Deeply disappointing experience with House of Gods Glasgow
During a family trip through Scotland, my family and I arrived at House of Gods Glasgow after approximately four hours of travel, relying on a fully confirmed reservation made through Booking.com. Payment had been processed, confirmation issued, and naturally we travelled in good faith believing our accommodation was secured.
Upon arrival, we were refused accommodation because my children are 14 and 17 years old.
To be clear: I fully understand that the hotel may have an internal or licensing policy preventing under-18 guests from staying. That is not the central issue.
The issue is how this situation was handled.
I am Brazilian, and when travelling internationally, teenagers in this age group accompanied by their parents are commonly booked as adults. During the same 20-day UK trip, we made multiple reservations through Booking.com using exactly the same logic without a single issue at any other hotel. We are also long-time, frequent Booking.com users across multiple countries.
This was clearly a genuine cultural misunderstanding made entirely in good faith—not an attempt to deceive or circumvent policy.
What made the experience truly unacceptable was the hotel’s handling of the situation.
The duty manager was cold, dismissive, and entirely unwilling to engage constructively. When I explained the situation and asked where I was realistically expected to find accommodation in Glasgow at that late hour with my exhausted family, his response was sarcastic, suggesting I try a random bed and breakfast in the city.
I contacted Booking.com immediately and was told any refund required hotel approval.
I returned to the hotel a second time hoping for calmer dialogue. Instead, the same manager became even more hostile. Despite explaining the cultural misunderstanding and trying to avoid escalation, I was ultimately told:
“Get the f*** out of my hotel.”
While removing our luggage, another staff member kindly offered help. I politely declined and said we would manage. The manager then commented:
“Great, one less problem.”
Completely unacceptable behavior from anyone in hospitality leadership.
Booking.com later confirmed the hotel refused refund authorization.
So beyond the original issue, what remains is:
- no accommodation provided;
- no refund;
- hostile treatment;
- contradictory communication;
- and zero meaningful accountability.
Policies are one thing.
Human decency, leadership, and customer care are another.
This experience was not disappointing because of a rule.
It was disappointing because of how human beings were treated.
