Grand Hotel River Park, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bratislava

I spent 2 nights in this five star hotel on my business trip in Bratislava. The room was dark and it was very warm inside, almost not possible to sleep in there. I complained several times, nobody solved the issue. The staff on check out was not interested in how was my stay so I left the hotel very disappointed.

I stayed at this hotel expecting a five-star experience, but my first night was far from it. The air conditioning in my room was malfunctioning, and despite reporting the issue to the operator, I was told it would be fixed within 15 minutes. Instead of improving, the air conditioning completely shut off, leaving the room unbearably hot. When I called again to report this, the operator, Zoltan, gave me a ridiculous solution—opening the window instead of providing a proper fix. I also requested a fan, but he informed me they had none and that there was no maintenance team available to address the issue at that time. For a hotel that claims to be five-star, this response was unprofessional and unacceptable. I expected a much higher standard of service, and unfortunately, the experience fell far short. The lack of proper problem-solving and the dismissive attitude were disappointing.

The hotel has decent facilities but the service is very mixed. Our check in was just awful. Rude and mistrusting was the vibe. Despite the fact we had paid for our stay in advance we were told as you havent stayed here before we dont know you so we want a payment of 4 nights in the hotel plus extras. Not just our credit card details. I refused and they backed down. We were virtually told off for arriving three hours before check at 3pm. Bearing in mind this is a five star hotel I dont except to be told if you want a taxi you need to organise an Uber yourself. Our Executive room came with access to a lounge on the nineth floor except we couldnt access it with our keys. It is only when we complained that access to the lounge was included in our booking that we were given new keys. Perhaps they hope guests wont use it. We discovered the pool area was not included in our booking and we had to pay e35 per person per visit. Complete rip off and not made clear when we booked. It is a shame because it has the potential to be a good hotel but was not a patch on the Marriott in Warsaw we stayed in a couple of months ago. One of the worst hotels we have stayed at for sometime. Location isnt great you find yourself walking every day the same three quarters of a mile back towards the old town. The positives was it was very clean and some staff were nice to us.

We made good use of an upgrade certificate at the grand hotel. We were upgraded to a huge one bedroom suite on the 9th floor with access to the grand living room (their version of an executive lounge). The suite was probably the largest one bedroom suite we have ever stayed in. My wife is a Marriott ambassador and it was her birthday so those factors may have played into this extraordinary upgrade as well. I would have to say that I was underwhelmed by the grand living room. They serve warm soup in the afternoon but an attendant has to fetch it from the kitchen for you. We only saw an attendant once. The place was usually deserted. The only other food offered are a couple of different cold sandwiches and some breakfast pastries that appeared to be left over from the restaurant breakfast buffet. Oddly, the grand living room does not even open until noon even though they have breakfast pastries and a coffee machine. Don’t pay extra for the grand living room but if it is included in your upgrade it is a comfortable place to grab a cold beverage from the refrigerator or grab a light lunch. On a positive note, the fitness facilities are large and well equipped including the beautiful pool and spa. They are all located on the top floor of the hotel and offer nice views of the Danube. The locker rooms are luxurious but no steam room or saunas. The restaurant breakfast was free as an ambassador. There was a buffet of the usual hot and cold items. You can also order from a limited ala carte menu where everything except eggs Benedict is included. The waiter did not come often to check on us so make sure you get everything you need on the rare occasions when he visits your table. We ordered room service one evening and enjoyed the veal schnitzel and the chicken curry. The food came in less than 30 minutes and was served hot. It was beautifully presented on a serving cart with a white tablecloth. The hotel is a 10 minute walk along the Danube from the ufo bridge. From there, there is a crosswalk to cross a busy road and enter old town. The town square is another 15 minute walk. In nice weather the stroll from the hotel is very pleasant. By the way, if you want to visit the castle which sits up on a hill, google maps will direct you up a series of very steep staircases near the hotel. It is far easier to walk to old town where you will find gently sloping ramps to take you to the castle. The grand hotel river park is a beautiful place to stay. If you like to walk like we do you may like this location but it is a bit of a hike to old town. Fitness facilities are outstanding. The restaurant is fairly typical for a luxury collection hotel. Staff were friendly and courteous but no one stands out as exceptional. Pictures show the scant food offerings in the grand living room and our room service dinner.

This was our second visit to this hotel. In the five years since we were there is has been upgraded significantly. We were very pleased. First the staff could not have done a better job making you feel welcome. They all went the extra effort to ensure our stay was perfect. We were upgraded but our suite was modern and stylish yet very comfortable. The bel person took extra time to ensure we knew how to operate all the features. The restaurant was outstanding, as was the lobby bar. We felt like we were getting special treatment from everyone. The sommelier went out of his way to select at our request an appropriate Slovakian wine which matched our meal and was of excellent quality. Breakfast buffet in the morning was as complete as we have experienced on our journey. Many thanks for a job well done.