My third stay at the Hilton Hotel in Prague and second since Covid. My first stay was excellent, second disapointing. So how was the third?
On my first stay, I was so impressed that the hotel made number four on my list of Hilton Hotels worldwide. My second visit in August 2020 was disapointing, as the previously excellent lounge was closed, the pool crowded and the breakfast not Covid safe. This time, I expected these same issues, but with a rate of 1729 Kč (£58 US$81) a night, I couldn’t resist the bargain. Plus a great opportunity to earn status points to retain my Hilton Hhonors Diamond.
I also wanted to make a video of the hotel.
There are two Hiltons in Prague; the smaller, more centrally located one is called the Hilton Old Town; this one, still pretty central, is often referred to as the Hilton Atrium.
The 8th Floor Executive Floor check in was closed so we checked in at the main desk. There was a huge line of people waiting to check in – luckily the desk marked Hilton Hhonors was open and we were soon checked in and upgraded to an Executive Room. We were asked if we wanted a housekeeping service and said we didn’t – as it was, the cleaner visited anyway.
The lobby area, part of the main atrium was hot – it’s expensive to keep the huge atrium cool and the hotel have obviously cut down on air conditioning.
Our room door was sealed. It’s a nice gesture, but really only means that the room was cleaned.
The remote control looked like this:
The room was really comfortable and there were plenty of power and USB outlets. There weren’t any complimentary botttles of water, but Czech tap water is fine and so we didn’t ask for any. The room and view are shown in the video above.
On the Saturday the pool, pool loungers and the summer terrace were full. It was a Covid-19 nightmare and I really didn’t feel comfortable in the pool. This was because the hotel offers every guest free access to the Health Club. That might sound like a good thing, especially if you booked a basic room without Hilton status – but what a way to discourage premium guests and locals who pay a huge amount for Health Club membership. And with Covid-19, they just turned the place into a virus hotspot.
It was possible to order drinks by visiting the health club reception, but there was no waiter service. Apparently, they will open a hut to sell drinks soon. Sadly, the prices are ridiculous – three or four times the price of a drink in Prague.
On Sunday and Monday, the pool was much quieter – at times empty.
The previously excellent 8th Floor Executive Lounge remains closed and we’d been advised to visit the bar area. Happy Hour used to be from 6 – 8.30 PM, but has now been changed to 5 – 6 PM – just penny pinching. We didn’t even bother visiting for this unhappy hour. During the day there was a selection of soft drinks available, but it was a pretty meagre offering.
We went for dinner at an excellent nearby restaurant called Sia.
The room air con was easy to use but struggled against the outside heat – even set at 18 the room stayed at 23. his wasn’t the case on our last visit and I suspect the hotel has reduced the air conditioning to save costs.
Breakfast was in a large area by the main lobby. There wasn’t a wait for tables and there were hand sanitisers at the entrance and inside. One big improvement since our last visit was the provision of a Gold/Diamond area, with complimentary sparkling wine and tea/coffee served at the table.
For non Gold/Diamonds, there was a coffee machine and orange juice dispenser, all with multiple touch points. The hot buffet was self-serve.
A complete Covid-19 fail.
The breakfast area was also hot – part of the atrium and air conditioning had been reduced.
We were able to arrange a late checkout without any problems.
If you decide to stay at this hotel, do so because it’s currently really good value. If you are Gold or Diamond, don’t expect anything more than an upgraded room and breakfast. Avoid visiting the pool on a Saturday.
It’s a pity, because the Hilton Malta has maintained standards throughout Covid – so it is possible.
Hilton Prague
OBREZNI 1, PRAGUE, 186 00, CZECH REPUBLIC
TEL: +4202-2484-1111
https://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/czech-republic/hilton-prague-PRGHITW/index.html
The Prague Review 