Hotel Royal — Hotel in City of Belgrade

I cannot give any stars for this hotel as visiting it had nearly cost me my life, but am forced to give it one star to enable me to publish the review. It was 2002 when I went there one evening when I ordered tea to drink which was ok. Afterwards I ordered mineral water which was brought to me in a plastic bottle which had unknown to me already been opened and spiked with drugs by the waiter who served me, who I later found out was called Zoran a guy from Montenegro.

As soon as I took a few sips of the water, my body started going stiff and I began losing the feeling in my body. I realised what had happened and using all my strength managed to get up and stumble to the reception where I asked the male receptionist to order me a taxi, knowing that I would soon collapse as the drug was quickly taking effect over me. He ignored me, as it seemed that he knew of what had happened. Luckily I managed to get out of that hell hole of a hotel where a taxi was parked outside. I explained to the taxi driver what had happened and he took me straight to hospital. I just managed to explain to them what had occurred, and when they saw the state that I was in they put me in a hospital wheelchair. I soon collapsed and they transferred me onto a hospital trolley and rushed me into the basement where they put me into a special room which was freezing with a sub zero temperature so that I would regain consciousness.

When I came to, and found myself alone in there I was extremely shocked to find that I had been left alone like that. I then got up and left the hospital unnoticed and caught a taxi , to take me to the studio flat where I was staying with my boyfriend. No sooner had I got there I was in agony again as although the cold temperature at the hospital had made me regain consciousness the drug was still in my body and it was killing me inside.

My boyfriend got a taxi and took me back to the same hospital where they said that I had already been there and that they couldn't do anything for me advising him to take me to the Toxicology section at another hospital, which he did. On getting there I was told to first try and force myself to vomit if at all possible to avoid having a stomach wash which was really unpleasant.

Luckily I managed to get that poison out of my system, and thereafter was prescribed tablets to take for a few days to soothe my throat etc.

I can say I really had a lucky escape as later I found out that the staff at that hotel were involved in the trade of white slavery. Who knows what would've happened and where I would've got to, had I not managed to get out of...

This is one of the worst hotels I experienced in my entire life, I stayed in Hotel Royal from 28th December 2013 until 1st January 2014 as part of a bigger group of people. When we arrived, one third of the workers were on strike and were sitting in the hotel lobby, because they demanded higher wages. On the sign on the front entrance you could see that a star was cut out - the hotel had been degraded from 3 stars to 2 stars. And even that was too much. In the whole hotel the heating was out of order. At the reception we received electric heaters, which made a lot of noise, so we switched them off at night. This was a big mistake, since the old windows let a draft of cold air pass into the room. Since the curtains were not wide enough, we were unprotected from the draft and got a cold. We helped us next night by stuffing spare pillows into the window. We also let the electric heater run all night. Our room was "lux category", which means we had quite new furniture. Others, who had a standard room, had furniture which was a few decades old. However, "lux category" is euphemistic for a room wih leaking windows, broken heating and a bathtub, where we had to shower without shower curtain. The breakfast room was in the cellar. It was cold and had the charme of socialism. A part of the breakfast room furniture was broken. Also the service in the hotel was not good. In our two-bed room there was only one shower towel. I asked at the reception for an extra towel. When I asked hours later why we hadn't got it so far, the guy at the reception said: "We checked it. You already have a towel." My answer: "Yes, one. But it's a two-bed room, so we need two." Also next day I had to ask for a new towel, since the old ones were taken away, but one was not replaced. Two members from our group moved to another hotel after the first night. I stayed only four nights, although I had booked six. Also two other members from our group shortened their stay and travelled...

The hotel is in a very central location in the older part of town, adjacent to the castle and the pedestrianized area. There is a bus terminal in the nearby Student Square, and the tram line that circles the old town a couple of blocks away; there is also a taxi stand in Student square. Easy walking distance to most of the sights in the old town, and the cafes and restaurants in the old town neighborhoods. The area around has a few convenience stores and drugstores, and during the morning there is an exchange office in the lobby.||The hotel itself has been renovated (it looks nothing like the street view image from Google maps!), and the top floor rooms (which are larger) are spacious and nicely furnished. The breakfast is excellent, wide selection of hot and cold items, and staff always around to clean and restock. People in the reception were helpful, and overall I had a very good experience with the hotel.||Some suggestions for travelers to Belgrade, which I gathered from the web and verified myself. You will need some cash - you can pay mostly everywhere with a credit card / NFC by phone, but some bars and restaurants will only take cash. Oddly enough, the shuttle bus from/to the airport (A1) also only takes cash (and is not included in the bus passes, which you can only get via the Beograd+ application). Taxis are also relatively cheap, less than 25 EUR one way from the airport to the center. You can buy a mobile phone SIM at the airport to avoid roaming charges. In Belgrade smoking is allowed indoors, including cafes, restaurants and bars (and there is lots of smoking, in general). I did not have time to visit many places I wanted to, but I definitely recommend the national museum (which is half historical, half art museum) and the museum of technology - and, of...