late as 6 a.m. This would be disruptive even for heavy sleepers.
Noise was also a problem inside the hotel itself. During the last two days of our stay, the guests in the room next door were extremely audible. The walls are so thin that I could clearly hear normal activities like sneezing, as well as loud door slamming. One morning I was woken up around 8 a.m. by this and couldn’t fall back asleep. Regardless of whether the neighbors were unusually loud, the sound insulation between rooms is clearly inadequate.
Adding to the sleep issues, the room had very poor blackout capabilities. Sunlight came through the bathroom in the morning, and the provided solution did not block the light effectively. Because the bathroom door is glass, the light spilled directly into the bedroom, waking us up early even after sleepless nights. Between the noise and the light, the most basic thing a hotel should provide — a good night’s sleep — was not delivered.
The room and service also lacked basic amenities. There was no trash bin in the room when we arrived, and we had to ask for one. We were also surprised that the hotel did not have a phone charger available to borrow, which is quite standard nowadays, especially for a property marketed as a four-star luxury boutique hotel.
The gym access was another disappointment. The hotel partners with an external gym, but when we asked about using it, the receptionist couldn’t explain the process, didn’t know whether a physical ID card was required, and told us to ask the gym directly. When we did, the gym informed us that we would need to leave our hotel room key card with them while exercising. This felt completely unacceptable from a privacy and safety standpoint, as a room key provides access to our personal belongings. This setup showed poor coordination and lack of guest consideration.
There were also smaller but ongoing issues, such as insufficient bottled water for two guests. Despite our late-night flight and the many inconveniences throughout the stay, we were only offered a very minimal late checkout.
Overall, the hotel markets itself as a four-star luxury boutique experience, but the reality did not match that image at all. Between constant noise (both outside and inside), poor light control, thin walls, lack of basic amenities, and inconsistent service, it felt like the hotel was pretending to be something it simply isn’t.
I would not recommend this hotel to anyone who values sleep, comfort, or a genuinely premium experience.