Hotel Duke Armeneasca

For what we paid, it was all good. We did have one problem getting into our room: the link to open the door stopped working, and nobody had given us a code. This hotel doesn't use key cards. We waited for someone to finally pick up the phone while the battery was dying, and nearly ran out of time.

The central location made it easy to get around Bucharest, and the room was generally clean. For a 3-star hotel it was okay, though the bed was so uncomfortable that sleeping was hard. There was no free water in the room, and, oddly, no way to buy a bottle at the hotel either. I can understand not including it at this level, but water is a basic need, and as a foreign guest I wasn't likely to drink tap water in Romania. A bottle would have felt like a simple, appreciated bit of service. It's probably fine for a short visit because of where it is, but there's plenty they could improve.

I've stayed here twice with a group, and both trips went badly when something went wrong. The first was in the hot weather of May/June 2025. The air conditioning kept failing in most rooms. We insisted on having working AC so we could sleep, and reception moved some of us to different rooms almost every day during our three-night stay. On the first night, the hot water system was broken throughout the hotel. It was fixed the next day. The second visit was in June 2025. Around 9 pm on my final day, my room door lock broke. The hotel couldn't open it until 4 am, when I had to leave for the airport. The receptionist promised they'd get it open in time, but they didn't. They had several hours and still didn't manage it. Everything I owned was locked inside except my handbag. They offered to send my things to an address I gave them as soon as possible, but didn't offer me another room because the hotel was full. I didn't ask them to find me a room elsewhere, and I stayed in a friend's room. I tried to be cooperative and understanding. Still, they have never refunded the night I couldn't use the room. The door was opened the next day, Friday, but they didn't send my belongings until Tuesday. Despite my repeated requests for urgent shipping, they chose the cheapest, slowest option. My work laptop was in the luggage, which made it hard to work on Monday. Then the carrier lost the parcel. Someone at the hotel eventually understood that, as the sender, they had to make the claim. I provided all the details about what was in my luggage and its value. After that, the hotel did no active follow-up and just waited. Since I wasn't the sender, there was nothing I could do myself. After months of emails and calls with Packlink, we got another confirmation three weeks ago that the parcel was lost and that a new claim had to be filed. But my hotel contact's email had been removed, so I couldn't submit it. When I called Olala Homes, which the hotel seems to be part of, they confirmed that this person no longer worked there. Nobody seemed to take responsibility. I've called and emailed Olala Homes to explain and ask them to file the claim urgently, but they stopped replying a week ago. So my luggage is still gone, and I still haven't been reimbursed for the unused night. Both Duke Armaneasca and Olala Homes have failed at basic responsibilities. I strongly advise against using their services.

Getting into the room took some effort. There was nobody at reception when I needed help, but the issue was eventually fixed and I got inside. The doors were very thin, and noise from the neighbours woke me at 5 am. I'm not sure if they were staff, but it was a young man talking and laughing very loudly. The area around the hotel felt rather obscure, though the main attractions and shops are close by. The stay was okay, with some inconvenience.