Grand Serai Congress and Spa Hotel — Hotel in Ioannina Municipality

**UPDATED about manager response. HONEST review-answer. In room 332, (the room I stayed) there was an issue with the sink and all the water was coming to the floor. (This is very dangerous). Then, they offered me another damped room with humidity and bad smell, 334, (so, I didn't move there). The evening manager, Giorgios came to my room 332 at 12pm in the evening to give me the key of the other room 334 with bad manners and I asked him to have a look to the sink but he said that he believed me and he left IGNORING me. **Pls, stop lying and giving excuses about this matter and take responsibility. (Train well your evening staff!).

(When I left room 332 in the morning, the bathroom floor was all wet and even the shelf at the bottom with hand towels ) so what I am saying is TRUE!

About the lunch I was offered, I just got a club lunch with frozen fries, 12€....not suitable for a 5* hotel. About the late check out, on your website is stated that booking directly with hotel there are some benefits as COMPLEMENTARY la te check out at 2pm, (upon availability) for all guests and not just for me. (So, there was not a good resolution after all these issues). And yes, therr are MORE people COMPLAINING about same issues. And no one offered me "a refund" if I don't like the room. Evening staff just told me with bad manners, "you can go to another hotel" and nothing about refund. So, a 5* hotel is NOT just saying it, but it is PROOVING-SHOWING it with GOOD service. "Treating others as you want to be treated is free".

REVIEW

Room with issues and bad evening service from the staff.

NEGATIVE: I asked for a quiet room and they gave me one facing the street. Windows are thin and you can hear all the noise of the cars so I couldn't rest properly. Water from the sink came down to the floor ,room 332 and I couldn't even wash my hands. 3.There was no plug in the bathtub drain and I couldn't use it. I told the evening staff at reception about it and they didn't fix it. They offered me another room at 12pm in the evening, room 334 and it was damped with bad smell-humidity and same issue with bath tub so I stayed in the same room. No managers in the evening. Evening staff at receptionist without manners , specially Giorgos, was very rude with me and told me that "he will call the police and throw me out the hotel" if I keep complaining. This is UNACCEPTABLE for a 5* hotel. This hotel is more a 3 star hotel. Spa closed. Hotel outdated, it needs renovation. Evening staff must be better trained or managers be there in the evening and keep an eye to see how they behave with the guests.

POSITIVE: The morning staff at reception was very kind and nice, specially Voula and Georgios. Nice breakfast. Hotel...

5-star lobby, 3-star hotel. It looks great from the outside, but things are not so great inside.

Rooms - it felt like no one had actually quality checked the rooms. The bathroom door didn't lock, the shower had very low pressure which could have been fixed with a better shower head, aircons are dated, and the mattress on the large bed had seen better days. There's a coffee machine (nespresso), so that's a plus.

Pool - pretty good, kept clean, but hard to get a towel in the afternoon. Only one staff member serving the pool area so it took a while to get one.

Breakfast - not great. The basics of a buffet, but nothing to write home about. There was no whole fresh fruit, instead a platter of chopped banana going brown. Not what I wanted to see in the morning. They do offer fresh coffee, but you have to order it and there was only one staff member serving a room of people.

Car parking - the overground car park gets full quickly. Take a deep breath if you head down to the underground car park. It's something to experience. Low ceilings with air ducts so you have to duck, dripping ceilings, salt stalagtites that drip onto the car (I'm not joking), bad signage, and to enter the hotel you have to walk through a conference room. Again, no clear signs on the route from the car park to the hotel, or from the hotel to the car park. You have to ask.

Car charging - if you want to charge your car, register with InCharge on your app before you go. The charge points are far enough into the underground car park so that there's no wifi. So you'll need to walk out the car park to install the app, then walk back. Again, it's just as if no one thought through how people would use the facilities there.

I've stayed in a fair few hotels, and I was pretty disappointed here. Definitely not worth 5-star money, and not where I will be...

The hotel exudes historic charm, with grand architecture and traditionally styled interiors that evoke a sense of old-world elegance. However, the property does show signs of age, and certain aspects would benefit from thoughtful refurbishment; particularly given the premium pricing.||Service was a clear strength. From arrival to departure, the staff were consistently warm, professional, and accommodating and very clean. Breakfast was another highlight: an extensive selection, well-presented, and served by genuinely friendly team members who enhanced the experience.||That said, several oversights detracted from the overall value. Most notably, the spa was closed, no reason given - until the end of October; something that was not disclosed at the time of booking, despite our reservation being made directly through the hotel. This lack of transparency was disappointing, especially as the spa was a key reason for choosing the property.||Additionally, the guest room was uncomfortably warm. When we queried the air conditioning, we were told it had been deactivated;a surprising decision, with no satisfactory alternative offered, we slept with the windows open, not ideal. Also the corridors leading to rooms, were badly lit, so dark, I had to use the torch on my phone. Only one extra pillow and dressing gown provided. ||While the hotel has much to offer, particularly in terms of ambiance and service, the experience did not fully align with the expectations set by the rate. I would advise future guests to inquire proactively about key amenities, as important details may not be communicated unless...