Nova Like Hotel, Eilat

Overall, the hotel is a good value, but a significant walk from the main tourist area of the city. I made my reservation online, and was promised a $75/night rate. When I arrive, I checked in, there was some friendly chatter, and I paid with my credit card. When I went to the room, I checked out the charge, and it came out to be almost $90/night. So I went downstairs, and the woman there explained that there was a tax which added to the cost. So I went to the tourist bureau who said that Eilat is in a tax-free zone. I then went back to the hotel and asked why I was charged tax. They said that they always charge tax. So I went back to the tourist bureau, where they called the hotel, since it is illegal to charge a tax. The hotel then changed their story and claimed that the charge was a "service charge" for booking online. So I contacted the online booking agency (Orbitz.com). They said that the service charge is to be paid by the hotel not the customer. Furthermore, the service charge is about 5%, not 20% like I was charged. After much annoying haggling, I got them to credit me some amount, bringing the cost down to about $85/night. Still unethical, because they could not explain to be the basis for the service charge, since it amounted to an odd amount (it wasn't exactly 5%, 10%, 15%, etc. It was something like 18.7%). They lied to me several times (saying it was tax, and only after I got someone from the tourist office to confirm that there is no tax in Eilat did they change the story.). Also, their amenities are not what they advertise. The so-called "exercise room" was empty, with a padlock on it. One day, it was unlocked, and the room was empty. But if you can put up with the surly employees, and the dreary pool area, the apartment-like rooms are a decent value.