Wellness hotel Svornost

The pool is a decent size for a hotel, though at 27 degrees it felt chilly to me at first. There aren’t any water toys for kids, and getting back to the rooms means crossing the windy main hall where people come in from outside. That was unpleasant with wet hair and little children. The room also stayed far too hot for sleeping even with the heater off. The kids’ area is small but works for younger children, while older ones can run around the hotel, and there’s an outdoor playground too. The restaurant food was pretty good, but dinner leaned heavily on fast food, there were few vegetables, and no hot drinks. Breakfast had lots of choices. Cocoa and semolina were already sweetened, though, so sugar-free options would let people choose how much to add, especially for small kids. I’d hoped to try Czech food, but didn’t have much luck.

The hotel’s location and the grounds out front are good. The stay itself was disappointing: the pool was too cold, and the children couldn’t manage more than 10 minutes in it. The rooms also have poor soundproofing. Breakfast had little choice and the bread was stale. The atmosphere felt like you were meant to eat quickly and leave. Sauna and even billiards cost extra, and a 10:00 am checkout seems absurd for a four-star hotel.

The location works well if you like the Czech mountains, and the staff are nice. Food was fine too. But there’s a charge for everything: 100 czk for the fridge, 120 czk for parking, and 450 for the sauna. The rooms look nothing like the pictures. They feel like they’re from the 80s or even older.

The catering manager was the main problem. She yelled at me even though I’d done nothing wrong, and I’d asked whether I could do something and received confirmation from her just two minutes earlier. When she wasn’t there, other guests were able to sort out the same issues we had without trouble. I’ve never had problems like this at hotels in the many countries I’ve visited. One employee can ruin the whole stay, and that’s what happened here. Service was poor across the hotel. The catering staff were rude and seemed unable to handle things. Water was hidden, and waiters promoted other drinks, only saying they cost extra after the order had been placed. The hotel later claimed there were price lists on the tables, but I checked on two days, once before that reply and once after, and there weren’t any. Reception was awful too. They made lots of booking mistakes, then couldn’t get us checked in for hours. The rooms were in very bad shape, and with stairs everywhere, I wouldn’t come here with children. It looks as if it hasn’t been renovated for over 30 years. The person behind the advertising photos must be very good with Photoshop.