Local 101 — Hotel in Reykjavik

A Disappointing Stay: Who is Giving These 4 or 5-Star Reviews?

I don't know who is giving these 4 or 5-star reviews, this is a joke. Starting with the room—it’s small, with a built-in bathroom so tiny that the sink doesn’t fit, so it’s placed in the room. After a shower, you have to wipe the floor because water spills into the room. The kettle is placed under the sink along with the glasses, where water from the sink drips onto them. The window opens, but it doesn’t stay open or lock into place.

As for breakfast, I’ve never seen such a circus. It starts at 7:30, which is late for some people. I drink coffee in the morning, usually around 5-6 am, and I don’t expect coffee to be ready, but as long as there’s some available. There is a coffee thermos downstairs in the basement, but at that early hour, it’s already cold. The staff put out the coffee a little before 7:30, but they don’t put out cups until exactly 7:30, as if to prevent anyone from drinking it early. Not to mention the coffee from the thermos is average at best, very low quality. There’s a coffee machine behind the bar, but to get coffee from it, you have to wait until the staff finishes setting up breakfast.

On top of that, at 7:30, about 15-20 people are trying to have breakfast at the same time in a small, cramped space near the reception, with everyone bumping into each other. There’s only one small toaster, and almost everyone waits for it, blocking access to the counter where the food is displayed. It’s like a circus. The breakfast itself consists of two types of bread, alos some brown rolls, two kinds of cheese, and only one type of ham—a very cheap ham, watery ham from a large pack. After being served, it looks like dog food.

Of course, there are the typical sliced cucumbers and tomatoes thick cut and half frozen. There were no eggs, but when I asked, they brought out four boiled eggs for all people. There are also some cereals and yogurt—nothing special, just the absolute basics. I don’t understand the approach to these breakfasts. Day after day, it’s the same thing. In other hotels, whether more expensive or cheaper, there’s always a better selection. I’m here for work, and this is not my first time in Iceland, but I’ve never seen such a disappointing breakfast...

We stayed two times (three nights in total) at Local 101 in Reykjavik. It was a very pleasent experience on all accounts. Reykjavik is not a cheap place to stay but Local 101 is one of the less expensive hotels and comes with a superior location. The harbor and the main shopping area is just a two minute walk. This is perfect if you want everything close, but not so close that you are disturbed at night time by the weekend crowd. The staff was extremely kind and helpful in every way. We asked if we could store some luggage in between our stays while we walked the Laugavegur and this was no problem. Both our rooms were very nice and clean and the large bed was perfect to sleep in with two huge pillows for each of us. The hotel has a common area just next to the lobby which is used for breakfast in the morning and is a good place to relax during the day or evening time. There is free coffee, tea and delicious cake. You can also buy sodas and snacks. The area has very nice quiet lounge music and it just sets a terrific atmosphere. The complimentary breakfast, served 7.30 - 10, is very good with different kinds of bread, cheese, jams, coldcuts, eggs, skyr, toppings, vegetables, fruits and juices. The staff makes sure that everything gets a refill when needed so you'll get the same great breakfast no matter what time you eat. All our encounters with the staff were super pleasant and they really go out of their way to help you with anything. We had such a pleasant stay, we highly recommend a stay at Local 101 and we hope...

I cannot recommend this hotel. We experienced major issues during our stay, particularly with the technical setup of the bathroom and water leakage. The rooms are extremely small, and the bathroom, toilet, and shower seem to have been renovated in a very poor and impractical way. Every time we took a shower, water leaked directly into the room. We had to use all available towels just to stop the water from flooding – which made it impossible to properly dry ourselves afterward.

The space in the room is extremely limited, making it especially unsuitable for people with a larger build. There is hardly any room to store your belongings, so everything ends up looking messy and disorganized. Despite the water problem, no solution or real assistance was provided on-site, and we were not given clean towels either.

The breakfast itself was okay, and the selection was acceptable. However, dirty dishes were piling up on the tables, and no staff came to clear them. As a result, we couldn’t even find a clean table to sit at without having to clean it ourselves.

Final verdict: €200 per night for two people is absolutely not worth it. There is a reason this hotel only has three stars – and honestly, even that feels generous. Two stars would be more appropriate. Everything feels old and outdated, and although the rooms have been “renovated,” they are extremely cramped and poorly designed.

We definitely won’t be...