Slavyanska Beseda Hotel in Sofia

Overall Rating: 1/5 Stars

My recent stay was severely hampered by a series of operational inefficiencies and unacceptable maintenance issues that significantly detracted from the experience. While I value friendly service, the pervasive issues outlined below require immediate management attention.

1. Check-in Experience and Delays

The initial check-in process was inefficient and poorly managed. Upon arriving at 1:00 PM, I was correctly informed that check-in started at 2:00 PM. However, when I returned at 2:45 PM, I experienced a subsequent delay of approximately 20 minutes due to staff managing a shift change and break schedule. This secondary, unnecessary wait made for a frustrating start to the stay.

2. Room Environment and Cleanliness

The assigned room had a strong and pervasive odor of stale cigarette smoke, indicating a potential failure in deep cleaning protocols. When reported, the only solution offered by management was to open the window. Despite keeping the window open for two full days, the odor persisted, making the room environment unacceptable.

3. Maintenance and Functionality Failures

The room presented multiple critical maintenance issues:

Climate Control: The air conditioning unit was non-functional. I was forced to request and use a portable space heater from reception, which is an inadequate and inefficient solution for proper climate control.

Electrical Issues: The room's electrical power initially required multiple attempts before being successfully switched on.

Plumbing Issues: The bathroom drainage was severely obstructed, causing water to pool and overflow during showering/washing. Furthermore, there was a persistent and foul odor, consistent with sewer gas, emanating from the bathroom area.

4. Reservation Inaccuracy (Bedding)

As a solo traveler, I had specifically reserved a room with a large single bed. Instead, I was assigned a room with two separate twin beds. A further complication was that these mattresses were overly worn, sagging significantly in the middle, which made it impossible to push the beds together to form a comfortable sleeping arrangement.

Conclusion:

The accumulation of these issues—from delayed check-in and poor room air quality to critical maintenance failures in plumbing and climate control—demonstrates a clear lapse in standard hotel management and upkeep. I strongly advise future guests to confirm all room conditions prior to booking.

I made a reservation based on the information that there was a bathtub, but there was none.
I pointed out the mistake in the room allocation to the front desk, but they said that there were no rooms with bathtubs.
The information on Trip.com is a lie.
When booking with Trip.com in the future, I will carefully check the reviews on Google Maps.

During my stay, I found what looked like a bedbug on the pillow of the bed. When I checked under the mattress to see if there were any others, I found what looked like toilet paper trash.
I had to be careful to stay dressed and not expose my skin to avoid being bitten.

This was my first experience of the reservation information being different from the reality. It's very disappointing.