Hotel Cristal

The heater barely warmed the room, and being across from a pub meant I got no sleep. There was screaming, loud music, and cars skidding around outside through the night. A huge letdown.

The restaurant deserves five stars, and the location makes it easy to get almost anywhere. But parking and the way management handles complaints were frustrating. Instead of trying to arrange parking with the city, they answered a parking complaint with almost a page explaining why the hotel wasn’t at fault. We paid for parking ourselves and saw how little the city charges, so I still think a deal with the city, plus directions and parking coupons for guests, would make sense. We thanked staff several times for explaining how to pay, so I’m not sure what more guests are expected to do. We also found an empty shower cap box and a broken one in another room, and reported it at reception. Nobody even said sorry. As a professor of management, I don’t think that response shows enough understanding of hospitality. It shouldn’t be so hard to apologize to guests or to people who leave an unhappy review. The management seems to need more training. It was surprising how quickly they responded to negative reviews. They should put that energy into fixing problems instead of complaining that guests haven’t praised a four star hotel enough.

The room was smaller than I expected, and the shower gel was empty. I didn’t ask for a refill, so it was fine. The room and bathroom were clean, the restaurant food was delicious and very generous, and the hotel is right in the center. Nice place.

The bed and bedding were super comfortable, and the place was clean and well kept. Visually, the outside looks great, but once inside it felt more like a good three star than a four star. We paid extra for a better standard room and got a view of the back yard, which was disappointing. The building also feels a bit worn. There weren’t enough pillows, and no spare ones anywhere in the room. The air felt stuffy at times. There was built-in ventilation, but it was off and I couldn’t find a way to adjust it. At least the window opened. The price still seems reasonable, and there’s a bar and restaurant in the building. I’d consider staying again if I needed to and the price was competitive.