The right hotel in the wrong place, review Marriott Athens
I admit I have never been attracted to Greece, to any of the souls of this nation. I was never [...]
I admit I have never been attracted to Greece, by any of the souls of this nation. I have never been intrigued by Athens, where I have been for work a couple of times. And not being a lover of beach vacations, I have never visited the islands. Having to spend just under 18 hours in the Greek capital, I played it safe by choosing the Marriott Athens.
Reservation
In this article:
As always I made the reservation from the official app. The cost of the room was 170€, the alternative was to use 39mila Bonvoy points, but I didn't think it was a very convenient conversion, considering that in another case I used 50 thousand points to book a room from 800$ per night.
I therefore booked by taking advantage of the last day Valid to get a 100€ discount in the bank statement thanks to an offer from American Express, Offer that provided 100€ re-credit against 300€ expenditure In many Marriott hotels in Europe. Already having another paid stay. it was the cheapest way to get the bonus.
Location
As I said before, I was never attracted to Athens, didn't know the city and didn't know where it made sense to stay. I could have studied, read and informed myself, but I didn't. My mistake, I chose the worst possible place. A kind of middle ground, far from the historic heart of the city and the sea. In front of one of the city's busiest and noisiest arteries.
I think even if I wanted to, it would have been hard to do worse, but luckily I had to sleep, eat breakfast, and go to the airport.
Check-in
I arrived after an interminable cab ride from the airport., at the modest fee of 50€. The receptionist was particularly talkative, but of all the news he shared with me none made me particularly happy.
I had booked a basic room with a courtyard view and was given a small upgrade to a premium room with a city view.
Since they are Platinum in the Bonvoy program I have not yet taken advantage of the guaranteed in-suite upgrades, nor have I ever received in-suite upgrades. This time again I had to settle for the minimum effort, an upgrade that was not even explained to me by the concierge.
The thing that amazed me, however, is. many services close really early or they don't open at all on some days. The hotel's rooftop pool opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 7 p.m., which I would say is really too little, especially since people returning to the hotel, after a busy day out and about in the city, would perhaps like to take a dip and relax while enjoying the view from the rooftop. Also the happy hour was already over and the restaurant on the top floor is closed on Sundays and Mondays, in very high season it seems crazy to me.
The room
The marketing by which rooms are sold has always fascinated me-the trick is to give a different name to rooms that are actually standard and the same as many others.
In this case, the basic room becomes premium only because it overlooks the city and not the hotel garden. In the room is the basic package that Marriott proposes in all its facilities. The room is beautiful, functional, modern and spacious. There is especially a 4 finger high topper and amazing sheets, Sleep quality rating 11.
Sure, in the distance you could see the sea and the nearby Stravos Center, but really it's just marketing, because in the end the garden view room is definitely quieter not being facing the highway.
Too bad that the highway can be heard at all hours, day and night, including the gasps of would-be heirs of Valentino Rossi. Despite the double windows.
The bathroom is also functional, offering nothing less from what is logical to expect from this type of hotel
The optional extras
The rooftop is definitely the most beautiful part of the hotel, as mentioned there is a swimming pool, tiny actually, complete with lifeguard.
Above all, there is a beautiful view of the city, and in the distance you can see both the sea and the acropolis. Too bad it is inaccessible on Sunday and Monday evenings.
At the opposite end of the building, i.e., on the -1 floor, is the small gymnasium open h24. Given the climate in Athens, management must have thought that guests would rather run outside, perhaps to Stravos Park, than stay underground.
Also on the ground floor is a beautiful conservatory where you can dine or enjoy a cocktail, complete with fountains.
The bar area with the bar in the center and different types of accommodations on the sides is also very nice.
M Club
Also on the ground floor is the lounge open to all guests who book a room with M Club access or Platinum status holders or above.
To open the door you have to use the room key, the lounge is open h24, great news. Too bad, though, that this one rightfully made it into the worst Marriott hotel lounge I've ever visited. Both in terms of location and food offerings, it is worse even than the Marriott London Heathrow, where at least I had managed to eat cheese.
As explained to me by the attendant at check-in, every day from 5 to 7 p.m. there is a happy hour, but the food offerings were really poor.
I made a quick stop around 8:30 p.m. to see if there was anything to munch on; I wasn't hungry to go to dinner so I wanted some snacks. There was nothing in the MClub except some fruit and the Pepsi tap.
Food & Beverage
Unfortunately, the restaurant and bar on the top floor are open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, otherwise I would have definitely dined there, the nicest place in the hotel.
Instead, I had breakfast in the restaurant on the ground floor, sitting in the garden by the fountain.
The dining room is beautiful and bright, and the staff is really a lot and super attentive to guests' needs and to clean the table.
The buffet is self-service and offers an excellent selection of products. From typical items such as yogurt and feta, to many types of desserts and cakes. The savory area offers the classic choices with little touches of genius.
For the eternally undecided, there are two different bacon cookings. Soft or crispy, to each his own.
Omelets and eggs are freshly prepared by the staff.
In conclusion
This monoblock should have been built either by the sea or closer to the historic center, here it is really inconvenient. There is no subway nearby, to get around there is only the unreliable Greek public transportation or cabs. Going by cab to the center is about 15 minutes, traffic permitting.
Too bad because the hardware is level, it should be given an adjustment to the software such as the pool hours and service in the M Club, so it would be even better.
Pro
- The staff
- The bed
Against
- Schedules
- The position
- The view of the highway