"My husband and I stayed in the Regnum Residence in 2019 and that year I wrote a five star review for the hotel. Sadly, after our recent stay in December of 2023 I cannot repeat my complimentary comments.
Our stay began well enough. We were checked in by Gábor, a very friendly, smiling receptionist. He was professional, five stars to him. Unfortunately we didn’t see him again. He explained the new procedures for breakfasts over the Christmas break, the implications of which we couldn’t yet imagine.
The area that the hotel is situated in is very quiet and we enjoyed a spacious, clean room with a balcony and partial views of historical buildings. There were no disturbances at night and we both slept well.
My positive feedback however ends here.
Firstly, although there was a rather muted attempt at a Christmas feel in the foyer with a tree and some lights, the complete lack of Christmas decorations in the restaurant was shameful. On several mornings of our stay there were children present and the atmosphere was positively grim.
On the first morning at breakfast when we entered the restaurant, we naturally said good morning to the staff, (a young man and a young woman) but received no reply from either of them! This lack of greeting became their habit for the length of our stay. Eventually we gave up saying anything to them. Their demeanor was unfriendly and it was obvious that they didn’t want to be there and had no inkling to how rude their behavior was. Neither did they care. Even on Christmas morning, they weren't bothered to hide how unhappy they were. This is what you get if you hire students with no interest in hotel management.
Then came the options for breakfast. Utterly miserly. One fruit juice, apple only. Orange is the bare minimum surely!! One choice of bread, a small loaf of white, poor quality, sliced bread. I asked if the toaster could be turned on and was advised that it was broken. The fact that it wasnt plugged in was not relevant until the following morning when miraculously it worked, but it was plugged in though.
One morning when the hotel was busier, we had to search around in the restaurant to find a clean table, even though the crockery had been removed from tables, they hadn’t been cleaned. The staff didnt understand the need to clear and clean tables for the next arrivals. They were content to stand, uninterested behind the bar. A bar that didnt open over Christmas at all for that matter.
There was no consistency either. Some days there was horseradish, other days not and was substituted with mayonnaise. One morning I ordered a poached egg instead of scrambled egg and was advised it wasnt available,even though it was a chargeable item on the menu.
Our final two days there were more guests in the hotel. Suddenly there was a ‘help yourself’ hot food offer and much more food selection.However when anything ran out or low, be it milk, cups, plates, butter, rolls, tea bags, spoons, knives etc did the restaurant staff react, were they prepared for this inevitability? No. They had to be cajouled to leave the safety of their place behind the bar and their pointless headsets!!
Regarding safety, some days there was no receiptionitst at the desk at all, anyone could’ve walked in up to the rooms etc. When there was a receptionist present there was no greeting. Not even on Christmas morning. It could be understandable in a big, busy hotel, but this is a small hotel with a small lobby, guest arriving or departing would be impossible to ignore.
There are outside lights above the hotel entrance, but they weren’t lit.
It’s a perfect hotel to stay if you don’t expect any friendliness, attention, just a quiet night, but we’re definitely not going to stay here again. Such a shame, it ran down this much.
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