The hotel Ambassador Residency in Chittagong is located on a quiet side street about half a block from one of the major city's thoroughfares. Surprisingly it is very quiet and serene. The entrance is past a 24 hour security officer and through a covered parking area to the lobby. Since there were no TripAdvisor reviews before this one I booked a room with some trepidation via the Booking.com link on the TripAdvisor page. For $35 a night plus 25% VAT if I didn't like it I could always walk away.
In short the room was spacious and quiet though a little Spartan. Large firm bed. A small box of shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush and bar soap. Large flat screen TV and excellent A/C and WI-Fi. There was a small fully enclosed balcony, The room was spotless, including my check for mold around the usual spots in the bath/shower. Two complementary bottles of water and a daily English language newspaper rounds out the synopsis.
Since I had booked via Booking.com they already had my information, so a quick photocopy of my passport and a signature and I was in.
One thing that the room did not have was electrical outlets. There must have been one behind the bed to power the bedside lamp and one for the minibar frig and large flat screen television. The only other plug I found was in the bathroom. Of course at this price there was no hair dryer. It was also missing a bedside clock. You kind of have to rely on the various calls to prayer if you are totally off the grid.
The towels were huge and thick. Bath, hand and washcloth. The room had it's own hot water heater and it was very hot. Use caution. The fixtures were useable but very dated, enough so that the chrome had flaked off sink's faucet.
There was a restaurant on the second floor for the breakfast that came with the room. Four, square meter tables and poor lighting, made room service a viable option. The dinner menu was very basic you might consider going off the property to a different restaurant if you want a full meal. Though the staff in the restaurant did the best with what the had and went out of their way to make certain you had what you needed.
The staff was outstanding. Whether it was offering advice on the city's sights, catching a CNG for you and negotiation a fair price or making reservations for your next stop and arranging the bus (and I assume train or plane) ticket.
There was one major flaw in this. When I went to check out the bill was for $60 a night plus 25% VAT. I used the computer in the lobby to bring up the Booking.com confirmation at $35. I was told that was for a small room not the large one I had. I told him that was his problem not mine. If I had paid for a small room, I should have had a small room and if I wanted an upgrade it should have been offered, not forced..
After perhaps 30 minutes of back and forth the desk clerk reduced the rate some and I came up some, though neither of us were very happy. I suppose that it the definition of compromise.
Would I stay here a second time? – Very unlikely, and not because of the problem with the room and bill. At $60 plus the VAT you are closing in on $75 a night and I would hope you could get a little more upscale for that price.