Hala Hotel Alkhobar

The staff were friendly and accommodating, and the internet was fast. It’s very budget friendly, with restaurants and shops nearby. Hot water takes a little while to come through, but it works fine after that. Breakfast is Middle Eastern and Asian in style, so don’t expect a Western menu.

We chose this place for its price and location, and I’d advise paying double to avoid the kind of stay we had. It’s now called DOOLVE hotel, not Hala. The manager needs to put guests first. Staff told me he didn’t care about them, and what we saw looked like cost cutting: half the staff were expected to do double the work. Chefs were also waiters, and bell boys were also cleaners. The staff need training and the hotel needs enough people on the job. Giving someone a spoon and calling them a waiter isn’t enough. Spend money to earn money. Our room was absolutely filthy when we arrived, with dust on every surface. It smelled rancid. We asked for a thorough cleaning while we went to dinner, but the job was so bad that I asked to change rooms at 11pm, with a one year old. I was furious. We requested nonsmoking rooms, yet around 1am cigarette smoke came through the vents from a neighboring room. The electrical outlets were falling apart and felt super dangerous, like a cheap job. The lamps flickered because their connections weren’t secure. I repeatedly asked room service to knock instead of ringing the doorbell, but they rang every single time. Our key cards expired every night even though the staff knew we were staying for five nights. There were reportedly only four irons for the whole hotel, which has over 100 rooms, and they were old and scorched. One burned a hole in my wife's clothes. I asked for three towels every day but received only one. The manager laughed when my friend raised the issue. They expected three of us to share that one towel, which is laughable. Breakfast ran until 10am, but when we came down at 9am each day, it was cold leftovers. The eggs were old, and there was no milk or toast. Food should be replenished through the stated breakfast hours. They didn’t put water out either. The manager said guests had to ask for it. We were told the old Hala manager always put guests first. If only this one did. A message to the manager: when a guest is speaking to reception to complain, don’t interrupt to ask the receptionist some useless question. Be less rude, hire enough people, and train them to be professional.

Rooms here are clean and spacious, and there’s a basic breakfast in the morning. Parking may be difficult because space is limited. The Cornice is about a five minute drive away. The hotel is also known as Doolv Hotel.

The room was spacious and good, but the front office person was very ignorant. WiFi was poor, and the two pin power connectors were disappointing.