Shepherd Hotel

Our group tour left me with lovely memories of this hotel. The spacious rooms had what we needed, and whenever something was missing, the staff did their best to help. The food was mesmerizing, with so many choices that I tried them all. The hotel was hygienic, the service incredible, and the atmosphere great. Outside, the roads were clean and nice for a walk. The people and culture are beautiful. If I get the chance to visit Bethlehem again, I'd stay here. Highly recommended, such a happy place!

For our Christian group, getting to Jerusalem was difficult. We had to queue with many other cars at the border each morning and evening for checks by the Israeli border police. The streets around the hotel were also full of rubbish. We did find a nearby place called Bounjour, where the food and service were excellent. The first impression of this advertised four-star hotel was good, but the room was dusty. There were dust balls, sunflower shells behind the nightstand and under the bed, and towels that looked gray from overuse instead of white. The hotel seems more like two stars than four. Meals for tourist groups were poor quality, and there wasn't enough food for everyone. For instance, they put out about 50 watermelon pieces for 150 people, and only brought eight peaches to a table of 14. The shaworma was full of cartilage rather than meat. At breakfast, there was no decent coffee, just ground coffee and hot water. Coffee from the lobby bar cost 3 €, and although there was a kettle in the room, there was no coffee there either. Water with ice wasn't offered at the table unless you asked repeatedly and waited, while bottled water was sold at the lobby bar. Servers wore street clothes, had no hair nets or gloves, and didn't clean the tables. If you came late, you had to clean one yourself to eat, if there was anything left. Food wasn't labeled, there were no ingredient or allergy details, and about a quarter of the dishes hadn't been washed properly. A mosque loudspeaker nearby woke us at 4:30 for the call to prayer. On our first night, we heard gunshots and were frightened. We learned the next morning that they were fireworks for a street festival. Either the story was a lie, or it was grossly incompetent not to tell guests about the loud gunfire-like noise overnight. If I were responsible for authorization, I'd close the eatery until it could offer decent, safe, respectful service. We work hard for our money, and we paid for miserable food and service.

The WiFi worked strongly in every room, not just by reception, which I appreciated most. The family rooms were spacious with plenty of space for bags, and the lobby was grand. Staff were kind and helpful when we ran into difficulties. The food was delicious and satisfying, and everything else in the hotel was good too.

I’m not sure what to say. The food and service could be better. There are no exhaust fans in the washrooms, and they didn’t provide cups for tea or even bottled water. Visitors from other countries can’t use the tap water.