HOTEL MÜNCHNER HOF FRANKFURT

Having had stayed in "cheap" hotels in Frankfurt for the exhibition, the Münchner

Checking in was ok. I had my booking with me, and it was only a matter of filling in a few details in the forms supplied. The staff, foreign, were nice, although I have to say, that sometimes, it was a bit complicated to communicate... but we managed.

Compared with the former hotel, we improved slightly. At least, we had a lift. The room was small, but... Do I need more? I spend the whole day in the exhibition, therefore, all I need is to get back, get changed, grab a shower and sleep well.

The days were cold, so when I returned to the hotel, the radiator was on... so I had to turn it off and open the window if I didn't want to die like a roasted chicken.

The bathroom was minuscule. I appreciated the shower, which went quite well. Soap was supplied in a dispenser and the towels were standard size... a bit small to my liking.

The bed was comfortable, and I was lucky to get a "double bed"... the bed covers... I decided not to inspect them... just in case. And I say it was a double bed, because my colleagues got two beds next to each other.

The walls were very thin, and I could hear my neighbour snore all night. Thank god he didn't have company...

After the bed, one thing I really value in a hotel is its breakfast. I have to say that the morning buffet was not that varied. Coffee was... drinkable. Food looked cheap, even bread. Cereals were from the cheapest product line available... but they had Nutella...

It was a very basic hotel... considering the ones I normally stay at... and extremely expensive for what we got in exchange. The good point is that it was within short walking distance from the Railway Station... and only 3 stops on the tram. Hof was not that different. The only difference was that it was not cheap.

HOTEL MÜNCHNER HOF
Münchener Straße 46
D-60329 Frankfurt/Main

Tel: +49 (0)69 23 00 66
Fax: +49 (0)69 23 44 28
Email: info@hotelmh.com

HOLIDAY INN RIYADH-AL QASR

The Holiday Inn Al-Qasr Riyadh is a 4 star hotel by two very busy roads, King Fahad Road and Olaya Road, in the Olaya District, a few blocks away from the Al-Faisaliyah tower.

Checking is was a bit strange, as my hotel room was not properly booked, (I arrived at 2.30 am) and I was only supposed to check in the following night… No problem... they checked me in anyway. And I did get a better rate than the original booking, which… in fact was extremely expensive.

Throughout the day, there was Arabian coffee and dates free in reception. In my case, I am not that fond of dates… and frankly speaking, Arabian coffee is not for me… but you need to taste it. The room was on the second floor, overlooking King Fahad road. The heavy traffic was perfectly isolated, but not the construction noises from next door building. The room itself was comfortable room. I did ask for a king size bed and I got it. I also had a small sofa and a side chair. On the Flat HD TV, there were many channels (not the Spanish one) and several stations with movies or series in English.

The bathroom was also nice, with amenities that were renewed each day… but in my case, they were not new. Some new items were half used, which is something that is not acceptable, specially, at the rate they were charging me. Internet was not free of charge. As I stayed 3 days, I got a 3 day offer… but still… expensive.

Breakfast was good and enjoyable. Like in the rest of the restaurants, there were single areas and family areas, separated. The food was abundant, with western things as well as Arabic foods. Interesting flavors. The only problem in my case was that smoking was allowed... and it is never nice to eat with smoke...

Checking out was clear and relatively speedy. I did not use the limousine to the airport as I got a normal taxi outside the door by half the price, negotiating the price. It is always better to do it rather than using the meter. I paid 50 SAR, but I am sure I could have negotiated a bit better. But still, good price, I think.

I guess that you will probably get a better price if the booking is done in Saudi Arabia. Rates are extremely high from Europe, at least they were from Spain. Forgetting about the little problem with the bathroom amenities, the hotel is nice to stay with. In my case, I was working in the South of Riyadh, so really, location was not that interesting, as I had to cross the city everytime.


HOLIDAY INN RIYADH-AL QASR
Olaya Main Rd,
Olaya District,
Riyadh 11482,
Saudi Arabia
Tel: + 966 1 4625000
Fax: + 966 1 4624487
Email: info@alqasrhi.com