Sofia Balkan Palace — Hotel in Sofia City

Review for Sofia Balkan Hotel, 4 nights vacation in September. 3 adults. "Deluxe Suite" room number 305. The hotel is defined as a 5-star hotel and is flooded with positive and negative reviews. Some of the reasons for the negative reviews are that it has been in the process of being renovated for a long time and those who get rooms in an area where there is also activity to renew the rooms complain about environmental dust, dirt, and noise. I asked for a room on a floor where all the rooms have already been renovated, so I got a room on the 3rd floor . The type of room I booked faces the outside of the hotel towards “Sveta Nedelya” Square. As far as the hotel is concerned, you are not guaranteed to get a room directly overlooking the church. Hotel location The location of the hotel is excellent. A lively and safe environment to walk around even at night. The area is full of restaurants. 50 meters walk and you enter the special Vitosha street which is full of shops, bars, and restaurants. Walk 40 meters and enter a complex that includes 3 different metro lines. Some of the tourist sites are within walking distance of the hotel. You can also find a large supermarket near the hotel. The room The renovated room looks beautiful and in a modern style. It has a large (comfortable) double bed and another sofa that turns into a wide separate bed. A table that includes a coffee machine (capsules), a kettle and a mirror. There is also a mini bar that contains different types of drinking bottles (for a fee). The room is steeped in technology. You can see touch screens in several areas of the room. It is advisable to try and understand how to turn on and off the different types of lighting and control the air conditioner. The controls also allow the window curtain to be opened and closed electrically. The room has a large and deep safe. The toilet is separate from the shower. A shower cabin and a large sink are in a separate area from the bathroom. What I didn't like about the new design is that there is no door separating the room area from the bathroom area. When you get out of the shower - you are in the room. Maybe suitable for a couple but not suitable for 3 people. There is not even a single rack in the shower to hang a towel or garment before leaving the bathroom. It is not possible to adjust the speed of the water flow. Another problem, there is no closet in the room, only a long, exposed single rack. Cleanliness Every day the room was cleaned, towels changed, and the bed arranged as usual in any hotel. In principle, what is outside the mini bar does not cost money. The coffee, tea, and everything around is renewed every day free of charge. A pleasant surprise - the hotel made sure to leave bottles of water next to the bed every day. Reception area The check in\check out process was fast. The reception staff are welcoming and helpful with any questions about the hotel, trips, recommended restaurants, etc. Breakfast As expected from a 5-star hotel, the dining room is bright, charming, comfortable, and large. The waiters were quick and courteous. Some of the variety of foods can be seen in the attached photos. Interestingly, there is even a whole honeycomb to scrape and add to the breakfast cereal. I did not like the coffee. weak. The hotel bar The hotel bar prices are expensive. Around the hotel you can find plenty of cheaper cafes and bars. Noise The rooms are equipped with soundproof glass window, so in the evening the noise of the street is not heard. During the day, renovation works are taking place inside and outside the hotel (near the church). Practically, we were able to sleep in the afternoon without any disturbance. Wi-Fi communication The Wi-Fi speed measured in the room was 28Mbps. We were happy to have chosen this hotel and when we return to Sofia we will stay there again. I will end this review with a riddle intended for those who will come to stay at the hotel: how do you turn off the light in the separate...

POSITIVES:

The hotel is in a fantastic location for sight-seeing and experiencing local food. The hotel is easily accessible from Sofia Airport (a 25 minute metro ride for 1.60 lev). The train station, Serdika, is right outside the hotel, but we only used this to get to and from the airport. All local attractions and Sofia 'must-dos' are well within walking distance of the hotel. Recommendations for local places to eat were provided on request and a local map was given on check-in.

NEGATIVES: I made 3 separate reservations, for consecutive nights at this hotel. I booked one prepaid rate, one cash and points, and the other as a flexible rate. I have done this with SPG before (with no issues) to allow greater flexibility when my plans may change. To my surprise, the hotel cancelled the cash&points and the flexi booking and made one 3 day booking from the prepaid date. They did this without contacting me first. This was frustrating as I could now not cancel or amend my flexible booking due to the ‘complex set of rates’. At check-in I was advised that I could not change my booking at it had been combined at the request of Starwood. This was not correct as I had spoken to SPG the day before arrival and they confirmed i could amend if i had to.

