"The Hotel Elysee is well located towards the top of Wenceslas Square. Only 10 minutes from the railways station and Old Town Square, 15 minutes form the Charles Bridge and with tram and metro options only a couple of minutes away. Having said the signage on Wenceslas Square is somewhat misleading, as the the hotel is accessed by a 1 minute walk through an arcade (mainly restuarants), and the bedrooms are well away from the square itself, so don’t expect a room with a view.
Reception is on the first floor, with the rooms spread over floors 1 to 6. Only one lift, which wasn’t a huge issue, but did cause delays at busy periods.
The hotel room door opened onto a small hallway with a double wardrobe, with bathroom to the left and the bedroom to the right. The room itself was very large, with plenty of space even with 3 beds. The room was in need of redecoration, like the rest of the hotel, with scratched, worn furniture, skirting board hanging off, 70s colours in the bathroom and paint scheme that suggested that it hadn’t been decorated since the soviet era. There was parquet flooring that would have looked good once but was well worn.
There was overhead lighting in the entry hall, but the bedroom was lit by two bedside and one floor lamp. The bulbs were bright but they weren’t enough to fully light the whole room and there was no task lighting on the desk. Even a task like unlocking the combination on a case was difficult without a torch to help.
Due to the age of the room being from a pre-digital age, there weren’t that many sockets and none at convenient desk height. Some didn’t work and those behind the beds were being used for the lamps. There was an extender, but it was temperamental. With 3 travellers with phones, watches, cameras, i-pads and e-readers, this was hardly ideal.
Noise wasn’t an issue, due to the location of the rooms so far from the road. There was a smallish television (not used) and fridge, which kept drinks cool providing you emptied out the minibar contents. Beds were reasonably comfortable but only one (large) pillow provided per bed and the duvets were too small for the beds and kept coming off.
I stayed here when the outside temperature daily high was just above freezing, but never had an issue with thermal comfort in the room. There was air conditioning, but not required/ available due to the time of year.
The bathroom was also roomy with a large counter around the sink for plenty of room to sit toiletries. There was a (small) corner shower rather than a bath. The shower floor was really high off the ground. The shower was operated by a mixer tap which required micro-adjustments to get the temperature right. Even then it alternated between too hot and too cold, as the water supply was used elsewhere in the building. The flow was pitiful and even with really short hair, I struggled to wash shampoo out. The shower doors didn’t close properly in the middle, so the water ended up on the floor. There was a decent supply of toiletries and the towel heater ensured the room was warm and the mirror remained mist-free.
There was a smell of cigarette smoke in the room, particularly around the hallway. I couldn’t decide if it was a remnant of times gone past or was coming in through a vent from elsewhere.
House-keeping was a hit or a miss, with the rubbish left unemptied some days and the beds made half-heartedly. There was no indication of any recycling policy.
Breakfast was disappointing. The breakfast room wasn’t small ( I counted over 60 seats) but there was no availability after 08:00 without queuing for a table. The selection was fairly poor by continental standards – a small charcuterie, a few baskets of bread, a few salad options and some hot dishes (not tried) – sausages and eggs. There were also a few cake options.
Staff engagement was non-existent. Where it was necessary to speak to staff, responses were perfunctory and without sincerity. Staff looked miserable and would often walk past without making eye contact or speaking, which I’ve never come across on such a scale in a hotel before.
Overall a disappointing stay. My test for a hotel is (1) would I stay here again and (2) would I recommend it – the answer to both questions is a hard ‘no’. The hotel I stayed in during my previous stay in Prague was only a few minutes walk off Wenceslas Square but was far superior to the Elysee and not that much more expensive."
