Avala Hotel

The brochure description of the Hotel Avala in Budva was illustrated with a photograph of a large banjo shaped swimming pool. This picture was one of the main reasons I booked the hotel, it looked so beautiful.
This swimming pool was in fact demolished in February this year. Saga's most recent brochure which I received last week (and the Hotel Avala description on the Saga website) continue to use this photograph of a swimming pool that not only does not exist, but whose site is now covered in building works.
The information Saga sent me on accepting my booking last autumn was inaccurate too. It listed 'lifts to all floors', safety deposit boxes behind reception, two bars, beauty parlour, shop, indoor heated pool and large outdoor swimming pool etc. Although it could be argued that this information may have been accurate last autumn, it certainly was not so when they sent me the information again, with my tickets, about three weeks before the holiday. (During my stay there were no lifts, no safety deposit boxes behind reception, only one small swimming pool, no shop, only the Saga bar, no beauty parlour, and no indoor pool).
It was not until 3 days before the holiday was due to start that I was informed by telephone that major refurbishment works were being carried out and that there would be a lack of swimming pools and a danger of some drilling. At the same time I was told that I would be upgraded to a villa.
I was also told that I could not change my holiday without paying a charge for making the change. At such a late date, with travel plans made, most packing done, travel guides and maps and currency bought, of course the prospect of changing to another holiday was not attractive. Does Saga depend on this when providing such information so late in the day? Saga must in fact have been aware of the building works for several month prior to this.
In the event, when I arrived at the Hotel Avala, I was not given a villa, but a very shabby room in the main part of the hotel. This room had evidently not been examined prior to me being installed there.
The fridge, telephone, television, and main overhead light were all out of order and the curtains were partly hanging off the rail. The Saga rep eventually organised for the fridge, television, and light to be fixed. The telephone never did work throughout the holiday and that appeared to be true for other guests in that part of the hotel.
When I arrived at Hotel Avala in the afternoon of 15th May 2007 there were major building works going on. This included a large area of scaffolding, cement mixers, rubbish chutes, drilling etc. Dust and noise were evident from approximately 6 am to late at night throughout the fortnight that I stayed there.
The building works at this hotel had been ongoing for some months, and further phases of work will be ongoing for at least another 12 months and possibly considerably longer.
Saga must be aware of this but do not seem to be informing their customers of the fact until immediately before their holidays are about to start.
In my opinion, Saga's publicity material is grossly misleading about the Hotel Avala in its present condition. The brochure illustration should be altered to reflect reality. The brochure should state that major building works are going on. The hotel description should be altered to reflect what facilities are truly available right now.
People attempting to book a holiday at this hotel should be told about the building works immediately, before they book. In truth, it would be better if Saga stopped using this hotel until the building works are complete.