Metropol Hotel Katowice

I found the booking process simple, and the free on-site parking was easy to get to, with plenty of spaces. The hotel feels modern and is great value for money. My room was well lit, clean, and comfortably warm, and the bed was genuinely comfortable. There was consistently hot water in the shower too. I slept really well and left feeling the stay had been better than I expected.

The one thing I appreciated was the free parking near the hotel. Breakfast was edible, but that's about all I can say for it. There was a lot of heavy food like sausage and onions, more like lunch than breakfast. The pancakes were always cold because they made huge batches in advance instead of smaller warm portions. There seemed to be plenty of food, but nothing I actually wanted to eat. Breakfast at other Polish hotels, for example in Warsaw, has been much better. The room itself was in poor shape. There were black marks on the bed, stains near the pillow, and a small hole in the mattress. There wasn't any soap in the bathroom or toilet, not for washing hands or showering. The chairs were so worn that the fabric had rubbed off and bare wood showed. Everything felt old, cheap, and unpleasant. The mattress was too soft and uncomfortable, and the pillow gave my head no support, so I slept badly. The whole hotel feels old and neglected, with worn walls, scratches, cracks, and a stale smell that's not overpowering but cheap and intrusive. The online photos don't show what it's really like. They must have been taken a long time ago or just after some cosmetic refresh, because the place looks much worse in person. We booked around 10 p.m. and checked in right away. After seeing the room, I asked for a refund because we didn't want to stay. Reception said it was up to the owner and couldn't guarantee one. At almost 11 p.m., packing again, searching for another hotel, and paying twice didn't make sense. I asked at least for a room change with a clean bed and basic toiletries so we could wash and sleep normally. Those are basic expectations at any hotel. I also want to share what I think was our main mistake. On Booking, we filtered for free parking and breakfast included, and the choices dropped from about 100 to roughly 10-11. In a city that's not small, places to eat are easy to find, from cafes and bakeries to restaurants and even gas stations. In Poland you can get soup, salad, or a hot meal at a gas station. Breakfast isn't hard to sort out. Parking is similar: this isn't a megacity like Warsaw, and parking is easy to find, often free. There are large free lots and gas stations where you can park safely, often under cameras. I'd first look for a clean, well-maintained, comfortable hotel without strange smells. Then check the breakfast and parking options. Those are easier to solve than spending a night somewhere unpleasant. I'd consider this hotel only as a last resort if the price were extremely low and there were no alternatives. Personally, I'd choose it only on a very limited budget. Otherwise, I don't recommend it.

The welcome at reception was lovely, and that's the only reason for the one star. I was shocked by how dirty and hairy the room was. There was no mattress protector, and hairs were everywhere: on the mattress, the desk beside the drinking glasses, the shower head, and in the bath. Filthy rooms. Very disappointing, I don't recommend it. It should have one star.

The room was very clean and tidy, and the hotel was great overall. It was perfect for one person. The AC didn't cool the room at all, though, just blew hot air. Opening the balcony window was the best I could do.