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

HILTON ALGER HOTEL

Well, I am not sure whether it is me... but I am not having much luck lately in hotels.

The Hilton Alger is supposed to be a 5 star hotel... and probably can boast of the name and having those stars, but the true reality is different.

Reception was helpful, but that was up to where the staff were helpful. But veeeeery slow. People seem to walk in and out the back office, and you will be waiting for minutes until one comes and helps you. And doing the checking out was even slower. Extremely slow. And you wanted to pay with your remaining Dinars... and they charge you a fee for paying cash. They say it is country policy...

The Hotel was highly survailed, which was, of course, an advantage for ourself... but I very much doubt that whatever was being screened, was of any use. Going through the metal detector arch was useless. It peeped and nobody frisked you or asked you to get the metals out and go through it again.

The room is ok for North Africa, but far away from what 5 stars means. The hotel starts with a lack of maintainance in the room. Broken switches, lamps that don't work... There are very few plugs, so they use multiconnectors that are also completely used.

The bed (I always ask for king size) was comfortable and 4 pillows to use... if you needed them. One is enough for me. The Central Heating in the room did not work. You could put it on, with the terrible racket it created but no result. It was cold outside... and inside. Some colleagues of mine asked for a portable radiator. Is that typical of a 5 star hotel?

The bathroom was complete. Soaps, shampoos... which were refreshed everyday. But still, old furniture. Having a shower meant water would end up out of the bath, down on the floor.

The buffet breakfast was... ridiculous. No fresh fruit, no fresh juice, hardly any choice of breads and hot meals. Good omellet making (some times) and nice crepes. But I have to say that appart from that, everything was unappealing. And worst of all, expensive.

If you wanted to have dinner, it was somehow complicated. Restaurants were not open or were reserved (A whole restaurant!!!) and staff was not nice, helpful or professional. They were playing STRICKTLY by the book. I ended up having whatever was in the Restaurant carte in the Hall cafe, because it was there the only place I could eat, unless I wanted a buffet dinner, that, bearing in mind the breakfast experience, I decided it was not a good idea.

The hotel was far away from everywhere. They did have a club... but you can imagine its availability, can't you? Closed. So... unless you want to retreat to this extremely expensive hotel and watch TV, there is not much else to do. It is true that for the Exhibition, which is only a few steps away, it is very convenient, but of course, it could not be that easy. You needed a 10 minutes walk to get in the exhibition, as the door opposite the hotel was not open. Indeed, this is not a problem of the hotel... or is it? Apparently, it was said that the Exhibition director and the Hotel director had a quarrel and since, the main gate was closed. So still, the only benefit was not also available to the guests.

But the hotel has also some positive points. An hourly shuttle service to the airport is free of charge. Internet connection works... and it is free... and so is the minibar (pop only). Sauna is also available... free of charge... although I didn't use it.

Anyway, I feel that the Hilton Alger Hotel is extremely expensive and definitely not value for money. I was told to go to the Sheraton next time... and I think I may follow advise.

HILTON ALGER HOTEL
Pins Maritimes El Mohammadia,
16000 Alger,
Algeria
Tel: 213-21-219-696
Fax: 213-21-219-797

THE RADISSON BLU HOTEL LONDON STANSTED AIRPORT

Whether your flight is early in the morning, or reaches Stansted late in the evening, the Radisson Blu hotel London Stansted Airport is ideal to forget about a place to sleep. It takes you more or less the same to catch a bus, a train or to go to the hotel. It is that close to the air terminal. But don't think that being so close to the airport will mean it is noisy. All the contrary. My room overlooked the boarding area of Ryanair... and no noise.

Receptionist were really helpful, nice and polite... And fast. check in was done really fast, and that is something good after a long day travelling.
The hall is impressive, and so is the wine Tower, with the acrobatic show to get the bottle. Gobsmacking!!!

The rooms may differ from visit to visit as they have 6 different styles. So far, I have tried the Urban and Ocean style, being the latter better (picture below). The Urban style is a bit... dull.
One of the things I really liked was that the room had european plugs as well as the British ones. So I could charge my mobile and my laptop. Also, as with all Radisson Hotels, I believe, Internet is free of charge, so it is another positive point.

I asked for a big bed, if possible, and it was. It was massive! And comfortable. The bathroom was nothing special. I would have preferred a shower... but... a Bath is still ok for having a shower.

I didn't get breakfast, as I tend to go for ready made Airport stuff... Still expensive, but less than whatever the hotel offers.

