Grand Hotel Napoca — Hotel in Cluj Metropolitan Area

I stayed at the Grand Hotel Napoca for 3 days as part of a larger delegation that arranged our accommodation there. Despite being an old hotel, it has been well renovated; the lobby, hall, restaurant, and bar all look new. The room was spacious, partially renovated, but comfortable and clean. The biggest issue was the level of service provided by the hotel staff. Upon entering the hotel, you are not greeted at reception, and the breakfast in the restaurant is very basic. Out of 4 waitstaff, only one young waitress made an effort to be attentive. The other old-school waiters do not speak English and communicate through gestures, which is quite uncomfortable. They do not but rather maintain the buffet and clean tables after guests finish. Nobody tries to bring you coffee or assist you when you ask for something. For example, when I requested hot water for my muesli, the waiter pointed to a thermos that had been sitting there for 2 hours, and the water was no longer hot. When I mentioned that to the waiter, he directed me to the coffee machine to wait in line and pour hot water myself. There is no option to have an omelet eggs made to order; breakfast choices are quite limited, with only bananas apples available. The coffee from the machine tastes terrible, so after breakfast, we decided to sit in the hotel lobby and order coffee from the bar. I received an Americano smaller than the cappuccino my husband was drinking and asked bartender to pour it into a larger cup with a bit more water because I prefer my Americano more diluted. He reacted aggressively, gave me a plastic takeaway cup to pour it myself, did not respond when I thanked him, and then started banging metal dishes loudly and expressing anger about my request. Then, a supervisor by speaking Romanian, and the supervisor kept saying calm down, calm down. Finally, a problem arose with the air conditioning, which stopped working on the last day before our departure. It even felt like the AC was heating the room to 30 degrees! We asked the housekeeper, who said another room had a malfunction, and since the ACs are connected, the entire horizontal line was not functioning. I would not stay at this hotel if it were not booked organized. The staff need serious training because, unfortunately, all the good and comfortable aspects (such as free and very convenient parking in front) are overshadowed by the subpar service of the employees who do not seem happy to...

front desk staff is friendly until you tell them, that free parking was offered (via email). front desk changed attitude right down to hostile in that situation edit: it was a one off (must have been a long night). Apart from that, one can see the hotel was renovated, but (for example) bathroom is fungy, ceiling has marks of water damage from upper floor bathroom, and furniture is used/damaged [edit: the last day our neighbor 1 floor below were complaining about our bathroom leaking into theirs...]. Not the 4 star experience I've met at any other place before. Do not disturb sign is nowhere to be found (cleaning staff did find us when we did not want to be disturbed) [edit: cleaning staff did give us a do not disturb sign when asked for]. WiFi is not secured. Breakfast was adequate, restaurant staff helpful and polite. Bathroom is uncomfortable when showering, one can barely fit (I'm 5'9", 178lbs) between the glass separation wall and the bathroom wall due to the poor tap placement. Bathtub plug is broken (unless removed entirely, it always kept blocking the drain, the plug "opening mechanism" was not working at all), bathtub paint is coming off and bathtub is rusty... we weren't given sufficient amount of towels [edit: when asked for, we were given plenty of towels]. Air-conditioning was strong enough, but noisy. Of course drapes can't make the room entirely dark (a problem with way too many hotels I've been in), so if light bothers you while you want to sleep, bring your own travel shades. [edit: changing rating...

This hotel is popular for conventions and events, mainly due to its location, ample parking, and spacious rooms. The rooms were decent and clean, though they had a somewhat dated, communist-era vibe. However, they did provide slippers, bathrobes, and basic amenities. The shampoo and shower products were basic and lacked a strong fragrance. Overall, the rooms were very clean and pleasant.

The location is excellent, within walking distance to the main center and Central Park, and close to public transportation. There are plenty of restaurants nearby, but supermarkets are not conveniently located. The only market in the area is a gas station across the road; otherwise, you'll need a taxi to reach a supermarket.

One aspect that detracted from my experience was the customer service at reception. The staff seemed bothered and unenthusiastic when approached for assistance or questions. From the moment of check-in, completing formalities, to seeking information, it felt like a significant effort. A welcoming smile and a bit of effort to make guests feel valued would have made a big difference. While I understand they may be inexperienced, it's important to remember this is a...