Grand Aton Hotel

We had a lovely view of the Nile, and the hotel sits in a quiet spot right in the heart of Minya, close to everything. But the room was in such poor shape that we had to clean it ourselves before we could stay. The paint, doors, and walls were damaged, and the room that was meant to face the river looked onto a café instead. Whenever we opened the curtains or windows, staff kept looking into the room, so we felt uncomfortable and had to leave the curtains shut. Dirty room-service plates sat outside the next room for two days, and there are no parking lots for cars.

The view was amazing, but privacy could have been handled much better. There were several photo shoots during the two days I was there, and nobody seemed to consider the hotel guests. I would have appreciated a heads-up at check-in. I also waited almost half an hour after checking in for my room to be ready, with no explanation of the delay or how long it would take. Better communication would have let me go for a walk instead. The bathroom door handle was dangerous, too. I was glad to be alone and not have to close the door, since I think I might have locked myself inside.

We stayed in May 2023. Expensive gym shorts disappeared from our room, and the manager couldn't get housekeeping to return them. Outside, there was a horrible construction mess, the pool was unusable and disgusting, and litter was scattered around the rooms. A lot needs to change here. It made our list of worst hotels as we travel the globe. Hotelguysdotcom

Our room looked out over both the pool and the Nile. The hotel is right by the river and close to everything you might need. Service was good, and the stay was good value for the money.