Ararat Hotel

Ararat Hotel is a beautiful, comfortable place in a lovely building, with clean guest rooms and a large restaurant inside. Its service is excellent, yet the price is low. I’ve used various hotels in Addis Ababa, and places offering the standard of service you get at Ararat charge twice as much. Even the slippers, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, toothbrushes, and soaps carry the hotel brand, while the price for this complete service stays very low.

The bed in my room was broken, and the sheets and cover weren't changed unless I asked. Housekeepers either came in with a spare key or kept knocking even with the “Do not disturb” sign on the door. The breakfast buffet was cold every time, with no more than five choices. Service was awful too: there was no phone list or menu in the room, and when I called reception from my cell, they hung up on me several times over my ten-day stay, when they answered at all. I stayed more than a week and felt like I was in a one-star place being rated as three stars. Management didn't seem open to feedback, so I can't see how things will improve. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It left me wondering who's responsible for rating hotels in Addis.

The restaurant was a mess. Lunch took around an hour to arrive, and paying took another long wait. At reception, the staff seemed unprofessional and didn't communicate with each other. We left our luggage briefly, but when we returned, getting it back was such a struggle that we nearly had to beg. The room facilities were very old and clearly needed maintenance. I can't recommend staying here.

There was a bad sewer smell in my room, and the food wasn't enjoyable. The building has attractive architecture, with five floors and another multi-storey building attached that could use some renovation. It's an average hotel, mostly used by airlines for transit passengers.