Grand Hotel Beirut

There were bulbs scattered across the floor, no towels or toilet paper, and the bath and toilets were black with dirt and mold. I noticed small hairs by the sink taps, dirty furniture, unvacuumed floors, cigarette smells, stained sofas even in reception, and curtains that were hard to open and close. One room had clips holding the curtains together. The rooms we saw were nowhere near the advertised photos, and the hotel was in terrible condition. Our Booking.com rooms had been confirmed, but not all were actually available. We refused to stay and got a full refund. I only managed a few photos, and they don’t show the worst of it. One worker said he knew we wouldn’t stay because we seemed respectful and the hotel wasn’t for respectful people. The list goes on.

The online photos look nothing like the rooms. There was heavy dust, a horrible smell of cigarettes and mold, and humidity that felt unhealthy. Staff were terribly rude. The room seemed untouched for ages, with cables hanging everywhere and curtains that wouldn’t open or close. The bathroom was completely rusty. I’d booked 21 days, but after arriving around midnight from a long flight, I had no choice but to stay the first night. I moved to another hotel the next day. A shame for a four-star hotel. Never again!

We arrived on a late flight and had booked through Agoda after seeing photos that made the place look lovely. The room was dusty and dirty, with sockets pulling out of the walls and loose bathroom wires. We worried that charging our phones might cause a fire or shock. There was mold on the bathroom ceiling, a dirty tub, and a rusty, moldy shower head, so we skipped showering for hygiene reasons. The sheets seemed fairly clean, but the bed cover felt dusty and chalky. A strange sheet covered the window. It was well past midnight, so going elsewhere wasn’t really an option; we just wanted to shower and sleep. I’d never stay there again. A cheap hostel would’ve been a better use of our money. Don’t trust the advertised photos, which must be from a decade ago, or perhaps there’s a pristine room they keep hidden. The room we got wasn’t fit for a doghouse.

For $35 a night, I suppose you get what you pay for. I stayed about a month because my nearby family’s house was overcrowded. The room was very large and comfortable in a homey way, and it was usually pretty quiet. But the free breakfast was honestly gross, so don’t bother. The Wi-Fi was extremely slow, though it seemed like that was the case throughout the country. The furniture is old and the place needs renovation. It’s definitely not a four-star hotel. The rooftop bar/lounge has apparently been closed for a while, so they should update the description.