Radisson Blu 1919 Hotel, Reykjavik — Hotel in Reykjavik

Disappointing Experience - Not as Advertised

I recently booked a stay at this hotel based on the appealing pictures and the supposed 4-star rating. However, upon arriving, I couldn't help but feel disappointed and misled.

The pictures displayed online painted a much more appealing picture of the rooms than what I experienced in person. The room I was given was far from the pristine and well-maintained image depicted online. It was evident that the room had not been adequately cleaned or cared for. There were dirty surfaces, and an unpleasant smell that lingered throughout the space.

One of the most unpleasant aspects of the stay was the condition of the bathroom. It was apparent that it had not been thoroughly cleaned before my arrival, as I found another guest's hair scattered throughout the shower area. This was unacceptable and made me question the hotel's commitment to maintaining a hygienic environment for its guests.

Additionally, the amenities provided were not up to the standards expected from a 4-star establishment. The lack of attention to detail and cleanliness made it clear that the hotel's current rating is inflated.

Despite my initial hopes for a pleasant stay, I made the tough decision to check out early and find alternative accommodation. Unfortunately, this meant losing the money I had already paid for the reservation. I can't emphasize enough how important it is for travelers to receive what they expect, especially when relying on online representations.

I sincerely hope that the management takes these issues seriously and addresses them promptly. A significant improvement in cleanliness and overall service would be essential for this hotel to genuinely deserve a 4-star rating.

As for future travelers, I strongly advise considering other options in the area until these concerns are...

Nice hotel centrally located to restaurants and activities and tourist sites and area churches and the smaller harbor area. Fairly pricey! The room was clean and nicely furnished with sufficient toiletries and large, plush bath towels. Hardwood (parquet) flooring. Plenty of outlets for charging and a small refrigerator for storing soda, water & snacks. If you pay the bed & breakfast rate there’s a decent spread of food in the morning included, otherwise you’re on your own for breakfast. It includes: Pastries, toast, juice, coffee, fruit, etc… If you like it to be cool at night in your room in the summer, beware because there is no AC and it gets a bit warm on the upper floors because the windows don’t really open! Our room on the third floor was stiflingly hot at night. No circulation whatsoever. Also if you are a hot sleeper, the comforter is really hot and heavy too. Can get fairly noisy in the neighborhood in the drinking hours, but otherwise a convenient and reasonable place to stay, all things considered. One more important item of note, if you are a senior citizen, or a person with any sort of hip or knee issue, beware of the shower/, bathtub combo in the room. The tub wall is fairly high and difficult to climb over to get into the shower. There’s only one band rail. It’s also very slippery once in the tub and there is no bath mat or adhesive on tub floor. An accident waiting to happen!!!! We had to literally help each other get into and out of the shower…. And we are not...

I'll start with the bad and finish with the good. The hotel management has taken the very questionable decision to not accept debit MasterCards and Visa. I honestly can think of a stupider policy. They are literally not accepting money by doing this. Whether this is intentional policy or just ignorance to their payment system I don't know but I strongly suggest the hotel rectifies this for the future. It soured our entire stay having to constantly go back and forth over the issue until it was resolved. But making the matter even more inconvenient and frustrating was the attitude of the front desk staff, in particular the woman who checked us out. They were clueless to what the issue was, showed zero initiative to get it resolved and just generally had a rude, unprofessional attitude. We literally called Radisson rewards to get a solution which we suggested we tell them to get it sorted. I will state the service of the manager who was working was much better and was satisfactory to deal with, so thank you.

Other than that the hotel was fine, breakfast was small but good quality and choice. The service of the breakfast staff was great.

The room was clean and comfortable. We slept great. Radisson rewards were honoured but we had to ask to receive an upgrade which is a little annoying.

Overall I wouldn't recommend this hotel unless they update their payment systems and better train their front desk staff in the meaning of hospitality and...