NH Fribourg

My single room was small, but big enough, and the bed was very good. It was clean and everything worked as it should. A fresh coat of paint and a bit of maintenance would help the room look better. Breakfast was great, and the staff were very friendly and helpful.

The staff are nice, which is the only reason I didn’t give it one star. I still can’t recommend this place, and I’m really disappointed. I’ve stayed here before and know it’s old and needs proper refurbishment. There was no AC in July, which made it impossible to sleep. This time the room was simply shameful: a hole in the curtain, a chipped bathroom door, a bath tap that moved when I tried to open it, a dirty carpet, faded furniture and closet, and a shower tray in bad condition. How can a four-star hotel have rooms like this?

If you can get a room facing the old town, away from the nightclub and bar, the hotel is functional, though cheerless and dated. The rooms are clean, the employees friendly, and service pretty good. Breakfast has a very good spread of hot and cold food. I’ve had better, but only at much more expensive hotels. The interiors here are drab, with worn carpets and old, sparse furniture, so this feels more like three stars by US standards, despite being listed as four. The front of the hotel is a bad choice for sleep. There’s a raucous nightclub and lively bar outside, and the windows don’t block the noise. Earplugs may not be enough. My room had no way to control the temperature. One day the housekeeper left the window open to cool it down, and at -2C outside, the room got more than a little chilly. The windows do open, unlike in most US hotels, but there are no locks. A young child could climb onto a ledge, open one, and fall down the side of the building. I wouldn’t leave young children alone in a room here, and for safety reasons I wouldn’t recommend this hotel to families with young children.

The breakfast buffet was excellent, but the room was tiny. It had what you need for a night, though no amenities I’d expect at that price. People seemed to be leaving the Irish pub right outside all night, so there was no chance of sleeping with the window open. I’d asked for a quiet room at the back, but got one facing the front instead. I’ll avoid them next time.