WYNDHAM GRAND REGENCY DOHA

This 5 star hotel was not my selected hotel. However, due to overbooking in the Mövenpick, I got transferred together with some of my colleagues to this other hotel, which is from the same chain. It was not a good start, but... these things can happen.

First thing we noticed about the second hotel was that it was way out of everything. It’s true that in Doha, you need to get around in taxi, however, whereas the Mövenpick Suites and Towers was in the Corniche, near restaurants, hotels and shopping centre… this one was facing… the desert.

Staff were friendly upon arrival… offering us a glass of water as compensation for the inconvenience. It

I was in room 314… a real suite. Big living room with couch, dining table and work table… a big bed in a nice bedroom and a relatively small bathroom with a bathtub. Very comfortable, quiet… slept really well. The hotel was classical, but fine.

Staff was different. Whereas the breakfast people were extremely nice and remembered my likes for the following day, the reception and concierge made my life a misery… but for little details not proper of a 5 star hotel.

1) Lack of compensation from management for inconvenience.

2) Trying to deceive with the cost of renting a hotel car for a day. Negotiated price: 50 Riyals. Requested by Staff: 80... And as a favour, 60. Rest of my colleagues got it for 50 and I refused to pay more. Second day, was the same story, even having just paid for 50, for the day... I got told the same story for the following day. Everything was difficult in this hotel.

3) Treated me like a thief because they did not do their job and expected me to pay upfront AND cash all services. They forgot to request my VISA for preauthorization. Was it my problem? I refused. Having ordered room service, I was asked to come down to reception to pay. I was really furious.

4) Paying with credit card was extremely complicated. Maybe their normal visitors have a suitcase with money they can pay for excessively expensive services. They seemed obsessed with the matter. Is the Mövenpick short of cash that they have to get it before the service is offered from their guests?

Internet was free in the Lobby and 100 Riyals (around 20 Euro) for 24 hour use in the room. I also complained about this when suggested I could have free internet in the lobby. Bearing in mind that Arabs do their gatherings in the lobby, seats were not that easy to find, smoke and noise was all over… Do I pay a 5 star hotel to be subject to this treatment? I really feel bad about hotels that have this "free-in-the-lobby-internet-and-really-expensive-in-room" service. It shows what they think of giving service and comfort to the customers. Radisson has a worldwide policy that offers free internet in all hotels. A good reason to choose that chain.

My last day in the hotel, I had to check out in the morning, do my work, and returned to the hotel and asked for a room to get changed. They directed me to the bathroom… that was in use at the time and a queue! I returned to the concierge and got an answer… don’t get in the cubicles... get changed in the general area of the bathroom. Well… not that I have anything to hide, but… Did they get training on how to treat customers in the back of a Yogurt cover? Of course, I refused to do that… and eventually, was allowed to change in the luggage room. At least it was big enough to open my luggage and get changed in privacy…

Travelling as much as I do, visiting hotels worldwide… I have to say that if Mövenpick group treats customers like this… there is no way I am returning to one. In fact, I got offered for my next trip, and rejected it. No way. And of course, in Doha, their partner Wyndham, makes it impossible for me to return.

 I said it before. The people at the breakfast room and in the lobby bar were extremely professional, nice and helpful, but concierge, reception and management... fail dramatically.

THE CHAM PALACE DAMASCUS

We needed a hotel in the centre. The Cham Palace was very conveniently located. It has a huge reception, decorated in a style that goes over the limit of what you would understand as Arabic decoration... but it is nice.

Check-in was complicated… very slow and as in many Arabic countries, staff extremely rude and not helpful at all. When asked a question, they pull one of those faces as if you were disturbing their tranquility…

I got a room on the 5^th floor, 507, which was… a total let down. The room was small. The bed was against the wall. TV was flat... but it was the only thing that was new in the room. It was extremely sad looking. Even the lighting was really bad.

Internet was expensive, slow and also, complicated to get. Fortunately, it could be charged to the room.