THE RADISSON BLU HOTEL LONDON STANSTED AIRPORT
Waltham Close
London Stansted Airport
Essex
CM24 1PP

Tel: +44 (0) 1279 66 1012
Fax: +44 (0) 1279 66 1013
Email

THE LEELA KEMPINSKI MUMBAI

It's been several times now that I have visited the Leela Kempinski in Mumbai. It is within short distance from the International Airport, which is good, as you are bound to arrive there early in the morning. This is the first drawback. You are charged the complete night, even when you arrive around 4 o'clock in the morning. If you are planning a trip to South Mumbai... distance is roughly, around 25 kms and could be over 2 hours to get there, always depending on traffic... and it is chaotic in the city.

You can arrange for a pick up from the airport, and the driver will actually collect you at the exit from the terminal, and will give you a bottle of water to drink for.

Security is an issue, as every car is checked at the entrance, even the own hotel cars, and you need to go through the metal detector arch and your belongings through the scanner.
When you arrive in the hotel, you can smell a strong scent of jasmine or incense. The lifts work well and tend to be quite fast.

The rooms are well equipped, with extra towels, (huge ones, which I really appreciate) and the shower is closed in a big chamber with a bath too. Some biscuits and fruit (normally apples) are offered, together with a pair or free drinking water bottles. Flat TV is available, with a wide range of channels. HBO, Bollywood Music Channels, as well as some international, such as TVE, are available free of charge. You have also a Spa and a nice open air swimming pool.

Internet, unfortunately, is not free. It is, actually, rather expensive, as when you switch on the wifi, you can reach nearby InterContinental’s, which is nearly 100 rupees cheaper.

The beds are big and comfortable. Linnen is changed every day.

Buffet breakfast is vast. Many things to choose from, such as omelets, fruit (Figs and strawberry were available as fruit of the month), Chinese, Indian food, cheese, cakes, juices... And crêpes...

It is a hotel that you don't mind returning time and time again... It is, however, oriented more for business people, than families.

THE LEELA KEMPINSKI MUMBAI
Sahar Mumbai - 400 059
India

Tel: +91 22 6691 1234
Fax: +91 22 6691 1212

E-mail: reservations.mumbai@theleela.com

RAMADA ENCORE DONCASTER

When you find a relatively new hotel, you are likely to get a better experience than in an old one. Well, that is, of course, depending on each other’s experience.

Getting there is a Tom-Tom experience. I had my map, but the roads were closed due to works, so... in the end, I got there. It is nowhere near the city centre. It is, in fact, an airport hotel. Just over the road, you can find Robin Hood Airport.

The Ramada Encore is a new hotel. Hence, no old furniture, smelly rooms... Well, to a point. When checking in, I was helped by a young lady who started with a nice smile that kept throughout the time I was there... and I was there for some time. It smelled like a "Fish & Chips" shop. I guess some of the guests had asked for it and the smoke and smell had gone out of the kitchen to invade the Reception air. It is true that the living/eating room was there next to the Reception, so maybe the Fish & Chips were already in the restaurant.

Lighting in the reception and the restaurant was really poor. A massive use of LEDs lamps were, of course, saving lots of electricity, but the lighting was extremely poor. Nice luminaires though.

I got a room on the first floor, but asked for a big bed, so in the end, I got transferred to the second floor. As the hotel is sooooo far away from the centre, and the roads were closed, the young lady sketched a map, that was not that precise in terms of drawing evaluation, but... it was crystal clear, so, without any problem, got to my destination. When returning back to the hotel, I thanked the young lady for her help, and she still remembered me.

The hotel was... basic. Nothing exciting. Negative point. Not free Internet. The heating system got me some time trying to figure it out... but eventually, I wan. The room was big enough, bed comfortable and overall clean.

Breakfast was... basic too, with some little surprises, like a loaf of fruits of the forest bread to cut and toast. Muffins were good too, but croissants just put you back. They didn't look fresh at all. Scrambled eggs were... not that exciting either. Coffee was out of a coffee dispenser, so hardly any good... but in the end, a little bit here, a little bit there, had something to eat first thing in the morning. It could have been better.

The hotel offered free of charge car-park; you needed a token to get out of the hotel.

Staff was extremely helpful.

RAMADA ENCORE DONCASTER Opposite Robin Hood Airport
First Avenue
Auckley
Doncaster
DN9 3GP,
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 1302 718 520
Fax:+44 1302 772 045

CLARION HOTEL PLAZA IN ODENSE

When visiting Odense, in Denmark, the travel agencies tend to send you to two hotels: The Windsor and this one. I am sure there are more, but for some reason, I have only tried two. And from these, I prefer, without any doubt, the Clarion Hotel.

Its location is very good. Near the Station, opposite a park, city centre within walking distance... Nothing to complain about. It can even offer you a free car space... if you are early, of course.

