I stayed at AJ Gran Alacant for two weeks at the end of November and early December 2024, and my experience was deeply troubling in many respects. I feel compelled to share the full story to warn other potential guests.
From the outset, I faced unprofessional, dismissive, and sometimes hostile treatment from hotel staff which I believe to be racist. One particularly distressing encounter was with a receptionist named Noelia. When I called reception late one evening due to the ongoing problem of a neighbor’s dog barking incessantly, Noelia was shockingly rude and unhelpful over the phone. When I went down to speak with her in person, she responded aggressively and disrespectfully, asking, “How do you know the dog is always there? Are you standing on your balcony watching it all day?” Such a sarcastic, disrespecful, and dismissive remark was absolutelly unacceptable and utterly unprofessional. I’m quite sure she wouldn’t have dared speak to a German customer or a white guest like that!
Noelia also refused to help me contact the police when the authorities advised that I ask the hotel for assistance because they do not speak English. She insisted—rudely—that the police do speak English since this is a tourist area, but still refused to allow me to use the hotel phone and told me I had to use my own device. This uncooperative attitude put my safety and wellbeing at risk. Another reception staff member, Esmeralda, was also highly passive aggressive in the manner in which she spoke to me on two separate occasions, telling me, ´We are just working! and attempting to make various excuses for Noelia´s utterly unacceptable, hostile, and aggressive behaviour, never apologizing for it or offering me any room change or any other solution.
Even more alarmingly, the hotel manager, Francisco Martínez, told me—a British citizen, therefore a non-EU guest—that he had instructed staff not to call police or emergency services for non-EU guests, allegedly to avoid the hotel incurring costs for such calls or medical treatment. This directive is deeply troubling, potentially illegal, and raises serious health and safety concerns. It endangers all guests by discouraging staff from seeking emergency help when it might be urgently needed.
Regarding my late check-out request, Francisco told me the hotel was fully booked due to a nearby dog show event, which he planned to attend with his children, and refused a longer late check-out. He granted only two hours, of which I used about one, preferring to leave early. However, the hotel was mostly empty at that time, making his excuse blatantly false and further demonstrating poor management and a complete lack of respect for guests.
Throughout my stay, I also experienced what I believe was racist and discriminatory behavior from staff, contributing to a hostile and unwelcoming environment.
I raised my concerns formally with hotel management, including Francisco and later Romina Montero. After a two-month wait, their response was brief, generic, and dismissive. They refused any compensation and offered only a discount for a future stay—an insulting and inadequate gesture given the severity of the issues and the fact that no guest subjected to such treatment would realistically return.
The offer of a room change to escape the dog barking came only after I personally intervened and spoke to several of the neighbors, who were also concerned about the welfare of the small dog who was clearly very lonely and distressed. When I managed to speak to the next-door neighbor, a man who has a large dog himself, he agreed to contact the dog’s owner. The family returned the dog to their property within a couple of hours. I had no other choice but to take these steps myself, as the hotel staff, including Francisco, had completely failed to act despite being informed early on. The dog had been barking and howling for over a week at that point.
Adding to the continuing dishonesty from this hotel, the management simultaneously claims their internal investigation found all procedures were correctly followed while admitting to having made changes at the hotel following my official complaint! This contradiction clearly highlights failures and a lack of accountability.
Furthermore, Francisco told me himself that Noelia was his neighbor and needed a job and did not deny that she did not like foreigners.
Following these incidents, I also went to the local police station to report the whole issue regarding the dog and the hotel’s refusal to contact the police on my behalf. However, Francisco did not want to accompany me or contact the police himself. He told me he was worried about the hotel contacting the police at all about anything, as apparently the neighbors had objected to the hotel being built due to the loss of the sunset view caused by its construction right across from their homes and due to hotel staff parking in their street which is behind the hotel. My room faced that street and the neighbors´houses and therefore I had a clear view of the small dog abandoned in the house opposite and how it howled and cried all day and often and night too.
Given all these experiences, I strongly believe no guest who endures such mistreatment, neglect, and racism would ever choose to return. The management’s failure to acknowledge or properly address these issues is deeply disappointing and concerning. I strongly advise others to avoid staying at this hotel.
GB