The bathroom had a bath and toilet, as well as sink. Toiletries were available too. The hand towels were really thin, so got easily wet…

Buffet breakfast was very reduced for a 5-star hotel and really, poor quality. Even the fruit was out of a tin. Coffee… horrendous. Some Arabic food which you either liked or not… Good Yogurt.

Checking out was also a bit slow.

In this hotel, you get a big wow! at reception, but the rooms and services, are not really those of a 5 star hotel. I think it has one-too-many starts.

HOTEL NOVOTEL LUXEMBOURG CENTRE

The Novotel City Centre in Luxemburg is a nice modern 4-star hotel with around 150 rooms. It is not in the centre, but it is within short distance from it, and even shorter, to the Railway station and plenty of shops and restaurants.

It offers smoking and non smoking rooms but for some reason, they are mixed on the floor, so you get the smell of cigarettes on the corridors.

The room was quite big, with a nice configuration. Modern desk, flat TV, coffee maker… Big bed with several pillows to chose from… Bed was comfortable. Spanish TVE was available too. Internet connection was free of charge.

I did have a problem with the central heating. Outside, it was -2ºC and my room was at 18ºC. I complained and the first night, I was given a portable heater to help, as my system was not working. The noise was, as you can imagine, constant. I switched it off for sleeping. The next morning, the room was cold again. On my way out to my visit, I complain again at reception and got promised it would get fixed. When I got back, went to the room, and was told that the heater had a problem and had just been fixed. I needed to give it a couple of hours until the temperature got to something acceptable. I was very comprehensive and went to my room, and waited two hours, to find out that the temperature, with the system on full, had just risen from 18ºC to 19ºC. I considered the issue unacceptable, and requested a room change, which I got. The new room was at 23ºC.

Bathroom and toilet separated. The two push doors lead into the bathroom, where the sink and bath/shower is. The complementary toiletries were a bit scarce… but soap smelt well.
Buffet breakfast was on the ground floor. You could get a selection of cold meats, cheese, yogurt, some cereal, toasts, a bit of hot stuff, for me, unappealing and a very artificial orange juice. Coffee was filter…

Checking in was easy, making sure you rolled on the A-Club membership, which I am… but with the heater problem, it makes me wonder how they treat their non members.
It is a 4 start hotel… and it looks that way, but in terms of service, I think it is one star over the reality.

HOTEL NOVOTEL LUXEMBOURG CENTRE
35 rue du Laboratoire
L-1911 LUXEMBOURG
LUXEMBOURG
Tel (+352)248781
Fax (+352)26480224
E-mail H5556@accor.com

GRAND HOTEL SOFIA

It's one of the 5-star hotels in the Bulgarian capital city. It's located in the city centre, next to the National Theatre, and within a short distance from the beautiful cathedral, museums and ministries.

The hotel itself is recently renovated. Accessibility is a bit limited as there are no ramps and some steps that makes it s bit uncomfortable to travel with luggage.

Reception staff is nice... If you don't have a problem. If there is a problem of overbooking, which seems to happen, you are relocated in another hotel, on the other side of the city which is only a 4 star hotel. That is unacceptable. But it happens.

The rooms are very classically decorated. But, they are huge. We are talking that they could easily be around 65 m2. It is a big difference with other hotels where the rooms are minuscule. You have a living room area, a work desk, old fashioned TV set, a huge bed. And lots of space to do a party. I have been there before, and I remember being in bed and saying. "Uff! The bathroom is so far that I am not sure whether to go! Ok. It's an exaggeration, but really, the room size is huge. Too much, but at the same time, it's like being at home. You don't feel claustrophobic.

Internet is free of charge, both wireless or with cable. You need a password and you can surf the net easily at a very good speed. You are given two bottles of complementary water, which is another thing worth nothing but it's a nice thing. Sleepers are also available.

The bed is huge and comfortable. There were two pillows, and maybe, I would have liked a couple more to watch TV in bed. But, they were brilliant to sleep. The duvet was shorter than the bed, so I guess that if there are two people, there is a risk of getting some leg or arm out of the duvet. And the heater was very strange, as it was hardly noticeable. It was cold even sometimes. I had to switch it off at night due to the noise. The curtains were, again, too short to cover the huge window to the main road. But still, I could sleep well.

