King David Hotel — Hotel in Jerusalem

I went to Jerusalem on business & was told by all my friends it's a 5 star hotel & the best place to stay in Israel - so I was really excited. ||The lobby is really impressive. They have fresh flowers and I respect that they have maintained the original architecture. You can't help but notice their "Walk of Fame" with the signatures of all the luminaries who have stayed there.||The view from the back deck is VERY impressive with the gardens & the pool. On the street side, you can see the iconic YMCA building, which is beautiful at night.||PERSONNEL: Over all everyone is very nice but not necessarily helpful. If you need something, walk down to the front desk because they don't answer the phone.|We had a problem with our shower (see below) and I wound up walking downstairs where the gentleman at the front desk asked me to call Housekeeping and they would send a note to the front desk! I was dumbfounded and noted that I was standing at the front desk, so why couldn't he just make a note?!|That being said, JEREMY, the concierge is a GEM! He is the hardest worker I have seen in a long time. He is a great resource! |Also ANDREW at the pool is AMAZING! He is friendly and kind. He's a good conversationalist without being intrusive.|Both of those men love their jobs and it shows.||IF YOU USE SHEKELS - MAKE SURE THEY ARE "NEW" ISRAELI SHEKELS!!!! We used shekels to pay in the Grill Room and we had been back in our room for about 30 sec when we got a call asking us to come down to the lobby. We were met by 2 very nice young ladies who were tasked with telling us that we had given them some "old" new shekels & the hotel doesn't accept them, so we had to either give them new ones or use our credit card. I felt sorry for them because they didn't make the policy and were very apologetic.|This seemed absolutely ludicrous, since we exchanged our money IN Israel & were apparently given some "old" new money. There is no sign anywhere that defines "old" money or forbids you from using "old" money and to this day I still have no idea what "old" money is.|I'm sure they make daily deposits at the bank & the bank would take the "old" money, but we were told management won't accept it.|We were so angry that we chose not to eat at the hotel again & instead went to some local restaurants where we got great food AND used our "old" money.||POOL: After my business trip my husband joined me, we stayed for another week & were able to get to the pool on several occasions. Just beware that there are a LOT of kids & they are allowed to just run around, so it is not going to be a quiet, relaxing trip to the pool. The men who work at the pool are very nice.||BAR: The bar is gorgeous and the bartenders make some great drinks. They were all very friendly and cordial (and 1 or 2 are hilarious!)||ROOMS: The levels of rooms were very confusing and I still don't understand what's what. My husband and I booked a "Deluxe New City" room, so after my business trip was over, I found out that I was already in a Deluxe New City room....which looked just like the lower level "Jerusalem Room". We had a little balcony that looked out at the YMCA bldg and the doors are soundproof, so we heard no street noise.|They don't tell you on their website that there is a fridge, safe, clothes steamer, hair dryer, electric kettle & espresso machine (but not coffee) in your room.|The rooms on floors 1 - 4 are NOT refurbished and are long in the tooth. Cabinets were dinged up. Finishes were worn off. Bathroom needed a makeover.|One thing I really appreciated was the towel warming rack in the bathroom. It came in very handy for drying any handwashed clothing.|In lieu of a shower curtain, our bathroom had a tub that had 2 pieces of plexiglass that were placed on top of the side of the tub....but they leaked. It got to the point that we had to put a glass along the side of the tub where the water was just pouring out.|Maintenance sent someone up Thursday who caulked it, but it did nothing. Friday I called down again but if you have a problem between Friday evening & Monday morning, you are on your own. I get that it's Shabbat (not Sunday but I guess they don't work then either), but they should really have some Christian & Muslim staff who can address issues on the weekends.|By Sat we didn't have enough glasses to catch all the water, so I called down again & was told someone would come Sunday to fix it. No one showed. |After showering Sunday night my husband was collecting animals in twos, so I called down for a mop. Honestly, the entire floor was covered with water. No one showed. Finally the maid showed for turn down & was kind enough to come back with a stack of towels to sop up all the water.|Monday we received a call that they were moving us and they moved us to a beautiful corner room on the 5th floor! So they did make it right......eventually.|So my advice is to book something on the 5th or 6th floor or bring water shoes.||FOOD: They are known for their breakfast buffet, which is indeed very impressive. It is so different from an American breakfast & we enjoyed trying foods we had never had, let alone ate for breakfast! But it is a MUST. Plus the room is really beautiful.|- At the pool they do serve snacks but nothing of note. They also had 2 different flavors of frozen drink that you can have with liquor or plain. |- We had one meal in the hotel during my business stay and the steak was the best we had in Israel. Overall, Israelis have a tendency to cook steak until it's charcoal.|- Hubby & I had one meal in the Grill Room. The ambiance is fantastic! The drinks were well made. Our waiter was friendly & helpful with any questions we had. Between us we ordered the Smash Burger and a special of German Wurst and what they said was German Potato Salad. The burger was cooked within an inch of its life, but the fries were REALLY good. I have no idea what the "potato salad" was, but it was tasty. The wurst were cooked PERFECTLY! Crunchy on the outside & juicy on the inside.||Would we stay there again? Maybe, but we would book on the...

