Mandrino Hotel

The location worked well, about 10 minutes from the promenade, restaurants, and main attractions. The rooms were cozy and clean, and the bed was extremely comfortable, though the pillows weren’t. Outside noise was a bit much with the window open, but we were lucky not to be above the main boulevard. The AC wasn’t working. There was no second key card, which was okay, but when the other person had the card, reception had to come unlock the room for me. Breakfast was average; more fresh fruit would help. A bar serving proper espresso would also be great, instead of the machine’s instant coffee.

Before we even arrived, a bad customer service experience put a cloud over the whole stay. A technical issue with Booking.com led to my reservation being cancelled, and the hotel kept the payment for the first two nights. I rebooked right away and paid for the stay in full, so the hotel didn’t lose a cent, but nobody seemed interested in helping sort it out. I couldn’t speak to staff directly. All I got were automated replies and then absurd explanations for putting 60 euros of selfish profit ahead of customer satisfaction. Greed often backfires. We’d planned to use the hotel parking, but chose a cheaper nearby lot instead so they wouldn’t get any more of our business. I regret having to write this, but be cautious: the hotel seemed ready to profit from even a small slip-up. I won’t stay here again on future business trips to Thessaloniki, and I’ll actively discourage colleagues from booking it. We now prefer Hotel El Greco around the corner. It costs about the same and has a much better, more varied breakfast, with no need to ask for extra bread or ham.

It’s in a busy but very good neighborhood, close to all the sights. There’s no parking around the hotel, but the receptionist found us a spot very close by. We left the car there for our stay at 14 euros per day and walked everywhere. The only downside was the room size. It was a bit small, but clean, warm, and quiet.

We paid 7 euro per person for breakfast, but the choices were so limited that we went to the bakery opposite instead. The toilet didn’t work properly, either. There’s no interior soundproofing, so you hear everything, even the next room’s alarm clock. In our case, someone was playing Greek music at 6am, which was unacceptable. The fridge needs its temperature regulated properly; it got extremely cold, and I became sick from it. That’s a big drawback in winter.