I was given the key to my room. On opening the door, I was greeted with the smell of fresh cigarette smoke (despite it being a non-smoking room). The trash from the previous guest had not been emptied either and sure enough, there was a cigarette in the waste bin. Housekeeping had obviously tried to air the room as the balcony door was wide open. I requested a room change and this was honoured quite quickly. The new room, was smoke free, but the presence of old soap, a faecal stained toilet bowl, hair clippings, old slippers under the TV, and an empty water bottle at the side of the TV made me feel like I had stepped in to another guests room. (Photo's will accompany a review on TA). This hotel was far from a Luxury Collection Hotel. I requested to speak with the GM at the check-in desk and was assured that my request would be passed on. After some consideration, I said I would keep the room as the hotel was apparently close to capacity and no other room was ready for immediate use. I was advised the turn down service would see to my concerns. This was not the case. 3 days later - I checked out without having any contact from the hotel management.

I confirmed my 4pm late check-out with the front desk on two occasions, and this was gratefully honoured. However, having housekeeping knock on my room door at 2.40 and 3.20pm on the day of departure telling me I had to leave was more than a little frustrating. The mini bar was also a bit of an issue - after daily housekeeping on day 2, a miniature bottle of rum was missing. I have a habit of checking the mini bar daily to avoid any mistaken charges. I can only assume that housekeeping had removed it for another room, perhaps. Thankfully I was not charged for this.

As a Platinum leisure traveller, I consider myself to be very easy going with very few demands. It is safe to say that this hotel was the most disappointing hotel stay I have ever had. Such a shame as this hotel is beautiful, it’s a shame the soft product leaves a lot...

I am writing to express my deep dissatisfaction with my recent stay at the Balkan Palace Hotel in Sofia.

First and foremost, although the hotel is rated as five stars, it is nowhere near that standard. I have stayed in three-star hotels that were far superior. The hotel was not clean, the service was appalling, and there was no response to service requests.

My booking included two rooms — one for a couple and one for three adults. I made the reservation approximately two months in advance and specifically requested that the rooms be located near each other. I even received an email confirming that this would not be a problem.

Upon check-in, we received the rooms at 4:20 PM instead of 3:00 PM, as guaranteed by the hotel. We had to wait unnecessarily, wasting valuable time.

In the room intended for three adults, the third bed was low, narrow, soft, and extremely uncomfortable. It might be suitable for a child, but certainly not for an adult. I approached the reception for a solution, but they had nothing to offer. As a result, the three of us had to sleep in a double bed composed of two single beds pushed together — making the person in the middle sleep on the gap between the beds, which was extremely uncomfortable.

Is this the service of a five-star hotel?

We barely slept, and yet the hotel offered no alternative or compensation.

Furthermore, throughout the night and morning, we constantly heard the footsteps of guests in the room above us, disturbing any chance of rest.

Although the bed sheets were clean, the rest of the room was far from it. The bathroom had urine stains, and I had to specifically request cleaning. There was visible dust behind and above the nightstands — simply unacceptable hygiene.

I was angry and frustrated with the poor booking and overall experience, and I asked to speak with the manager. A receptionist named Stoyan blatantly lied to me — first claiming the manager would be available later, then saying she was at a conference, and later that she was sick. It seemed he was taking pleasure in mistreating hotel guests.

There was a woman named Anastasia who was more pleasant but also failed to provide any concrete solution or proper response to our justified complaints.

Eventually, I managed to speak with the manager. I requested compensation both for the delayed check-in and for the fact that three adults were forced to sleep in two beds — as if we were in a camp, not a five-star hotel. She said she would give us a 20% discount. I thought that despite the poor experience, at least we would receive reasonable financial compensation.

However, at check-out, the manager was not present, and the receptionist insisted the 20% discount applied only to the first night — even though the manager had never mentioned such a limitation. She clearly referred to the entire booking. Unfortunately, I didn’t record the conversation or ask for written confirmation.

In conclusion: a terrible hotel — unclean, unreliable, unprofessional, and certainly not worthy of five stars. I strongly advise others to avoid this hotel if they wish to spare themselves the distress I...