Hills Sarajevo Congress & Termal Spa Resort

The warmest service came from housekeeping, the restaurant, and the wellness team. The wellness staff were welcoming and clearly experienced with massages and beauty treatments, so I’d recommend the hotel for that reason. The breakfast buffet was fresh, warm, constantly replenished, and had plenty of food and drinks. The dining area is large, as is the congress hall. There’s also a tropical garden and a smoking area. The wellness center has infrared, bio, and Finnish saunas, Roman and Turkish steam rooms, a relaxation room, showers, a cold room, and a walking track. We didn’t use the gym, but from outside it looked equipped for fitness and weights. The pool is downstairs, quite a walk from the spa, and is a large 1.3-meter pool. Its surroundings could use an upgrade, though it seems suitable for children and people who don’t swim. The reception staff were less welcoming at check-in. They seemed tired or annoyed by questions and didn’t offer much information, which felt unprofessional for a five-star hotel. It’s a luxurious five-star property very close to the airport, with plenty of parking. Rooms are roomy and contemporary, with balconies overlooking the airport, and cleanliness was satisfactory.

The hotel feels badly maintained, and service has declined a lot. The air conditioning barely cooled the room, which made the stay uncomfortable. Bathrooms and rooms are worn, dated, and overdue for renovation. Housekeeping was very poor, far below what I remember from earlier years. It no longer delivers the experience it used to.

The view is lovely, with planes taking off and landing across from the hotel. Sitting on the balcony and looking at the sky was a treat. The rooms are large, the bathroom is a good size, and the furniture is nice, but the beds weren’t comfortable. There were loose door and balcony knobs in both rooms I stayed in, on 25Jan and 29Jan-1Feb. I could pull them right out. The room door also needed a hard pull from outside and a hard push from inside to close, and the knob moved when I pulled it. The restaurant is huge and very crowded, so finding a table can be difficult. There’s a wide selection, including desserts, breads, pancakes, pastries, fruit, eggs, and meat. I wish the signs for dishes containing meat were clearer and larger. I took eggs, then noticed something that looked like meat while eating. I couldn’t tell if it was turkey or pork, and don’t remember seeing labels by the eggs. All the hotel staff were very nice.

Breakfast included spoiled eggs and milk, and the food overall was bland and repetitive. Service was slow and unhelpful, and nobody seemed to care. The cafe was dirty and messy, with food that didn’t seem fresh. The pool area was also dirty and neglected, and I didn’t feel okay letting my kids near it. There were cockroaches in the rooms and bathrooms, and the cleaning staff didn’t seem bothered. The bathrooms looked like they’d only been quickly wiped, and there were blood stains on the sheets. The rooms felt old and badly maintained. The airport is close, which meant constant noise, and there’s nothing nearby to make up for that. The hotel’s advertising had led me to expect a five-star stay, but I wouldn’t recommend Hotel Hills Sarajevo or return. I rarely write reviews, but the condition felt so far from what was advertised that I had to. I don’t understand the high ratings. Really disappointing and not worth the trip or money. If I could, I’d give it zero out of five.