Hotel Marinela Sofia — Hotel in Sofia City

We had a horrible experience at this hotel.

Let me start at the beginning. We made a reservation through Amoma and booked a standard double room. A week before arrival, I contacted the hotel through email to check that the reservation details were correct and did not receive an answer for three days. After this, I received an email saying that my reservation was done, but for an economy room, which was not refurbished and lacked amenities. I answered that there was an error, that I had reserved a standard (refurbished) room, and that if the error could not be solved, I would need a refund in order to make a new reservation at a different hotel.I received no response from the hotel, so I went directly to Amoma, and was told that the problem had been fixed and we would get the room we had booked.

When we arrived past 2 a.m., the staff were rude and impolite. They did not care about anything we had been told by Amoma and told us that we would have to stay at an economy room, as the other rooms were "luxury rooms", as if saying they would be too expensive for us.

There was absolutely no eagerness to help and treated me like I was crazy. I consider that, when treating with clients who are paying for a service, it should not matter whether they are paying for an economy or a luxury room, they should be treated with the same respect.

On my second day at Sofia I fell ill, which was completely unrelated to the hotel itself. That night, I contacted room service five separate times, none of which were answered. I was trying to order a couple of bottles of water as to not become dehydrated because the tap water was completely undrinkable, as well as some camomile tea to soothe my stomach pain. After five calls to room service without answer, I contacted the front desk, which again rudely told me they could not help me, and that they would put me through to room service. Again, I waited and waited and nobody answered.

But still, my main complaint is about the front desk staff, especially the girl who processed our check in. She was one of the rudest people I have ever encountered. I feel that, had we looked wealthier (and not, as you would expect, as tired travellers after a whole day of connecting flights into a country to which we had never been before), we would have been treated better.

On the plus side, everything was very clean and tidy.

To summarise: rude staff, horrible treatment, no interest whatsoever in solving their own mistakes, never staying anywhere near...

With its numerous restaurants and clubs this is a hotel for the “high rollers” or the business travelers not for your average tourist. Even though this is not found anywhere in the reservation information upon check-in you are told that there will be a 50 Euro hold per day on your credit card in addition to the actual charge for your entire stay. You are also told that you are not allow to park your rental car at the front of the hotel while checking in and off-loading your luggage. Even though if you drive a Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche, or high end Mercedes you apparently can park it there all night. I am sure that the suites are awesome but I can tell you that the standard rooms are in desperate need of refurbishing. The carpeting, wall paper, and mattresses need to be replace. The bottom cushion of one of the chairs in our room was loose and if you tried to seat on it your butt would strike the seat’s wooden support beam bruising your butt. The room’s furniture was built out of beautiful wood but you could tell that it was in desperate need of “TLC”. The bathroom furniture was so “retro” that if it was have been done on purpose it was have been cool. We were supposed to stay one week but after one night we checked out. At the beginning they refused to reimburse us the remainder of our balance until we got our third party reservation agency involved. Because of the 50 Euro per day hold which violated the third party agency reservation policy because it was not posted before the facts we were finally able to get our remainder of our balance reimbursed. During the checkout battle I was put on the phone with a reservation agent. I asked twice this reservation agent who she worked for and she told me that she worked for the third party reservation agency. This turned out to be a lie because she actually worked for the hotel. After I discovered who she actually worked for I asked to talk to the hotel manager and this request was flat out refused and then they finally connected me with the third party...

Let me take you on a little journey – a vacation that turned into an unexpected undercover mission in a low-budget action movie. I booked a relaxing stay at what I thought was a hotel. Turns out, I accidentally checked into Grand Theft Auto: The Resort Edition.||||From the moment I walked in, it felt less like hospitality and more like I was crashing a mob meeting. The lobby was buzzing with “working ladies” (and I don’t mean receptionists), and some guests had bodyguards. Yes, actual bodyguards – and not the cute kind from romantic comedies. I’m talking about the “we might be hiding weapons under these suits” type. Very comforting. I haven’t clutched my suitcase that tightly since Ryanair announced carry-on fees.||||Things took a turn for the hilarious (and sad) the next morning. We strolled down for the breakfast we PAID for only to be told, “Sorry, there’s a group event, no food for you.” I didn’t know you could be gatekept out of a buffet you literally bought. Felt like a high school party I wasn’t cool enough to attend. Should’ve worn my fake VIP badge.||||Then came the cherry on this bizarre cake: no room cleaning. I’m not talking one day forgotten – we asked three times. Every time, the reception politely explained (aka shrugged and walked off) that “we’re full, so no cleaning.” I didn’t realize that a full hotel meant no soap, no towels, and eventually... no dignity.||||Oh, and how could I forget the leaking bathroom ceiling? I got a little free indoor rainstorm with my shower – very immersive. A spa experience from hell.||||The staff were about as friendly as airport security, minus the uniforms and any willingness to help. Honestly, if sarcasm were an Olympic sport, the front desk would take gold.||||Final verdict:||If you're into danger, discomfort, and a side of disappointment, this is your place. But if you like clean sheets, breakfast, or not fearing for your life, maybe swipe left on this one. Definitely zero stars for value, but five stars for...