Hampton by Hilton Krakow

I know I should have asked to move to a room with an opening window, but the one we got had no ventilation at all, not even in the bathroom. The bathroom air channel did bring in the smell of bacon in the morning, though. Also, the bathroom and toilet were divided from the living area by a thin glass sliding door, which you can imagine. The towel hooks were so small that you couldn’t hang a towel on them. We ended up leaving the room door slightly open day and night to get some air.

I stayed December 2-4, got my room at 11 PM, and reached it around 11:15 after a busy day. I went straight to shower. When I stepped out and picked up what I thought was a clean, sterile towel, I saw blood stains on it. It had been rolled inside a shower cubicle, so the stains weren’t visible from the outside. I threw it away, showered again to wash off, and checked that the blood wasn’t mine. My roommate witnessed what happened. My partner asked customer service for a replacement towel, which we received. I then reported it at reception and asked for the hotel manager to contact me. No one spoke to me that evening when I returned from meetings, so I went back to reception and spoke with a shift manager. Because of my limited Polish, I asked to handle it by email with the hotel manager. He took two days to write. His account had many inaccuracies and accused me of causing the problem. I explained that my roommate had seen it, but his replies still seemed aimed at avoiding responsibility for guests’ health. The email exchange was full of inaccuracies, and after it ended he stopped replying. This was a real health risk and caused me extraordinary mental anguish. I’ve kept copies of the correspondence and photos. I recommend caution at this hotel, and will pursue legal action.

The bar food and drink menus were good, and the prices were great value. We stayed three nights in October. The hotel was excellent, with really spacious rooms and very friendly staff. Breakfast had a great selection, including a gluten-free option on request. I’d definitely stay again.

If being near the old city centre matters most, this may not be the best fit. It’s about a 15-minute taxi ride away, with Bolt or Uber costing around $8-10 one way. The hotel is nice and clean, and the rooms are clean but not very big. Breakfast is a good buffet with several local choices. In the family room, the small bed, which I guess is a queen, looked almost the same size as the sofa for a kid. It might not be comfortable if you’re used to a king. Still, it’s good value if you don’t mind staying farther out.