The Alma Hotel and Lounge

The female staff we met were all lovely and sweet, and the hotel and room were beautiful. But the manager's rude, negative treatment left me crying in a taxi when we checked out. We stayed at Alma for two weeks while traveling around the country, and the way he handled a serious security problem made the last few days in Israel tense and upsetting. On Monday, after we'd checked in Sunday afternoon, the cleaning woman was next door and asked us to leave our door unlocked. It seemed odd since she should have had a key, but we did it to help. When we returned hours later, the door was wide open and our belongings, including underwear, jewelry, souvenirs, and gifts, were out in the room. We don't think anything was taken, but we won't know for sure until we unpack at home. Anyone could have entered or taken something, and my imagination ran wild. The front desk woman was shocked and said she'd tell the manager and cleaning staff and that they'd check the security footage. They never checked the cameras, or at least never told us whether they had. After speaking to several staff, the manager said they would “send us a gift.” On Wednesday morning, just as we were leaving for an international flight with carry-on bags, we got a box of nine macaroons. That might have been a nice gesture on Monday or Tuesday, but we didn't want them. I don't eat cookies first thing in the morning, didn't want airport trouble, and didn't need an extra thing to carry. Our taxi driver didn't want them either. There were also issues in the room: the king-sized bed had a queen-sized blanket, so my husband and I fought over the covers the first night, and the shower flooded the whole room, not just the bathroom. We used all our towels to mop it up so we wouldn't slip. The cleaner didn't leave fresh towels on Monday. After the door incident, we asked that nobody enter our room to clean or do anything. When I told the manager at checkout that the shower flooded, something they should know and fix for future guests, he looked visibly frustrated, sighed, and rubbed his forehead and eyes, as though I were irritating him. His sour expression and aggressive, negative energy made me feel awful and uncomfortable. I thought he might tell me to screw off. I'd never had anything like this happen despite traveling all over the world, including staying in cheap, bad hotels. Alma isn't a dirty hostel, it's an expensive hotel, and leaving our door open for hours was a huge invasion of privacy and a serious security concern. I also saw the manager being rude to a female staff member in the lobby bar area on Monday. The women were lovely, but this man shouldn't be in hospitality.

We refused to stay there with our baby, but they still charged us about $550 and the owner wouldn't credit us. We were told at reception that the owner said she didn't care about bad reviews or customers. The receptionists also said everyone complains, that they suffer there, and that they planned to leave their jobs. This place felt like a real rip-off, charging so much for less than basic service, and saying a non-refundable booking applied didn't seem relevant. The hotel looked badly neglected, dirty, rusty, and smelled bad. The reception area was also dirty and run down, the bar was closed, and the whole place felt as if it might shut down. It didn't feel like a boutique hotel, more like something below hostel level. I took lots of photos documenting the room, hotel, and dirty, neglected shower.

I stayed here in November 2017 and loved it, so coming back in September 2019 and finding the quality had dropped so much was a real disappointment. The room wasn't clean and the staff weren't friendly. I was put on the ground floor, where rooms are noisy, right by the street and beside the restaurant bathrooms. If you do stay, ask for the second or third floor. I won't stay here again in Tel Aviv, and would look at other boutique hotels nearby.

The terrace is really pleasant in summer, and it's a bonus that the restaurant is kosher. The food at Alma Hotel is fresh, with excellent original flavors. I'd call it one of the city's best gourmet restaurants. Service is amazing too, the waiters are friendly, professional, and know the menu.