Hajj: Video of our Hotel in Makkah
In a previous post I discussed Hajj Tour operators and my experiences with our particular one U.K. Hajj and Umrah Services Ltd of Whitechapel, London. I present here a video of the accommodation that they assigned to us so that you can see what some of these HTOs offer. I am also giving a running commentary on what I see.
Let me say at the outset that what you will see will shock you, but it should not put you off making the Hajj, what this video should do is make you a bit more wary of what the HTO promises you. If you have experienced anything like this then you should contact your local trading standards office and make a complaint. Don’t just put up with it because standards need to improve and they only improve when people make a fuss.
Someone else has posted a video on YouTube of the same or a remarkably similar “hotel”.
9 thoughts on “Hajj: Video of our Hotel in Makkah”
Assalamu Alaikum Mas’ud.
If the HTO actually promised you a good place and you got this, you should definitely take it up with them. However, coming from India, I think I can live with such a lodge for a month or so without too many problems given the average quality of rooms in Indian towns. 🙂
Wassalam
Subhan Allah. I sometimes felt a bit guilty staying in the big Hilton across from the Masjid al Haram. But tried to give sadaqa to maintain some sort of balance.
Strictly avoid many of the Whitechapel and East London tour operators, I would go with either OneCall or DomeTours, they keep high standards and you get exactly what you pay for.
Absolutely outrageous! I’m really sorry that you had to put up with such an awful situation.
My mum was recently sold a dogdgy ‘umrah package by similar cowboys in Birmingham, so this is quite a common occurrence sadly.
Perhaps there ought to be a website devoted to good and bad experiences in order to spare other people the same surprise.
Subhanallah. And what of those whose hotels were the marble squares and roads outside the masgid? The millions who lived off the public toilets, and who never had a fan, never mind an AC. If you have been falsely led to believe that your accommodation is significantly superior than what it turns out to be, of course you are quite rightly entitled to make a complaint to whoever you care to do so. But just remember the condition of the millions of other folks there.
Difficulties during Hajj may be a way for your status to be elevated.
Mas’ud says: Agreed, but when you pay for a service that you don’t get and your well being is endangered by corner cutting agents that is a different matter. It is this “Hajj is difficult” attitude that gives Hajj Tour Operators a free license to cut corners and take advantage of hujjaj, it is emotional blackmail. Yes Hajj is difficult but for greedy tour operators to make it more difficult than it needs to be is just plain exploitative.
Good point, agreed.
May Allah SWT bless you and accept the Hajj from you and your family, and give us an opportunity to visit the most sacred of cities.
ewwww – my mum and brother are doing the hajj this year and I’m going to make sure they’re not staying in this place. I get the point that it’s not about luxury or gold-plated fittings but hajj costs alot of money, people do save up for it, there are health implications for some and if you’re staying somewhere for a fortnight, maybe longer, then you would expect somewhere to be clean and functional, esp. when the cheaper packages still come in at a min of ?2k. Sorry, Musafir but I disagree with you. it’s easy to be self-righteous on this issue. there’s a pile ’em high sell ’em cheap policy, there’s virtually no quality control or regulation of the hajj tour operator industry and of the millions of other folks there i would say at least a million are there illegally. the government insists on registered travel agents but when you cross-ref these with ABTA/ATOL protected agencies the result for the UK is about four companies. which makes you wonder, what are the other agencies doing?
Was this a 3* hotel by any chance? InshaAllah I will be going on hajj this year and I have been told the hotel which has beeen booked in makkah is 3*. Im expecting not much from it, after reading this post.
If you have any more tips, etc etc or any help regarding anything hajj related, please let me know. I am just starting my prep, iA. Please pray Allah swt accepts my Hajj, :-).