Thanks to the reception desk and kitchen staff — they were super friendly and genuinely helpful. All the positive points go to them.
The missing two stars are for the following reasons:
We booked this hotel well in advance and ended up paying more than 30% higher than the rates closer to our stay date — over USD 100 per night on a non-refundable rate. When we later realized the location would not be suitable for work that required a quiet environment, we tried to change or cancel the booking through Hotels.com, but no flexibility was offered.
Upon arrival, we were informed that all rooms face the street and the river, and that there are no quiet rooms available. There were people gathering on the street directly in front of the hotel, and they stayed outdoors on benches overnight. As a result, we spent the entire night with constant river noise, street activity, and noticeable dampness in the room.
The rooms are also quite small. The hotel is the second-to-last property on the street; while this doesn’t make much difference in such a small town, it does mean there’s no added advantage to booking very early.
My advice: reconsider whether early booking is necessary, and be extra cautious with non-refundable rates. In my case, I didn’t realize I had selected a non-refundable option until I needed to cancel due to potential noise issues.