The bathroom, too, was big, with a bath, a shower, bidet, toilet and sink. And toiletries are available.

Breakfast was good, but very little selection of fruit. Bread could have been better. I asked for the traditional cheese and tomato omelet, and they needed to be returned to the cook to finish them off, as they were not completely cooked. I asked for a double espresso and was good.

The checking out was easy, a bit slow but easy. I god a transfer back to the airport, that was payable.

GRAND HOTEL SOFIA
1, Gurko Str.,
1000 Sofia,
Bulgaria
tel: (+359 2) 811 0811
fax: (+359 2) 811 0953
e-mail: concierge@grandhotelsofia.bg

ELYSÉE PALACE IN NICE

I got a taxi to the hotel from the airport, and it set me back 38 Euros for a trip that could have lasted, maximum 8 minutes. This is not the hotel fault, but it would help if a transfer was organised. It's only a few meters away from the Legendary Negresco, on the side of the Boulevard des Anglais, within a short walk to the main centre part of the city. I guess you can use the bus from the airport too, route 98, if you know where to get off.

Checking in was ok. No problem at all. It is a Four Points by Sheraton. The hotel looks ok, and the interior seems to have been renovated lately.

Internet was free of charge but needed a password that I could barely read from the front desk guy's handwriting.

I got room 704, on the top floor. It was supposed to be a room with beach view... but it was only sideways.

The room had been renovated lately. A bit plasticky, specially for the chair, the bedside tables and lamps. It tried to be stylish... but I suppose it is not mine. The closet didn't have doors. Instead, it had curtains. There was a clear excess of curtains in the room.

Room was quiet, and the bed comfortable, which at the end of the day, it is what you need.

The bathroom had a bath, and plenty of toiletries.

Breakfast was on the ground floor, and had some fruit, cold meats, scrambled eggs, hot meats, and pastry. Coffee was "industrial" American coffee... and basically, the choice was so, so.

Checking out was also good.

The hotel is good, a bit plasticky all around, but for Nice, it is good value for money.

HÔTEL ELYSEE PALACE
59 promenade des anglais /Entrée Rue Honoré SAUVAN
06000 NICE -
Téléphone : + 33 (0)4 93 97 90 90
Fax : +33 (0)4 93 44 50 40
e-mail : reservation@elyseepalace.com

ELECTRA PALACE HOTEL, IN ATHENS

Electra Palace Hotel is an unexpectedly big hotel in the heart of Plaka, the most touristic district of the Greek capital. However, that doesn't mean that is noisy at all. It is also near Syntagma, the main square in the city.

The hotel is rather classical. Its huge hall leads to the reception area. Two or three people will do the check in. Quick, although you need to fill in the form, as you normally do, even, when you have the voucher with all the information. The staff at reception is ever so nice. Really helpful at all times.

The lifts are too small, and rather unsafe. I got one where the doors would not close, so I got out, but could not call the other, because according to the system, the (defective) lift was still there. So I had to find my way downstairs.

The room was very old-fashioned, and to an extent, with lack of taste. It felt it was decorated in the 80s... and had remained like that since. The big problem for my room was that it was extremely hot. I put on the air conditioned, and I realized that hot air was coming out. I called reception and was told that it was either heating or air conditioned... and because customers had complained about the cold, they had to put the heater on. It was around 25 outside. How could people complain about cold rooms!!!

Internet is free of charge, but you need to go via cable. But again, it is positive.

Breakfast was rather weak. Good natural Orange Juice. Fruit salad is something that makes me wonder the origin of the food. And that was available every day. Bread was also nice, especially the cheese bread with sesame. Scrambled eggs or poached eggs... didn't look that attractive. I have to say... that I have had better breakfast.

Checking out was fast too... If I have the choice, I think I would try another hotel. It is clearly not a 5 star hotel, despite the traditional decor.

