MPM Hotel Guinness

We spent eight nights there over New Year’s, and for the price it didn’t feel like a four-star stay. The rooms were dated, and our bathroom leaked every time we showered, leaving water all over the floor. At check-in we were handed a key without any directions or information, not even where the lift, our floor, breakfast restaurant, or amenities were. We only later heard there were shuttles to the gondola, but nobody told us about them. Arranging an airport transfer was another frustrating attempt to get clear help. At exactly noon on checkout day, while we were zipping our bags and leaving, the cleaner banged on the door, spoke very aggressively in Russian, and pointed at the time and her phone. Checkout was indeed at 12, but after such a long stay, even ten minutes of leeway would have helped. I’m not fussy about rooms, but basic customer service matters. We didn’t get that here, and we won’t return or recommend it.

The hotel was clean and warm, but very dated. We had no hot water for all five days of our stay. Each morning we complained and were told it had been fixed, but it still wasn’t working. That’s especially frustrating on a ski trip. You’d probably be better off paying a bit more to stay somewhere else.

A good spa hotel, though a little distance from the Bansko gondola. Our three-bed room was clean and comfortable, and the food was good in both quality and portion size. The cot, though, was very makeshift: its mattress was too big for the pull-out box frame and was really hard to sleep on. The women on staff were great, the men less so.

The food was good, but service at the front desk was unbearable when we were rushing to check out. After someone noticed two glasses were missing, the desk representative sent a check to the room and kept asking where the glasses were, even after we’d explained. There was no hot water in the evening.