Hotel Ambient — Hotel in Zona Metropolitană Brașov

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Experience at check in - Pulling up at the hotel, initially the building is impressive and bright and colourful. We arrived in the lobby where some construction work was going on, so there were dust sheets up and workers making noises and smells. Can’t be helped, so this was fine. The receptionist spoke perfect English, however it almost felt interrogatory and we weren't made to feel appreciated or welcome from the first conversation. The receptionist gave us incorrect directions to our room, so we climbed two sets of stairs with our heavy bags only to find we had to return down a flight to seek out our room.

Our room - Our room was very spacious. A large sofa, an armchair, a modern tv, wardrobe and desk. All really useful amenities! I would’ve liked a kettle and hot drink options, but I’m British and maybe that’s a tradition that isn’t adopted in Romania, so whatever.

I had a problem with the bed. As a couple, we were confused to find two single duvets folded out and tucked in strangely, all wrapped up in a hard cotton overthrow. We almost had to unwrap the bed to be able to use it. We would’ve preferred a double duvet instead of two singles, but we were unsure if this was something cultural or didn’t know if doubles were an option, so we made do, but not ideal. The temperature in the room fluctuated so sporadically that we could never predict how cold/hot we would get in the night time.

We also found that during the day, whilst we were out, cleaning staff had been in to clean our room and refresh our sheets etc. we were puzzled however to find our clothes had been moved and folded, and some of our food items had been moved and repositioned which isn’t a huge deal, but sometimes was confusing when trying to locate where we’d left something.

The bathroom was clean and usable, the temperature of the shower fluctuated however, so when having a shower, we often found ourselves getting randomly scolded by boiling hot water or having to jump out the way of an ice cold spray of water. A bit rubbish. In the bathroom was also a waste pipe from the rooms above which made very loud noises whenever someone above had a shower or flushed their toilet, adding to the noises that kept us on our toes throughout our stay… speaking of which…

Noise - Awful. Absolutely awful. Our room must’ve been within a stones throw of the hotel bar, Friday night was so noisy, it sounded like a crowd of people had gathered for drinks outside of our door. On other nights, other guests were incredibly noisy going up and down the stairs and using loud voices, talking to each other. On top of this, I presume the cleaning cupboard was directly outside our room also, as from early hours in the morning; the staff were banging and stomping and crashing about with little regard for sleeping guests. The actual noise from the roads and outside were great though, the roads were quiet and sirens were few and far between.

Overall…. Meh. The stay was fine but was tainted by uncomfortable noisy nights and the weird bed situation. Great location. Breakfast was good and varied, but I just can’t get over the noise at night times. If you’re going, ask for a room as far away from the lobby...

The hotel is somewhere in between a 3 star rating and a 4 star, although I made the reservation through some random online agency and the booking was made on their 3* rooms, didn't know they have both 3* and 4* rooms. Nonetheless from my perspective the hotel is alright, well positionated 6 minutes by car to the mall AFI Brasov/15 by walk and a few minutes walk to the Old City. The breakfast was alright based on the price we paid(included in the room price, continental bkfst) nothing too fancy but good enough to fill you up, coffee was better than expected. Parking is free for the guests, wifi also free but i didn't try it. The bathroom was clean, amenities provided were enough and alright. In the room you have a TV with flat screen, some small traces of dust on the lamps but not a big deal(dusting isn't made after every guest not even in the 5* hotels so it's pretty whatever), furniture felt a bit old but it was well maintained, the bed and pillows were comfy. The room had a balcony, side view and it was pretty spacious(guessing around 30sqm). The hotel also provides transportation services and spa services we didn't have the chance to try any of them and I don't recall any prices from the "menu". They have room service and a mini bar yet again I don't recall what kind of items they had in the mini bar nor what food they served in the reataurant. What I found quite odd was the heating system as you have no power over cause it works in intermittent stages, the temperature was great for me but my girlfriend complained it was too cold for her, I spoke with the receptionist and he said if it's the case they can help us(it wasn't the case though, as i'm guessing the temperature in the room was about 20 something...

The hotel looks great from the outside, a bit outdated on the inside. I booked my room 8 months in advance and made sure I had a balcony. When I arrived I was surprised to find out that the balcony that I got is a connection hall to the room entrance and not a personal balcony. I asked at the lobby to switch rooms and they told me it will be an additional 135 Euros for 3 nights to switch rooms due to the difference in 3 or 4 stars wings even though I just requested the same type of room with different balcony type. No other choice. I accepted the disappointing room and requested at least 2 chairs for the hall we got so we can smoke outside. They said that the balconies didn't have chairs or tables which was crazy to me but they did bring one raggedy chair. The room looked outdated but okay, the shower was either too hot or too cold but acceptable. The breakfast was fine, nothing to go crazy over. Please add air conditioning in the massage room because it was very hot. There is one old lady in the kitchen. I think she is the boss over the kitchen or something. Nasty! That lady was screaming at other visitors, especially one time at a Muslim lady that wanted to eat 2 minutes after 10:00 AM after the breakfast finished. She was just screaming: "No" "Over- No food after 10". Totally unprofessional.

Pros: The SPA- Very nice. The young people working in the kitchen were so hard working and nice. The old lady can learn something from them. They were very kind.

Overall not a one star experience and def does not deserve or it looks like a 2 stars BUT the people made me give this rating. Not welcoming at all, not helpful and they really...