The hotel is rather old fashioned. Decor and even the wooden lift take you back to early 20th century.

Welcome to the hotel was really nice. A nice smile in the lady behind the counter and offered all the information requested, without any hesitation. I was even invited to a free coffee (apparently, free of charge throughout the night) and a free cake, which, of course, I didn't miss.

The room... Well, I have to say that I have been in better rooms... Spacious... but nothing special. Like in other Scandinavian experiences, lighting in the room is rather poor and sad looking. The duvets are folded on the bed... I have to say that the bed was comfortable. The radiators were behind the curtains, so... the temperature inside the room was a bit cold.

Bathroom rather basic... but fine for me. The shower "swallowed" the water properly.

Apart from the free coffee and free cake, free car park ... the hotel offered free wireless internet... These days, actions like this are really a big plus, that I appreciate.

TV channels are local, and a couple of international ones. The good thing is that Danish TV tend to offer many programs with subtitles, so series tend to be easy to understand as they usually are American or British.

Breakfast is also good. Buffet, although they had run out of orange juice. Danish bread and salami were good, also some cakes they offered and coffee was good too. I love the machine they have to slice the cheese...

It is a no frills room, but definitely, a good choice of basic hotel.


CLARION COLLECTION HOTEL PLAZA ODENSE

Østre Stationsvej 24
5000 Odense C
Denmark

Telephone: (+45) 6611 7745
fax: (+45) 6614 4145
Email: cc.plaza@choice.dk

EL ESPINAR HOTEL

If there is a place lost in the middle of nowhere, that is El Espinar Hotel, in Segovia province. It is less than 1 hour's drive to Madrid, and even less to Segovia and Ávila, two very touristic towns North of Madrid.

It is definitely, a place to go to by car, unless you want a nice walk from the railway station or the bus station.

The hotel is situated by the road N-VI, from Madrid to La Coruña. It is actually located inside an Industrial Estate with a few buildings, a bit separated from everywhere.The rooms are fairly good, for a 3 star hotel. As the hotel was built in 2008, it still shows it is new. The good thing is that you don't have problems to find a parking space. Plenty of it outside the hotel.

It has two floors, and the receptionist wanted us to walk, so she gave us the top floor, furthest room she could find, at the end of the corridor. One, would have thought that it was the last room left... Far away from reality. We were actually the only ones in the hotel. Good thing... Wireless connection was available throughout the hotel and was free of charge.

The room was really cold. (It was about freezing outside) and he heater started when we put it on. One of those cases that when you leave the room, you need to take the key out, and the heater stops...

The bathroom we got had a shower, no bath. For me, that was a very positive point... but I know that there are people who love having a bath. Other rooms do have a bath... The hotel supplies soap and shampoo, and little more.

Bed is comfortable, and that extra blanket is always welcome if you don't leave the air heater on. I personally, don't like to sleep with a fan on... Noise is always a problem and the moving air makes your throat funny the next day... So, for me, the blanket was the best option. Although, I must say that getting out of bed without the heating, was... a bit of a challenge. I wan, of course...

Breakfast... was not included in our rate, but we were informed that it was just 5 Euro per person. So we tried it... just one day. It was very poor. They didn't even bother to get the cook early in the morning. It was prepared the night before, and bread was slightly stale, and hardly any choice. All prefabricated and packed... nothing fresh. Even coffee was in a thermos. I have to say that we were there just over New Years, so maybe at a different time, they may look after breakfast better... However... You cannot find that many times a breakfast just for 5 Euro. Only down the road, in nearby San Rafael, still on the road, there was a "Churrería" where you could have a nice breakfast too...

The hotel did meet our needs. It allowed us to move around the different places we wanted to visit... and it certainly was a quiet place to relax after a hard and tiring touristic day.

HOTEL EL ESPINAR

Crta. N-VI P.K 66,
40400 El Espinar, (Segovia)
España

Tel: 921 18 32 32
Fax: 921 18 25 31
email: recepcion@hotelelespinar.es

INTERCONTINENTAL MALTA

From the outside, it looked like a nice hotel. Little I expected of what it was waiting for me. On arrival, we found the hotel was under refurbishment, at least, the reception. As we arrived pretty early, around 13.00 the rooms were not ready and we were kindly sent to the lounge to wait. Eventually, we were given our keys.

My room was ok, but my colleagues found theirs smelly and noisy. Apparently, there were city works going on outside, that made the stay in the room impossible. But this is not a comfortable hotel. It has the rooms and consequently, the lifts, on the other side of the huge building, so you spend your stay walking... (Ok, a little exaggeration there... but it is true I wondered why there was no entry from the other road).