ELECTRA PALACE HOTEL ATHENS
18-20, N.Nikodimou Str
10557 Athens
Greece
Tel : +30 210 33 70 000
Fax: + 30 210 32 41 875

EUROSTARS DAS ARTES, IN PORTO

Getting to Porto from Lisbon was easy. Getting to the Eurostar Das Artes Hotel was a bit of a nightmare. I didn’t have a GPS with me, so there I was like in the old times… with a map in hand… and following signs. I have to say that from the ring road, the signs were clear and without any mistake, so you could reach the hotel easily… but the traffic around the hospital that is near the hotel was chaotic, extremely slow and clearly, the traffic lights didn’t allow enough cars to avoid congestion. But… eventually, I got there.

The hotel is inside a historic building, near the centre but not quite in there. The metro stop is within walking distance. To start with, you need to climb a few steps to get to the reception. Staff was nice and gave me all sorts of indications. I had to pay for my car parking space in the back yard. Outside, in the neighbouring streets, carparking may be complicated... and expensive, as it is blue area of pay and display.

The room I got, was on the 2nd floor of the module that was next the the street, but it was an inside room, therefore, it was very quiet. The room was huge, with a big comfortable bed and sufficient space for a sitting watching the flat screen TV.

The bathroom was huge too. Very long, with a bath and a shower, and plenty of soaps.

In the morning, on the lower ground floor, a massive buffet is waiting for you. Wide choice that surely will meet your expectations.

EUROSTARS DAS ARTES
RUA DO ROSARIO, 160-164
Porto
Portugal
Telephone: (+34) 902 93 24 24
Fax: (+34) 93 268 19 45

NH CAMPO GRANDE, IN LISBON

The NH hotels can be of two types. Old buildings refurbished and new buildings. The NH Campo Grande is a relatively new building but the hotel itself looks as if it was an old one... that had not been touch for a long time... except for the common areas.

The Reception area is ok. When I got there, it was rather quiet, so I checked it relatively fast. The lifts were just next to the reception, but one of them was not working well. So thank God there was not that many people.

The room was ok. I got 403 that offered a "nice" view to the main road. Fortunately, it was well isolated. Bed was comfortable, rather small for a new hotel. A little living room area, with a pair of chairs and a table, with a Nespresso Coffee Machine and some tablets to make a coffee.

The bathroom with much less toiletries than in the good times... Logical if they want to reduce costs... but... do you go to a hotel that has an attractive price but you don't find half of the things you find a similar status hotel? Very poor.

Internet has also a cost. 15 Euro for the basic connection and 18 for the business. Nowadays, there are hotels that are offering it for free, for god sake, and this hotel not only asks you to pay for it, but it has two types. I am not sure what the business rate was like, but the basic one was constantly offline, and took a couple of minutes to get you back online.

Breakfast was also... simple. A buffet was available with some cold meats, cheese, fruit (very scarce) and some bakery products. Coffee was prepared (not that bad) and so was the orange juice. The restaurant was overlooking the main road too and traffic was intense, so... definitely, was not a relaxing experience, especially for me, who had a car hired.

Checking out was fast too. I had my car in the car park... which according to them is payable, but they didn't charge me for it, even when I remarked I had my car there... So... good point there for the hotel.

I think that the 4 stars they claim to have... should be more like 3... But it's ok...

NH CAMPO GRANDE

Campo Grande, 7.

1700-087 Lisboa (Portugal)

Tel. +35.121.7917600

Fax: +35.121.7957500

E-mail: nhcampogrande@nh-hotels.com

INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL CALI

My visit to Cali was brief. I arrived late in the evening and I went straight into the Intercontinental, which was managed by Estelar Hoteles. Nevertheless, I could still use my Intercontinental Priority Club card.

I got there and there wasn’t anyone at reception, so staff was only for me so checking in was really fast. The girl behind the counter was really helpful and indicated everything very well.
I got a floor on the 5th floor. As soon as I got in the room, I noticed the noise of a fan… and taking into consideration I had a terrible headache, I decided to go back to reception and get a nother room. I was also given another on the 5th floor, 529, and the noise was still there, but much more attenuated. It seemed that isolation was much better in this room.