This review is a long time in coming. My family had never been to Israel before. We had decided to take the trip towards the end of January 2025. I was a little concerned as it is the off season and sometimes cold but the weather turned out perfect. Upper 60's 70's F. ||I digress as this review is about my experience at the King David Hotel. Lets start with the pre stay concierge services. As our plane landed we were greeted by our driver Doron. Doron has a new Mercedes Sprinter van/limo that was incredibly comfortable and ample room for our luggage. (4 People - 10bags). ||When we arrived in the grand portico the bellman Stanislaw saw to our luggage and Muhammad at the front desk ushered us immediately to our rooms. We had 2 rooms both with old city views. I beautiful suite for my spouse and a double for our children, ||Upon arrival into the suite we were greeted with fresh fruit and drinks. I should mention that the new fruit was brought in every evening during our 7 day stay. ||Breakfast is amazing the a ala carte choices as well as buffet options were not only plentiful but clearly designed to cater to whatever geographic region you were coming from. Special shout out to Talib the Maître' D, and Hani our server for really coming through for us. ||Downstairs is an amazing steakhouse and during the Friday night meal we were provided guidance from an excellent Sommelier Yardena. ||My children loved the individual attention that was provided throughout the hotel. We felt like the rockstars/royalty and notable guests that grace the main Hallway. Included in this was Shani, Angela and Muhammad at the front desk. | ||During our stay one of my children came down with the flu. Within hours we had a house Dr. arrive for a diagnosis and prescription||The hotel is Historic, with an old world elegance reminiscent of the finest European properties that have stood the test time. The grounds are unrivaled with an amazing pool area, gardens and tennis court. ||As someone who stays in hotels for almost 100 nights a year, I recognize excellence. This trip would not have been as amazing, were it not for our Head concierge Jeremy Weiss - Les Clef D'or. Anything we needed to be arranged was handled promptly and he went above and beyond expectations. Without his guidance I don't think we would have had as great of an experience. ||As I write this review. I have already booked our flights for our next trip to Israel in October. If one is looking for class, comfort and the very definition of hospitality is there is no rival in Jerusalem. ||Thank you again for a wonderful experience we look forward to seeing you soon!!!...

נגנים שבאו להופיע מול עובדי מלון "המלך דוד" בירושלים נדרשו להסיר את הכיפות ואת הציציות שלהם. הרכב מוזיקלי בשם "להקת ענבלים" הוזמן למלון כדי לנגן מול העובדים. היות שרוב העובדים הם ערבים, הלהקה התאימה את הסגנון המוזיקלי, ובחרה לנגן עבורם שירים של אום כולתום ופאריד אל אטרש, אלא שחצי שעה לפני ההופעה, הפקת המלון גילתה ששניים מן הנגנים הם חובשי כיפה ודרשה מהם באופן חד - משמעי להוריד את הכיפות, משום שלטענתם זה פוגע ברגשות העובדים הערבים. מנהל הלהקה התפשר וסיכם כי הם ילבשו כובעים ולא כיפות. כשהלהקה החלה לנגן, שוב פנו אל מנהל הלהקה, אמרו לו שהציצית של אחד מהנגנים בחוץ ודרשו ממנו שיורה לו להכניס אותה אל תוך המכנסיים. בסוף ההופעה ניגש מנהל הלהקה לדבר עם מנהל המלון, ונחרד לגלות שהמנהל (היהודי) מצדיק את האפליה הזו נגד יהודים. האם יעלה על הדעת שבמדינת ישראל ימנעו מאדם כלשהו את חופש האמונה שלו? יהודי צריך להסתיר את יהדותו? מה היה קורה אילו היו אומרים ללהקה ערבית שאסור לחבריה להיראות כמו מוסלמים דתיים ליד יהודים כי זה יכעיס את היהודים? הרי התקשורת היתה רותחת ומלבה אש. זו דוגמה לדו - קיום וסובלנות? לא! זו מדינה שבה יהודים וערבים לומדים ועובדים יחד. מדינה שבה יש ערכים ושיוויון ואין מקום לגזענות כלפי אף אדם. A group of musicians who came to perform in front of the "King David" hotel employees in Jerusalem, were required to remove their skullcaps and their ritual fringes. Musical ensemble was invited to play in front of the hotel employees. Since the most of the employees are Arabs, the band adapted the song they are playing for them - songs of Umm Kulthum and Farid al-Atrash, but half an hour before the show was start, the production of the hotel revealed that two of the players are wearing a skullcap, and demanded them to remove it out, because it hurts the feelings of the Arab workers. The band director settled and said that they will wear hats and not skullcaps. When the band started to play, they turned again to the band's manager, said to him that the tzitzit (ritual fringes) of he's one of the players is visible, and asked him to instruct him to put it into his pants. At the end of the show the band's manager came to speak with the hotel manager, and was horrified to discover that the manager (Jewish) justifies this discrimination against Jews. Is it conceivable to prevent anyone the freedom of his belief? Jew should hide his Jewishness in Israel? What would happen if they were ask for an Arab band not to be seen as religious Muslims by the Jews because it would anger the Jews? In this case the media will be furious and fueling a fire. This is an example of co - existence and tolerance? No! This is a country where Jews and Arabs work and study together. A country which has values and equality. Racism has no place in it, against...