Park Hotel & Spa

The location is excellent, the river view is beautiful, and the gym is well equipped and enjoyable. But the many operational problems made what should have been a relaxing stay stressful. I wasn't impressed, and I wouldn't return unless there were clear signs of improvement. I'll visit Skopje again, but stay somewhere else. At check-in on our first night, we were given the wrong room. Someone was already inside, and the chain lock stopped us from entering. It was uncomfortable for both us and that guest. Reception fixed the mistake and upgraded us to a larger room, which we appreciated, but it shouldn't have happened. Housekeeping removed a bag of my girlfriend's belongings worth about $200-300. We waited 20-30 minutes at reception while they contacted the manager, then got the bag back. They said it had been mistaken for trash, which was hard to believe since it didn't look like trash. That was stressful and unacceptable. On another occasion, sparkling drinks exploded in the refrigerator after housekeeping serviced the room. Cleaning was mediocre, and basic things like coffee and tea weren't always replenished. The valet also touched and moved things inside the vehicle, and even reset the odometer. With valet parking, I expect the car to be left alone beyond what's needed to park it. That behavior was inappropriate and concerning. The front desk felt disorganized and chaotic, with an energy that didn't inspire confidence. I chose Hotel Park in Skopje mainly for its location and strong online reviews. Unfortunately, our experience was disappointing overall.

Getting around took some planning: the main sights are about a 20-minute walk away, and the old bazaar is around 30 minutes. Taxis were hit or miss, and I avoided a scam on my first night. My room problems took hours to sort out. Loud music from the restaurant kept me awake until 2 am, so I asked to move. Finding another room turned into a four-hour goose chase. The first room had an unclean toilet and no working heat, and neither of the next two had heat either. One front desk clerk really tried to find me a room with working klima, which I appreciated. Still, after all that, the hotel offered no compensation. A restaurant voucher or small refund for one of my four nights would have been welcome. Breakfast was mediocre, and staff were slow to refill food. They fussed when I arrived near closing, but when I came at opening the next morning, nothing was ready. I wouldn't pay extra for it. There were also birds flying around the dining hall. Dinner was just okay. My Spinach Risotto was small for the price and didn't have much flavor.

Maybe a two-star hotel at best, and only suitable for one night. The rooms aren't soundproof, so stray dogs howling outside can keep you up. The internet worked on and off, and the staff weren't helpful. Housekeeping also walked straight in without knocking. The breakfast never changed, the regular restaurant food wasn't good, and the gym cost extra. My room safe needed fixing. There's just one small elevator and it's in constant use. Food delivery isn't allowed.

We spent just one night in the lower-quality side of Hotel Park and hated it. The room was dark, with charcoal-grey paint on three walls, poor lighting, and a clear glass door for the toilet and bathroom. It took two of us, climbing on the suitcase cupboard, to open the window. Nothing worked, including the wifi, air-conditioning, and TV. After we complained three times to the blonde lady at night reception, someone came up but couldn't fix things. When we mentioned the 31-degree room, she just said to leave the window open. She also gave a doubtful explanation that the air-conditioning was connected to the city and couldn't cool our room, even though the public areas were cool. Magdalen at reception was the one lovely young woman who seemed to care. Once our complaints were confirmed a second time, she upgraded us for free to the hotel's better side for the remaining three nights. That side is supposed to be five stars, though I'd call it four. The rooms there were very nice, spacious, with good storage and lighting, a balcony, and no see-through toilet door. I'm not complaining about those rooms. The hotel has a restaurant, and there's not much else nearby. It's a flat 15-20 minute walk into town along the river, though I wouldn't want to make that walk at night. I'd rate the hotel three stars overall because the two sides were so different. One gets only one or two stars from me, the other four. If you stay at Hotel Park, I strongly recommend paying extra for the higher-quality side. The side we first had is meant to be four stars, but at best I'd give it two.