3 months ago
We stayed for 3 weeks; 2 in the hotel rooms and 1 in the serviced apartment on the same compound. This was generally a great and comfortable place to be.Pros:By far we appreciated the people and service. It was not only professional but more importantly warm, friendly and personal. At the Goji restaurant, Maqsood the restaurant manager was always there to greet us. We dined there for breakfast every morning for 3 weeks and he was always there. One day early on I had asked for a newspaper, and thereafter without fail, he always had a paper for me. He checked on our comfort frequently, even asking if we needed anything special cooked, like waffles or French toast, that wasn't served that day. Jay who serves in the restaurant never fails to have a genuine smile and excellent service. Leo and Bisu as well. Beautifully made cappuccino, Bisu! They all remembered our food preferences. I did not get the names of the kitchen team and other wait staff but they were all friendly and warm as well. Shout out to the friendly bell boys Omar, Donald and Michael. When we came back to the hotel (sometimes after a rather bewildering day out), we always felt comforted to return and be received from our car by them. We knew we returned to a hotel we could trust. Lastly but most importantly, Ed Munter the hotel manager. When we were first there I thought he was the concierge, because I frequently saw him there. It was only when I needed help that I realised who he was. He put himself there often rather than shut himself in his office, I guess, to keep pulse on the operations, because whatever the problem I had, he would step up to assist. This ranged from hotel issues to miscellaneous problems like needing to exchange USD for Riyals in a hurry, and needing superglue. At the end of our stay, the restaurant team (Maqsood, Jay, Leo and Bisu) came to our room with a surprise farewell gift of local desserts and handwritten card. Our rooms were always cleaned to a high standard, and the furnishings were modern, and luxurious enough for us. Good bed. Most importantly, the windows are sound proof, critical in Riyadh. My two complaints are firstly that when we were in the apartment, our windows overlooked the pool. When they had night events by the pool, it would go on into the night and sometimes we could hear the microphones, but it wasn't very loud. One of our rooms smelled of cigarettes. Someone down the hallway was also puffing away in their room and made the entire hallway smell like a cheap highway motel.Gym was good - equipment looked new. Towel and water at every station. Cons:Front desk needs some improvement. A couple of times I approached them to ask for help to call a place because I could not speak Arabic. They were always polite and friendly but strangely, refusing to call and saying that it would be closed during Ramadan (turned out it was open). Other times, I would ask and they said they would check and get back to me but never did. But this is a small matter. Ali, however, was very helpful when I needed to exchange money. He said the cashier was not there but tried to find cash from different sources to change with me. Side note: change money at airport - don't depend on the hotel. One tiny annoyance was the pool. Once we were there at 6 pm and a guy brusquely told us to leave as it was closed for a later event. He was the only rude employee. Breakfast buffet was generous enough but like Groundhog Day: repetitive. The food in the hot station was frequently dried out from not being refreshed. Soy milk cappuccino is available but I wouldn't recommend it. Room service food is terrible. If you're looking for a hotel in a lively happening place, this is not it. This is the DQ, where nothing seems to happen (maybe it was Ramadan), no shopping and food is frightfully expensive. But there are sidewalks and big parks with playgrounds all around where you can jog or walk (not possible elsewhere in Riyadh). Overall we had a good stay.
