Kim Jong Un’s efforts to attract tourists to North Korea hit by terrible TripAdvisor reviews … and one hotelier should be very nervous
Travellers said it was a typical 'Soviet-era' hotel and claimed prisons were better
TRAVELLERS have voted a dingy resort the WORST hotel in Kim Jong Un's showpiece capital Pyongyang – and the manager could be in for a rocket.
The North Korean tyrant is desperate to promote tourism in the closed country so he can get his hands on much-needed foreign currency.
And he is often in a murderous mood if he discovers officials have let him down – once ordering the execution of a fish farm boss who failed to meet production quotas.
There are just eight hotels open to foreigners – who must all travel via China – in Pyongyang, which is stuffed with buildings designed to show the nation’s power.
And disgusted guests have voted the rundown Ryanggang Hotel the pits – with no excellent reviews on travel bible TripAdvisor.
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They shared pics of damp-looking beds in cramped and depressing rooms, barely edible-looking food served up on a stained tablecloth and dirty bathroom tiles.
One British guest wrote: "There is no service, padlocks on the fire escapes, no showers, no water or electricity most days but who cares you'll be out in a week if you behave yourself!"
A recent visitor wrote: "Horrible place, but I guess still on the upper side of NK hospitality. Beds are wooden pallets with a cushion on it. Warm water in the morning and evening for an hour each. No fruits available, but that's for most of the country."
A traveller from China added: "Dirty, cold, and hideous. Western prisons are more welcoming. So awful. And so much brain-washing. I really hated this hotel. No wonder so many Koreans want to finally get rid of the Kims and all of their stealing and repression."
And another UK guest said: "This hotel is shocking. I flushed the toilet and my feet got a wash...... The beds are so hard I think the floor was more comfortable. I am trying to think of something positive to say about the Ryanggang hotel, I can't."
And another nearby hotel doesn't sound much better
David from Estonia said: "Our tour included 4 nights of staying in Ryanggang hotel, but after too many people complaining about no heating and no hot water, they moved us to a different nearby hotel! (Sosan hotel).
"When we arrived, we were told hot water will be available from 9pm to 11pm. Later we will find out that it was a lie, there was no hot water on that day at all. It was also very cold, as heating seemed to be non-existent. We all had to walk around with coats on, and there seemed to be no radiators anywhere in the building at all!
"There's also frequent power outages that last about 5-10 minutes, although that's the case with most North Korean buildings. Everything in the rooms feels really old and 70s, and our room included what looked like an old wooden radio box that looked straight out of an old James Bond movie!
"The electric wiring is in a really poor state. Half of power sockets are broken, and there's bare (and possibly live) wires coming out of the floor and just end abruptly.
"But on the plus side, there was a huge flat-screen TV with one channel: the North Korean propaganda channel, where the female narrator tries her best to sound upbeat while clips of Kim Jong Un and some fields and buildings show."
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