The cleanliness was ok, but rather tight-fisted. Normally, when you use the soap, you get a replacement, either leaving the used one where it was or putting it back to its place. Over here, they didn't even bother. It is one of those little details without relevance, but... it does not give a nice image.

In my room, the toilet flush had a leak; fortunately, it was from the tank into the toilet... not afterwards. But it meant that my clothes got wet as I was pushing the flush... It was a matter of learning how to do it properly. Breakfast... lots of things... but little appealing. The juice out of a brick and tasteless. The pineapple was brown and the rest in syrup. Thank god I found rye bread. The omelet was nice, but not the rest of the hot meals. Cheese was nice, but the cakes were mostly hard. The chocolate for the cakes was horrendous and the crepes hard. Yogurt, so, so. Coffee... disgusting, and if you wanted espresso, you had to pay for it. I really hate this mean charge, especially in a 5-star hotel.

Internet with conditions... "Please check if your room has full signal or not"... Do you tell me they don't know? What kind of management is in the hotel that doesn't know the hotel that well? In my room, there was full signal, but the wifi didn't work. I complained and the solution was to use the broadband. Difference was that whereas the wifi 24 hour scheme was for 24 hour usage, broadband, was for 24 hour from first use. So in the end, I decided to go for broadband, but the cable didn't go either. The girl behind the phone told me to plug the grey cable... Which gray cable? I only have black cables. So she told me initially there was no cable, then the cable appeared... and the guy who came to my room to give me the cable told me that the black ones, "don't tend to work"... So why are they there? At the same time, I complained about the air-conditioned. I was scorching hot, and the guy told me that he thought the aircon didn't work, so he called his colleague... who confirmed it. So he suggested opening the window.

Noise started again at 7am. Luckily, I had to wake up at that time, so this was not a problem for me, but... had I wanted to rest, I would be extremely annoyed. At check out, they wanted to charge for me for wifi and broadband... Explanations were needed and in the end, I only had to pay for broadband. Price for it was exorbitant: 19 euro. Day light robbery. It is amazing how some hotels offer it for free, and others make so much money rather than giving a service to the customers. It tells a lot about the hotel policy.

INTERCONTINENTAL MALTA
ST GEORGES BAY
ST. JULIANS, STJ 3310
MALTA
Reservations: 900 983 177
Hotel Reception: 356-21-377600
Fax: 356-21-372222
Email: malta@intercontinental.com.mt

HOTEL AFRICA EL MOURADI

I was always told that the El Mouradi Africa was the best hotel in Tunis. And it may have been... 10 years ago. The 5 star hotel lacks what a real 5-star hotel can boast of: service. Reception staff are rather basic. Not that welcoming, probably due to the area character more than lack of training. It all starts in reception. The lighting is way old fashioned. The lifts have rather small doors and seem to go the way they want. I wonder if the would be able to cater for a wheel chair. The rooms seem abandoned to time. They are clean...ish. But very basic for this rating. One of the unbearable things for me was the air conditioned, that, once you left the room, started working even if it was off, so at you return, the room was... extremely hot. If you think that I am joking, look at the thermometer in my room one night. It was thanks to the fact that the window could be opened that I managed to get the temperature down. The views from the 18th floor where I was staying were good. The room had two small beds, even though I had asked for a big bed. As you can imagine, the cover and the blanket needed to be taken off... The bathroom was old fashioned, decorated in Arabic style, and could have been cleaner. Long hairs could be found in the bath, sink... which clearly were not mine. Even a little spider...

Breakfast was generous, but most things were repeated. Fruit was not fresh apart from the odd thing that didn't look that fresh. Plenty of bread and Tunisian cakes. There was a cook waiting for your order of eggs, or crêpes. There was also some typical fried pastry, but in the end, hardly anything to eat. Cheese seemed really dry. Pain au chocolate was... ok... Coffee, horrendous. Not really my cup of tea...

Internet was ridiculous. It did not open many websites, which in the end, it was frustrating. 10 Euro for the use for 24 hours... I had to go down to reception and tell the guys there that it was not working. Initially, it was due to some problem in the building, which then turned out to be that it was a general problem with internet in the country... and of course, I said that in this condition, I could not accept the service. So I was promised I would not be charged for it and was sent to the room to give them the password back. Surprisingly enough, the following day, the bill contemplated Internet used which I refused to pay, and eventually, got deducted from my bill.

God, was I happy to leave the hotel !!!

HOTEL AFRICA EL MOURADI

50, avenue Habib Bourguiba-B.P.73 ,

1001, Tunis Ville,

Tunisia

Téléphone : + 216 71 34 74 77

Fax : + 216 71 34 74 32Site

Web : http://www.elmouradi.com/

Email : info.africa@elmouradi.com