Augustine, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Prague — Hotel in Prague

This was my first stay at the Augustine and hope it is not my last. The Augustine has no equal in regard to their superior professionalism and courtesy. The reviews my colleagues and I read previously had convinced us to book here. The hotel is actually a restored monastery with a small brewery attached. We did not get to visit the brewery, but heard it is worth a look.

Regarding the room and the physical property: It was fantastic - a very comfortable feel with all the necessary amenities/luxuries.

The best part of Augustine, however, is the staff.

I'll begin with the bar/lounge. I encourage all guests to have one of the delicious drinks at the beautiful bar. There, they'll possibly meet Mr. Oldrich who can provide excellent drink recommendations. He was friendly and professional.

Another shining asset to the Augustine is the reception staff; specifically, Ms. Sue. Her warm smile and attention-to-detail during my check-in were much appreciated after our long journey. There were three of us upon check-in and she simultaneously processed all our transactions, offering a delicious Prosecco and/or water while we waited. Afterward, Mr. Ondrej, the desk manager at the time, came out and personally greeted us. I've been fortunate enough to stay at Starwood hotels during my various travels over many years. These travels have afforded me SPG's Platinum status, and the appreciation of my patronage from the Augustine staff was apparent. It turns out there was availability, and Mr. Ondrej offered me an upgraded room. I followed his recommendation as to which of the hotel's unique rooms from which to choose and was extremely pleased. My room was perfect, with a gorgeous view of the nearby Prague Castle.

Another excellent recommendation we received was from Ms. Tereza regarding a nearby restaurant to eat. She seemed to know exactly what we were looking for. The restaurant is in the nearby square maybe 200-meters away across from Starbucks and it was delicious. I'm told many locals patronize the restaurant and we understand why. Ms. Tereza's professional demeanor and intimate knowledge of the hotel and the surrounding area were welcomed. She is another shining star of the excellent Augustine staff. I look forward to more recommendations from her in the future.

One of the many amenities regarding room service is the complimentary shoe shine service. After a quick call to reception, Mr. Robert quickly appeared to receive my shoes and promptly returned soon after with a great shoe shine. His excellent work provided my leather boots the care they had needed for weeks.

Also, the other room service staff provided complimentary water, hot water kettle, additional coffee, and turn down service. Ms. Olga's and Mr. Lukas' professionalism and promptness were yet another aspects of Augustine's charm.

We had a very early flight and the concierge, Mr. Michal, provided arrangements for airport transportation upon our check-out. Mr. Michal's extreme professionalism and attention to detail provided us the assurance the matter would be taken care of.

Our early morning checkout was facilitated by both Mr. Daniel and Mr. Phillip. At 0345 in the morning, it was amazing how alert and on-point the gentlemen were. They made sure our accounts were in order prior to our departure in an efficient manner.

It is obvious that the property manager, Mr. Mario, has taken care to ensure the highest standard of customer service. I applaud his eye for talent and the training he surely provides for his staff. His efforts do not go unnoticed.

Regarding the physical property itself, I'll simply say the pictures do not do the hotel justice. No guest should be disappointed. But again, it is the staff and impeccable service that make the Augustine stand above the rest.

My deepest appreciation to the Augustine staff for helping to ensure we had the best experience...

The BAD:

During a recent stay we were misled by staff as to the charges for their breakfast. Now, in Prague, food is REALLY inexpensive, so paying for the hotel breakfast at about $25 per person is pretty extreme. As a 50+ SPG Platinum member, I am entitled to the free breakfast for me and one person sharing my room with me, and no one else. However, it is not uncommon for the hotel to extend this to my family party even though it is not part of the SPG program. Upon check-in at the hotel I asked the front desk staff “Would you be so kind as to extend this benefit to my two family members in the second room as well?” The girl at the counter politely agreed and advised that she would not be providing the slip for free breakfast and had me sign a breakfast form. I asked why I was presented the forms and why I was not given the breakfast slip for my guests. She indicated it was policy and not to worry about it, that she has noted my account and I would not be charged. All of this was witnessed by me and my three family members at the front desk counter.

Now, fast forward to checkout. I was now told I was charged the $25 for EACH of the two additional breakfasts for the two nights of my stay, $100 total. I was not worried as I knew the front desk girls name, and she was quite pleasant and we knew that this was just a misunderstanding, possibly due to the fact that English was not their first language. The check in girl was not available to discuss this matter with at checkout and I was assured by the manager on duty this situation would be reviewed and I should expect a response later.

Well, now after multiple emails back and forth the hotel is standing its ground. Their position is that my two family members were not entitled to the free breakfast. There was no question they were not entitled to this, but when asked for it, they agreed, as witnessed by the four of us. We simply would have gone out for breakfast $5eu/pp in Prague and avoided this charge had we known they were going to reneg on their offer.

Now the manger has reaffirmed their positon that his front desk staff never agreed to the free breakfast (again, witnessed by 4 people in my party) and they will do nothing about the charges. I think this should be a reminder to all to be careful and not assume communications are clearly conveyed, it was a shame they wouldn’t make this good in the name of customer service as they clearly are more concerned about the $100 that the value of a customer due to a misunderstanding (on their part).

The Good:

The location of the property is nearly ideal for Prague, the uniqueness of the property means every room is different, and quite luxurious. All of the hotel staff we dealt with appeared quite helpful and friendly, eager...

"There are still a few monks living on premises," explains the hotel guest relations as she personally walked us into the room. After all, Luxury Collection's The Augustine was a former monastery, restored into a beautiful boutique hotel in the Malá Strana district of Prague.

Of all my travels, the welcome experience at The Augustine was simply the most personalised and refined. It's too bad that I don't remember the guest relations officer’s name that attended to us while I write this, but she deserved a special shout out for sure.

The hotel itself follows the original layout of the St Thomas Monastery, combining former cellars and domains into guest rooms. As such, the hotel can be a maze of ups and downs. It's a beautiful hotel to walk around and explore. The corridors are lined with windows that look out into the garden below and on the upper floors, you can glimpse a view of Prague Castle.

Occasionally, you'll encounter sculptures that are part of the original monastery and there was a statue right near my room, often giving me a startle every time I walked past. Lol.

The room itself is large and beautifully laid out. There's a working area near the entrance, away from the bedroom which is preferred for me so that I can type away on my computer without disturbing anybody's sleep. There's a living room area with a couch and TV before it leads into the bedroom and an equally ample bathroom.

We tried the restaurant at the hotel, the Augustine Restaurant one evening. The atmosphere to the food was simply amazing.

Apparently, there's still a Brewery down in the cellar where the monks used to make beers aptly named St Thomas Beer. You can even sample some of those in the mini bar in the room.

There's a also a spa area. It's not very big but is super cozy.

Location wise, the hotel is very central within the Malá Strana district. It's a midway walking point between 2 tram stops, both of which leads to the Prague Castle. At times, I don't even require a tram, exploring Malá Strana and walking up to the castle were easy endeavours. Charles Bridge is also just a short walk away. Even through the hotel is located at the heart of activity, it’s off main street location does offer a bit more seclusion, instead of right in the middle of traffic. You do get some semblance of being hidden away.

Being in Malá Strana means having a wide selection of really good food options that the hotel will willingly recommend. Being just walking distance means that every evening offers a romantic stroll to dinner and back, allowing you to immerse in the almost mystical charm of the old city.

We really enjoyed our stay here and quite possibly one of the best hotels we have stayed in in...