Jacy'z Hotel & Resort — Hotel in Göteborgs Stad

Jacy’z Hotel & Resort is a new shiny destination in Gothenburg, Sweden. After spending a few days there, it feels more like having been on a tall, luxurious cruise ship than in a typical, big-box hotel. The underlying concept is to provide guests with so many options and venues, that there won’t be any reason to leave the hotel. Especially in January. This is also why the hotel has the all encompassing word “resort” attached to its name.

Jayc’z heartbeat pounds away rhythmically down in the expansive lobby lounge.This is where guests can enjoy a drink, listen to live music, play pool, or, just chill by a fireplace. There were plenty of digital nomads like myself sitting in the lobby’s many voluptuous sofas and armchairs, typing, coding, designing and editing on gleaming laptops, wirelessly connected to the hotel’s exemplary speedy Internet. Above the lobby is a fully equipped gym where they even have an on-site personal trainer to help guide you towards that distant “Summer Beach Body 2023".

Much of Jacy'z aesthetic is inspired by 1930s Art Deco panache. It’s a dreamy tribute that works perfectly. Even if the hotel’s many cozy lounge and relax areas, all with warm, earthy hues and cushy comfort, might not be in everyones taste, the homey, living room vibe is undeniably welcoming. This in turn encourages indulgence like few other hotels I’ve guested that weren’t in Las Vegas, Monaco or Macau. The plush decor reminded me of scenes from the film Moulin Rouge (2001) which so brilliantly depicted the famous burlesque venue in Paris. Seductive, tastefully decadent and difficult to depart from, once you've allowed yourself to get sucked in.

A few thoughts on Jacy’z beach club in the sky, Pachanga. After an hour there, I felt like I’d been swirling around in this wondrous cocktail with ingredients from Scorsese’s Casino, a Roman bathhouse and a dash of the legendary London gentleman’s club Stringfellows. Guests are uniformly clad in mustard yellow, teddy bathrobes and there was plenty of shameless cuddling and caressing taking place on the seemingly endless rows of chaise lounge chairs and around the fireplace's velvety, half-moon sofas. Yes, love is certainly in the air at Pachanga. Though hopefully not in any of the spa’s two pools.

The hotel’s elevator and keycard system failed us miserably 7 or 8 times during our four-night stay – forcing us to return to the always busy reception counter to have new keycards registered. Our room, a small double room was a mere 14.5sqm/156 sqft and claustrophobically tiny. It was so small, that passing between the bed and the wall made it almost impossible to not push the room’s flatscreen tv completely off its mount. I’m relatively slim and nimble, but what if I wasn’t? A real Houdini class room, in my opinion. What was the architect thinking and how did the owners allow such small guest rooms? Charging a premium for a cell-like space with a view of a busy highway and a towering office building is just plain wrong, no matter how you slice it. Hello! It’s Gothenburg, not Manhattan.

The hotel provides a world-class breakfast buffet on par with some of the best I’ve had the privilege of enjoying on four continents. I was absolutely delighted to see many classic favorites done right and a few tasty surprises on the huge buffet spread. Don’t miss the delicious cupcakes and chewy jellybeans on the way out.

Our dinner at Archie's was promptly served, nicely presented and tasted great. But our dessert took a whopping 70 minutes to arrive, which is confounding.

The checkin process is sluggish at best. While the minimalistic, gilded elevators are high-tech and near super sonic, why is the checkin process so low-tech and anciently slow? 

I have no reservations at all about recommending Jacy’z. But do choose a larger room facing downtown Gothenburg, even if this will unavoidably add extra cost. Trust me, this investment will definitely pay off...

I recently stayed at Jacy’z for a romantic getaway with my partner, and unfortunately, the experience did not fully live up to our expectations. The hotel is marketed as a trendy, adult-focused, and fun escape, with images and descriptions on the website suggesting an atmosphere where adults can relax, unwind, and enjoy leisure time with drinks in a sophisticated setting. After driving several hours from Denmark, we were looking forward to a much-needed night away.