The room was fairly big, but rather old fashioned. I guess Intercontinental had opened it, and for some reason, did not get the expected results, so… it was handed over to local group Estelar, who had done little renovation.

The bed was comfortable… and pillows were also available.

The living room area, as you can see from the picture, was also old fashioned. Wireless Internet was free of charge, but believe me, it was like a torture. Extremely slow that took you away from it… The Flat screen was a much relaxed option… Mainly, Colombian TV channels.

The bathroom is wide and so is the bath. Toiletries are still Intercontinental branded, but the philosophy is Estelar, that is, to pay for toothbrush, shaving kit… which I think is a bit mean.
As for the breakfast, I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it, despite the fact, I had to ask what everything was and of course, I had to try it… and it was delicious, specially the typical arepa with melted cheese and the cheesy breads… Fruit was exceptional and so was the yogurt. There was a type of scrambled eggs with corn, with ham and some other I cannot remember, and specially, the typically dressed cook that was behind the counter who was ever so kind, informative and… got me to try everything…

It seems to be the best hotel in Cali... It may look like a modern hotel from outside... but it is clearly a very poor 5-star hotel and clearly under the Intercontinental standard.

Checking out was also easy.

INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL CALI
AVENIDA COLOMBIA #2-72,
P.O. BOX 7457
CALI
COLOMBIA
Front Desk: +57-2-8823225
Fax: +57-2-8939494

HOTEL ALMIRANTE CARTAGENA ESTELAR, IN CARTAGENA DE INDIAS

If you are ever visiting Colombia, make sure you visit Cartagena de Indias. It is a lovely city by the sea. We chose to stay in the Almirante Cartagena Estelar Hotel, which is in a safe area, Bocagrande, where many other hotels are.

The hotel is new, modern in the outside, and it seems it used an old building that is preserved inside. So far so good...

Checking in, was very slow. We were in a group and it took ages to go through the queue and the checking procedure, that even asked me to get my computer out to write down the serial number. It seems they may have had some problems in the past... Hence, security is very tight. You need to go up the stairs to the second floor to access the main lifts that will take you to the rooms. And you need to get past the security person, that will require you to identify yourself, before allowing you in the lift. The lift, however, requires you to put the room key in, so no one without a key would be allowed in.

The room (604) was big, but clrealy, old fashioned. The good thing was the views, as it over look the beach and gifted you with nice sunsets. The bed was big and comfortable, with a choice of pillows (two hard, two soft). The fridge, however, had to be plugged off as it was extremely noisy. The room itself could do with a better isolation, as you could hear clearly what was going on out in the street. And also, the general aircon or ventilation system was present as a soft constant noise.

Toilet was spartan. A wide bath with a fix shower. As for toiletries, it was rather complete. It even had a mouthwash, which is normally not there. On the contrary, a shaver, toothbrush and deodorant were included in the offer of the minibar, therefore, at a cost.

TV as also very old, (of course, not flat screen) and had a variety of TV channels. The hotel had a Gym and a pool too. Good thing: Free Wireless Internet connection for the duration of your stay, after requesting for user name and password.

Breakfast was so, so. It had a wide variety of things to choose from, mainly local dishes. The lady who did my omelette, tried hard... but in the end, it came out to be more like scrambled eggs. Fruit was delicious (mainly pineapple) and juices were really watered, therefore, hardly tasty. As for the coffee... I don't know whether to say this. Let's say the coffee was not Colombia standard. It was more like British coffee (with due respect). It was horrendous. Thank god, round the corner you had a Juan Valdes Coffee shop where the good coffee was available.

It is a very basic 5 star hotel... More like a 3-4 star hotel.

HOTEL ALMIRANTE CARTAGENA ESTELAR

Av.San Martín, Calle 6 Esquina

Bocagrande

Cartagena

Colombia

Tel: +57 (5) 6658811

Fax: +57 (5) 6658269

Central de Reservas en Bogotá: +57 (1) 608 8080 / +57 (1) 5931900

Toll Free Colombia :018000-978000

Toll Free Canadá y USA: 18665998703

E-Mail: reservas@hotelesestelar.com