Zeus Essence Wyndham Athens Residence

They failed badly. Cleanliness and safety are what I expect most from a hotel, but when I entered room 412 and went to the bathroom, the toilet was shockingly dirty. I called reception right away. They cleaned it, but didn't apologize. When I returned from my seminar, the room door had been left open after the cleaning, so anyone could get in. I called reception again and asked for the manager so I could complain. They offered a free drink, which I firmly refused. There was also a broken terrace armchair that nearly made a friend fall, a dirty balcony glass, and poor reusable amenities. The breakfast was by far the worst I've had at a hotel. It's a pity, because the hotel is really nice and in a very convenient location. They need to improve a lot. I've never seen such a failure even in 3 star hotels.

The Wyndham Athena Residence calls itself a “5-star hotel,” but I found it an overpriced 2 star hotel and a joke. They charge 15€ a night in city tax to stay there. The area didn't feel very nice or safe. There were druggies and prostitution around the hotel, and it got much worse after dark. The streets between the hotel and the places of interest were like that too. We were advised to get indoors well before nightfall, so we took Ubers to nicer areas before walking around. Our room wasn't clean or well maintained. Every corner looked dirty, the floors and walls were gross, and the bathroom smelled like mold. The beds were single beds pushed together to look like one. Lighting was so dark that even with all the lights on, we needed a flashlight. The safety latch on the room door was loose from the wall, and the shower nozzles were so dirty that water sprayed in every direction. It was also loud. The busy roundabout right outside came through the poor soundproofing, and there was yelling, screaming, and pounding on doors and walls in the middle of the night. It sounded like teenagers or young adults on multiple floors. Reading other reviews, it seems to be an ongoing problem. They advertise a “restaurant” on the 6th floor, but it was closed at 7pm on a Friday with no explanation. Breakfast was disgusting.

I only planned to stay one night, but work and a taxi strike meant I had to extend. When I returned to check in, the manager offered me hot chocolate. I was impressed with the team and hope they stay motivated and keep making guests happy. Cheers to the front desk. On my first visit, I was honestly surprised by how welcoming the front desk staff were. I travel around Europe for work almost every other day and haven't seen a team like this. I'd booked a superior room, but they upgraded me to an Executive suite when I arrived. There was also a bottle of wine and crispy snacks in the room. It was neat and tidy, with a really big bathroom.

A generous breakfast buffet and a very reasonable room price made this a great hotel choice. The staff were excellent, and having parking plus the Metro so close made getting around Athens easy. Metaxourgio station is literally just a few meters away. This could become my new favorite place to stay in Athens!