Sonesta Hotel Tower & Casino Cairo — Hotel in Cairo

Decrepit, dirty and dated hotel, run by equally decrepit, disorganized and disappointing staff

Room: Layers of dust all around the hotel room, especially on the edges of the floor. It looked like the room had not been vacuumed since the 1990s. Wooden furniture old and cracking Beds were lumpy and uncomfortable Didn’t have an iron or ironing board Phone didn’t have the numbers for housekeeping etc listed so we had no idea how to call for extra towels, bedroom slippers etc, which we needed. On Day 2, the housekeeping staff folded a bath towel into the shape of a bulldog and left it on our bed. It would have been a sweet gesture if not for the fact the BATH TOWEL WAS WET AND STAINED! We were so freaked out that we threw it into the bathtub immediately. We had a fruit basket placed in our room on Day 2. The fruit was old and rotting, truly emblematic of Sonesta itself.

Bathroom: The shower runs hot and cold regularly – one minute the water is almost cold and the next, it’s scalding hot. There were no cups to hold your toothbrushes or to use when brushing your teeth. We ended up using the ceramic cup used to have coffee in the room. On Day 2, the housekeeping staff put a single old plastic cup in the bathroom for us to use. Needless to say, we used it only to hold our toothbrushes, which we promptly threw away when we checked out. The old wooden doors to the bathroom were also cracking and missing doorknobs. The sink was stuck on the last day we were there.

Items that were laughably old in the room: The old-school wall-mounted hair dryer with a funnel that looked dirty. Watercolour painting that was badly water-stained.

Food: We had three meals at the hotel. All of these were sub-par. The variety of dishes at breakfast was also poor.

Staff: Probably the most disappointing of all! We requested SIX TIMES for extra towels and soap but these never came. We went to the reception three times, and called the operator three times without success. At one visit to the reception, we even wrote down what I needed in a notebook but they ignored our request. It was like dealing with people from a different planet! We booked the shuttle to the airport and the staff claimed that they had taken note of it. When we called reception the night before our departure, they first seemed to be unaware of our booking but later mumbled unintelligibly that they had the booking. Feeling frustrated at their lack of professionalism, we went to the reception to check they indeed had the booking. We realised then that the staff had written our request about the shuttle booking in notebook and there seemed to be several of these notebooks floating around. I wonder if Sonesta’s management would like to leap into the 21st century like the rest of us and use a computerised system for their hotel? We had bought some take-out meals to consume in our room, since the food at the hotel was of poor quality. We didn’t want to put our take-out through the security scanner. While we were in the midst of approaching security staff near the entrance who knew us well, an old man, presumably another member of the security team, kept shouting at us in Arabic about something. Is this really the way to treat hotel guests? The staff at the breakfast refused to serve us cappuccinos when we asked. It was only when we asked the supervisor, in the presence of a member of the management, that we were able to get cappuccinos. Again, is this really hospitality? Many of the staff, even at reception and the concierge, could barely understand English. We have stayed in several 5-star hotels in Egypt on our two tours here and the staff here seem to be the weakest in English. The management of Sonesta is doing their staff and guests a disservice by now providing them training in English language as well as in customer service. The reception and concierge staff are in most need of...

Agh.. where should I start… I had my wedding there last week and the place is a total disaster. Before I start, I have to say that:

-Mr Khalid (events manager) and Mr Milad 9room reservation) did their best to make things as smooth as possible but miscommunication between departments was inevitable. -Ms Christin (Wedding planner) met all her deadlines and promises and made us happy.

I reserved around 15 rooms for 4-7 days for my extended family and friends coming from abroad. The airport shuttle bus missed its appointment with my extended family and they were desperate to arrive at the hotel since their flight was overnight one. They only got to the hotel after having to call the hotel from the airport…. The hotel representative announced that it was possible to book early check-in but I myself refused it because it was 40$ and this option is not available anymore. Funny enough he was telling this to people who hasn’t slept for the night like he is asking for a trouble. I have asked Mr Milad to arrange early check ins 3 days before their arrival but he said this is not possible unless full night is paid since hotel is 95% occupied. I had agreements with Mr Khalid to accommodate the 15 rooms at the renovated rooms but front desk seemed to know nothing about this and had no available rooms on the check in days. They tried to fix it by offering 2 renovated rooms after a couple of days but was too late… The furniture is dated and mostly beaten up in some rooms. The hotel needs proper maintenance. The breakfast buffet is of poor quality and no variation of food whatsoever… You feel that almost all hotel staff want tip from you for saying good morning specially the doormen and the tourism police by the door….ridiculous and really exhausting…. -During and even after the wedding, people are asking for tips, the waiters, the DJ, the video crane man etc…. Everyone is trying to mint as much money as possible from you as if they don’t get paid by Sonesta… It was unbelievably annoying and frustrating…. English communication is null They said wedding would last as long as we want but ended up lasting until 23:30 when actually people were warmed up for dancing. -Pool was closed on a short notice. -rooms were cold and no proper heaters existed. They offered small electric heaters but did not solve the issue. -The evening waiter at the Gondola restaurant has anger management issues. staff will ask for tips everywhere….tips tips tips tips tips…. And won’t be satisfied after giving them the tip

The hotel might have been a 5-star hotel but I do not think this is valid anymore. Additionally, the hotel is totally overpriced for what it offers… Avoid this hotel at all costs when visiting Cairo.

Good things: The Iris ballroom is spacious and beautiful. Wedding buffet is generous...

We arrived for the 2nd time to Sonesta and nothing has changed except that the services have gotten twice as better than before🤩🤩🤩. All staff welcomed us and greeted us and remembered us from our stay last year and kindly helped bring our luggages in our room without hesitation. They have kindly given us a double deluxe in excellent condition (the same room we booked from last year) without requesting it. On top of all that they have given us a honeymoon strawberry cheesecake as our welcome back gift. ❤️❤️❤️❤️The security at the front are so friendly and helpful and security outside always asked if she wanted to sit down while she’s waiting for Uber to arrive. The Italian has the finest delicious carbonara in all of Egypt. And they are very helpful and very friendly too. All staff in Sonesta have treated us with the most amazing respect you could ever deserve and me and my wife felt like king and queen in Sonesta Hotel☺️☺️☺️❤️❤️❤️❤️ The housekeeping are very reliable and helpful ESPECIALLY there was this lovely housekeeper, her name is Thoria Anwar❤️❤️❤️ - she was the most lovely most friendliest housekeeper staff of all… she kindly offered to clean our room but the room was still clean and there was no need to be cleaned but I asked her kindly if she could bring me some cold milk as I was suffering with a bad heartburn in the morning… and in less than 5 mins she bought me a glass of cold milk and I felt so much better. 😊😊😊She went above and beyond in ensuring our room had fresh towels water clean sheets she is 1 in a million a diamond and her attitude towards her job is beautiful she is so friendly and we can’t wait to see her when we return. We really started to love her like our mother/aunt and we are really going to miss her very much. ❤️❤️❤️ We were very sobbing to leave her and missing her 😢The housekeeping staff manager salah was so nice he greeted us daily and asked us every day how we were and did we need anything. He treats his housekeeping staff with proper respect and he trains them very well. We had a wedding to attend and he came and asked us personally if we wanted him to drive us.. we also took photos with both thoria and salah❤️. these people make Sonesta an absolute amazing place to stay they are dedicated in making guests feel special and welcome and really made the holiday for me and my wife.. this hotel in our opinion is the best in Egypt and we can’t wait to return in December...