Hotel Telegraaf — Hotel in Tallinn

I had a mixed stay at Hotel Telegraaf, it started on the wrong foot but ended on a strong note after changing room. I guess I can partially recommend this hotel but I think which room types are available would be a non-negligible factor if I return or not because I found Hilton Tallinn to be more uniformly good than Telegraaf.

First off, service was uneven before, during, and after our stay and there were a few hiccups. Staff was quite slow in responding in chat via the Marriott app; on various occasions I had to repeat because they did not respond several hours later. Making requests in person was not always much better, when I requested for housekeeping to be done at a specific time it was not done when we came back to the hotel. The problem was compounded by the fact that the sink of the first room type we had was plugged so I had to brush my teeth in the bathtub. I also had billing problems after check-out which had to be resolved by e-mail; thankfully once again the final outcome was positive because they gave me Bonvoy points to compensate for overcharging my Marriott gift card.

I was originally upgraded to a junior suite as Ambassador Elite, but it was simply a larger room and there was not much which was worthy of the Autograph brand in my opinion except perhaps the unusual carpet and the old-style phone, otherwise the room was forgettable. The hotel is only 5 years old, but the bathroom looked 25 years old and had a thin brittle door; it looked like they tried to save costs in the construction. Also for such a recent hotel it was surprising to have a tub not a stand-alone shower, in what they call a suite no less.

After housekeeping was missed and the sink became unusable, they moved us to the Popov Suite on the top floor which was night and day with the first room we had: much brighter, not only more spacious but also higher quality materials used, and there was even a private sauna in our bathroom which was fantastic.

The breakfast buffet was decent, the food presentation was attractive, the restaurant venue was a strong point of the hotel with good service unlike at reception, and they offered free flow Prosecco which we enjoyed. The way they dressed the boiled eggs was quite stylish as well.

Telegraaf is in an ideal location in the heart of the old town so for that reason alone the hotel can be recommended and it’s an undeniable plus over Hilton which is outside the old town.

In conclusion Telegraaf has clear strengths and weaknesses in my opinion, whereas Hilton Tallinn is one of the best Hiltons I have stayed at anywhere in the world, location being one of the few downsides. For people who put a premium on being in the old town then Telegraaf will be a good choice but might require to be willing to compromise on perhaps having a room which is so-so unless wanting to guarantee having a full suite by paying for it and not rely on upgrades as an elite guest of the Marriott...

I hate to write such a review on a hotel with such potential but it was so bad, I feel compelled to share the experience. We stayed at the Hotel Telegraaf for two nights, just two nights ago. The first night was uncomfortable because the HVAC was not working properly. It was hot and could not be controlled by the thermostat in the room. I asked a clerk at the front desk for help the next day and he said the engineers had not changed it over for the season and that we should open the window because they knew the thermostats did not work - but they didn't tell us at check-in. The next night was much worse for two reasons that were completely avoidable. 1. The restaurant at the hotel (Tchaikovsky's) served us a puree we did not order that was made with onion which we are very allergic to. We did not order it and the waiter, who did not ask if we had any allergies, told us later when I asked if it had onion in it that he had warned us that it did but his English skills were so poor we did not understand him. And 2. our bed sheet, or the protective mattress cover, was wet making it impossible to sleep. We did not figure this out until after 11pm and I did not get to sleep until 5am and woke up at 8am, getting only 3 hours sleep. With the window open from the non-working HVAC, it made the wet bet cold and just miserable. I'm not sure how avoidable the non-working thermostats were but the other two issues were completely avoidable had the restaurant waiter asked if there were any allergies and if the housekeeping staff had completely dried the bedding before putting it on the bed. To add to the bad dining experience, there was another dining guest who was so loud and obnoxious that a dining guest sitting across the restaurant from him walked over and asked him to not talk so loudly that the entire restaurant could hear him. He was complaining about politics and taxes and the rest of the restaurant guests couldn't have cared less about what he was saying. The wait staff could have handled this without another dining guest having to do so. The hotel has great potential but it did not work for us - at all. I still tipped the waiter over 15% because he was trying so I hated to not tip him. They should take notes from the St. George in Helsinki where we stayed just after the Hotel Telegraff. The St. George is a class act. The Telegraaf was not. We travel a lot, having visited 54 foreign countries and all 50 US states and this was the worst hotel stay we've ever experienced. Someone at Marriott corporate should hear this story. This was not even a one star experience. We wish we had never...

The hotel is well located in Tallinn old town.

On arrival we were impressed by the condition and comfort of the hotel. Unfortunately this quickly changed to discomfort. The room was 22 degrees which is too warm for my partner and I to sleep in. The air con thermostat allowed to drop to 18 degrees so we thought all good and set the temp to 19. The room failed to cool. This was reported to reception repeatedly on the second report we were told their engineer won't be back until Monday (2 days later) and to open the windows. When open this allowed lots of noise from noisy birds to staff pushing carts on cobbles and putting glass into a bin. Waking us repeatedly each night. The beds were comfy with nice linen. Just a shame the room was too warm without the windows open then the noise. There was no offer to move us room or apologies for the problem. The bathroom decor is very basic compared to other hotels of similar price point.

The spa has very limited loungers, only 7, with staff hit and miss as to how quickly the towels were changed to make them useable by others. The pool was nice to relax in with a small hot tub only big enough for two. There is a steam room and sauna.

We had breakfast once. It is Buffett with a small selection of cooked to order eggs. Although staff highlighted this option no one ever came over or made themselves available to place an order. The only fresh fruit is whole apples. No fresh berries available which I am used to getting at lesser standard hotels across Europe.

On check out the issue with sleep was raised and they waived the bar bill for the four nights which was €100, less than 10%. When we said this level for the contestant poor sleep and impact had on our day they would not offer any more. No manager would come and talk to us and when asked for the receptionist simply stated he had been spoken to and would not ask them to come and talk.

For a high end and expensive hotel costing over €1000 for the short stay this is not acceptable service and let the whole stay down. I would not return or recommend due to the poor...