Joops City Centre Hotel

Our stay at Joops was spectacularly disappointing. We came with my elderly parents and our toddler, and the accessibility information was misleading for our situation. Joops lists elevators and disabled access, but that only applies to some rooms. My parents had to climb 2 flights of narrow circular stairs, and we carried our luggage and stroller up them too. The room had only the bare essentials: one bed lamp for 4 people, and a kitchenette that was basically an empty room with a sink and running water. There were NO cups and no mini refrigerator, even though we specifically checked about one when booking because my mother is diabetic and needs to keep her insulin cold. When we raised this, staff just apologized and said the hotel was fully booked, so we couldn’t move rooms. We’d booked months ahead, not just turned up demanding things. This did not feel FAMILY FRIENDLY, and our room didn’t have disabled access. There was no one on site to help, we were given only one key card, and there was no air conditioning. If you want lots of stairs, a bed, one lamp and running water for a few hundred euros, this is the place. I’d skip it if you have a family or specific needs.

The location is very good, but that was about the only upside. At £100/night, the room felt basic and overpriced. The cleaners didn’t do their job properly, sometimes “forgetting” to make the bed or clean the bathroom, and the Wi-Fi was unusable. The hotel staff, like those at Ambassador Hotel, didn’t seem to know how to communicate with clients. What bothered me most was the impression that staff and management couldn’t care less. A bad experience all around.

A clean, well-kept single room right in the middle of town, with no frills. I’m giving it 3 stars because it does simple, cheap accommodation well, not because it’s a 3 star hotel. The stairwell smelled a bit odd, maybe like industrial chemicals, though it was perfectly clean. The bathroom floor was slippery.

We booked with moderate expectations since the hotel is upfront about being two star, but the spacious apartment and great location still gave way to disappointment. You check in at the Ambassador hotel, then walk a ways to the Joops entrance and make your way through maze-like halls and steep stairs. The layout is strange: two bedrooms, a tiny toilet, a separate shower, and what seemed to be part of a kitchen. The carpet was a stained, rusty color, and the furniture was an odd collection. The beds were fine and the sheets clean. There’s no air conditioning, though they provided a fan. The internet was barely usable. We could connect and download email, but browsing kept timing out, and streaming was out of the question. It was frustrating, since you’d think hotels had figured out internet by 2018. We gave up and used our phones instead. If everything else in town is booked, you might consider staying here.