"I am writing this review as a corporate professional to warn other travelers, especially those traveling with elderly or vulnerable family members, about the shocking lack of ethics, aggression, and poor customer service at this 5-star property!!! While the hotel infrastructure is visually pleasing, the hostile behavior of certain staff members completely ruins the experience.
I coordinated a complex, two-month journey across Europe completely by myself, managing over 15 hotel bookings and more than 20 types of transfers. Due to a completely understandable human error amid so many changes, I lost track of the fact that I had canceled an initial reservation that included breakfast to make a new one WITHOUT breakfast at this hotel. Upon arrival, the front desk agent mistakenly told us breakfast was included and authorized it. The next morning, she called me over to clarify the mistake and showed me the booking log. As there were only 30 minutes left before the breakfast service closed and my 80 year old disabled mother and I were exhausted and starving, I calmly requested to proceed to the dining room. I explicitly told the receptionist I would check my emails at the table and pay the balance upon finishing, if that was necessary, since we were staying for 4 more nights and there was no risk of us leaving without settling the bill.
We entered the lounge and I explained the situation to the breakfast manager, a man named RENÉ. Within minutes of sitting down, René approached our table in an extremely aggressive manner, threw a bill at me, and rudely demanded that I sign it immediately. I firmly repeated that I would not sign anything until I could verify my records on my phone and finish eating, reassuring him the matter would be settled with reception right after. René completely lost control. He began shouting, raising his voice in an intimidating and deeply aggressive manner in front of all the other guests and my elderly, disabled mother, creating an uncalled for public scene over a breakfast bill I had never refused to pay. His behavior was deeply disrespectful, borderline violent, and completely unacceptable.
He even brought the front desk agent into the dining room to pressure me further. This highly confrontational episode completely ruined our morning; my mother and I were so distressed by his hostility that we could barely eat. Upon checking my emails, I confirmed the hotel was right about the reservation, which I immediately communicated to the front desk. However, I made it clear that I would not tolerate René's verbal violence and demanded to speak with the hotel manager.
The front desk claimed the General Manager (TERESA) was in a meeting and unavailable. While waiting in the lobby, René walked past me with a cynical attitude. Refusing to be intimidated, I stood up, confronted him face-to-face, and demanded an immediate apology, making it clear that raising his voice to female guests is completely unacceptable. He simply smirked. Hearing the confrontation, Teresa, suddenly materialized from an upstairs office room, proving she had been there all along. We sat down to discuss the matter. Instead of addressing the severe verbal abuse by her staff toward a guest and an 80 year old disabled senior, Teresa offered a completely dismissive and insulting compensation: waiving the cost of only that day's breakfast.
When I demanded that René apologize face to face, Teresa, went to speak with him. He approached me and delivered a completely insincere, mocking 'I'm sorry' with a smirk on his face. I rejected his apology on the spot. The management at Esplanade Hotel Prague actively protects aggressive, hostile, and unprofessional employees. Do not spend your money here if you value basic respect and human decency."