Unfortunately, what we encountered fell far short of that promise. There was a surprising number of children slurping pasta and playing shuffleboard in the lobby. (And we have kids, but that's just not the vibe we were expecting!) We never managed to secure two sticks to play a round of pool as literally every seat was taken, and every game table had people standing around waiting to play.

The overcrowding at Pachanga was the most disappointing aspect. There was no available seating, no free hooks to hang robes, and the warmer pool was visibly unclean. The cold pool was also so crowded it felt like a shoulder-to-shoulder environment. Adding to the discomfort was the lack of enforced hygiene standards—no one was required to shower before entering the pools, which left debris visibly floating in the water. Women entered the pool with a full face of makeup, which was quite surprising if you’ve ever been to spas in Scandinavia. The overall environment felt chaotic and far removed from the vibrant yet refined experience the hotel promotes.

We’ve frequented other ESS Group properties, such as Marienlyst and Hotel Pigalle, so we expected a balance between a trendy atmosphere and high-quality guest experiences. In addition, I’ve traveled extensively for both work and leisure, with and without children, giving me a solid benchmark for hotel experiences.

The front desk associate explained the hotel's desire to accommodate extra guests during the holiday season, but overbooking and allowing exceptions ultimately compromised the experience for people like us who planned ahead and were expecting an enjoyable time.

That said, there were positive moments during our stay which would be unfair not to mention. The food and beverage staff in the pool club were friendly, and all of the food we had was really good. There was also an exceptional sommelier in Gogogaga who made our dinner truly memorable. We had booked a package that included access to the pool club, dinner, and breakfast. While the dinner was lovely, the breakfast buffet was so crowded (yet again) it was hard to find a table. To reduce the chaos, perhaps guests should be able to book a time for breakfast, with a hostess seating people.

The rooms were very nice, and we enjoyed the decor and style throughout the hotel, which is typical of ESS properties. However, the issues we encountered with overcrowding and the lack of organization made it difficult to fully enjoy...

I recently stayed at this hotel, and while there were several positives, there were a few areas where my experience fell short of expectations.

Positives: The hotel was very clean and tidy, and I appreciated the small but cozy room. It's well-suited for a single person, but might feel cramped for a couple. The inclusion of a steam iron in the room was a nice touch, adding convenience. The food quality was excellent, with a variety of offerings. The breakfast, in particular, was perfect. I especially enjoyed the Swedish Christmas food (Julbord) served with breakfast during our stay. Although I missed having waffles and the pancakes tasted a bit pre-made, the rest of the food was of good quality. We were a group from a dance society, and while we initially wanted to dance in the bar area, the atmosphere felt more like a party. However, we were allowed to dance in the lobby after the event ended, which was a nice gesture from the staff.

Areas for Improvement: The popcorns provided by the reception area made the entire lobby smell like a cinema rather than a hotel lobby, which felt out of place in a luxury hotel. The lighting in the lobby and bar area was overly bright and club-like, which I found to be more energizing than relaxing. A more calming atmosphere would be ideal, especially for a luxury hotel. The spa facilities were a major disappointment. I had higher expectations for a spa hotel, but the area only had two small pools, a steam room, and a dry sauna. The setup was poorly designed, as one of the pools, with a normal temperature that you can stay there longer, and saunas were separated, and you had to walk between them from one side on a higher floor to the otherside in your towel, which was uncomfortable. To make matters worse, access to the spa area was not included in the room price, requiring an additional payment for limited access. This felt unfair given the already high cost of the hotel. So many found the elevator system to be overly complicated. Guests had to select their floor first and then board the corresponding elevator, which led to confusion and unnecessary delays.

Additional Notes: One aspect that raised concerns was the kitchen staff not using gloves while preparing food. I'm not sure if this is standard practice, but I personally found it off-putting in a hotel of this standard.

Conclusion: Overall, it was a pleasant stay, but I wouldn’t be eager to return. The hotel may be suitable for business travelers staying alone in smaller rooms, but as a spa hotel, it didn’t meet expectations. Couples or families looking for a more luxurious, spacious experience might want to look elsewhere, or at least opt for a...