Eurostars Auriense

We took an organized tour through Ourense and stayed 6 nights at this hotel. Good value for money. Located 7 km from the center of Ourense, but at the hotel entrance there is a bus stop that takes you to the center in 20 minutes; they have the schedules at the front desk. The hotel is surrounded by gardens and in the back it has a beautiful pool; it also has a small children's pool, lounge chairs, and a lifeguard, which you can enjoy until 8:00 PM. On the first floor, there is a gym open until 10:00 PM. The rooms are adequate, the furniture is a bit old. The bed is super comfortable and it has air conditioning. We did miss having a kettle in the room. The buffet-style breakfast had a good variety and dinner was served in a dining room just for the group. It was a set menu, you couldn't choose, but the portions were generous and besides a different first and second course each day, they gave us a mixed salad in the center of the table to share. They offered a different dessert each day and you could always swap it for fruit or yogurt. The staff is very friendly and professional.

I sincerely hope that Exe Auriense and Booking.com take this comment with the importance it deserves, because this is no longer just about a hotel room. It is about trust, transparency, and the basic expectations that any traveler has when making a reservation. When a guest filters their search for "air conditioning," especially during the European summer, there is a completely reasonable expectation that the room will have a functional air conditioning system precisely when it is most needed: during the night, while sleeping. If the system only works during limited hours or is intentionally turned off at night, that is not a minor detail. It is an essential condition that should be clearly communicated before the customer confirms the reservation and makes the payment. After losing 152 euros the same day because another accommodation advertised air conditioning and did not actually have it, I drove to Exe Auriense hoping to finally rest after a long journey. However, once checked in and with my luggage unpacked, I discovered that the air conditioning turns off at night. What should have been the end of an exhausting day turned into another experience of frustration, disappointment, and uncertainty. The financial loss is upsetting, but there is a much greater loss that no hotel or platform can ever reimburse: the travel experience. A trip is planned over weeks or months. Flights, car rentals, work meetings, family vacations, and days off are coordinated, which are often limited and irreplaceable. After hours of driving and arriving tired at an unknown destination, the last thing one expects is to discover that one of the main reasons for choosing that accommodation simply will not be available when it is most needed. No refund can return the lost afternoon, the time spent looking for alternatives, the discomfort of arguing at the front desk, the stress of reorganizing an itinerary, or a night without being able to rest. Hotels have the right to establish their own operational policies, but travelers also have the right to know them before deciding where to stay. And Booking.com is no longer just a listing page. It is a global platform that millions of people trust to book accommodations in foreign countries, often without speaking the language or knowing the local customs. That position implies a responsibility: to ensure that the essential services advertised are truthful and that any significant limitations are communicated visibly before the customer pays. Consumer protection begins with transparency. Credibility begins with responsibility. My wish is that neither Exe Auriense nor Booking.com interpret this comment as a complaint from a dissatisfied guest, but rather as an opportunity to improve the experience for all those travelers who simply expect that when they book a room with air conditioning, they can sleep comfortably with air conditioning. Because traveling should leave us with memories of the destination, its people, and its culture, and not memories of hidden limitations, unnecessary stress, and uncomfortable nights that could have been avoided with clear and honest information from the beginning.

It's 2:44 AM on a Tuesday, the music in the nightclub is booming because there is a graduation. I call the front desk and I must understand that there is a graduation. I will not return, I have a night for tomorrow and I will cancel it.