Park Plaza Utrecht

rowdy party group mixed with quiet-seeking guests

This hotel is near the Utrecht railway station. It is a short walk, but you must walk outside and climb stairs to reach the hotel. If you have difficulty carrying luggage or strollers, choose a hotel that is easier to access. The location by the railway tracks does not lend itself to romance.

The hotel seems to cater to business travelers. There are several conference rooms on the 7th floor, with refreshment facilities. The bar on the ground floor is fancy and expensive. Nice for chatting with business associates.

There is a small fitness room and sauna. The sauna is co-ed. There are no separate facilities for men and women. There were no bathrobes or towels at the sauna, contrary to what the information folder in the guest rooms said.

Internet access is expensive: 22 euro for 24 consecutive hours.

The guest rooms and bathrooms are clean. (I viewed several rooms, as I was traveling with my extended family.)

The front desk personnel made the avoidable mistake of mixing a rowdy tour group with quiet-seeking guests.

A large bus carrying approximately 40 passengers from Germany had booked a fair number of rooms. Apparently this was either a private company or a class reunion; the people seemed to be in their late 30s. They were enjoying themselves during the Christmas holiday. Their rooms were clearly marked with colorful, party-oriented motif posters featuring pictures of balloons, party hats, and champagne bottles. These posters were apparently prepared by the hotel, because the posters were put up before the tour bus arrived.

The hotel was not crowded (there was only one occupied table in the restaurant on the morning before the tour group arrived, and the less than a quarter of the rooms had their lights on when the hotel was viewed from outdoors around 21:00.)

The party group drank, sang, talked, shouted, and made merry. When my young niece went to the end of the hallway to fetch ice at 22:00, a drunk man followed her to her room and frightened her. The party continued until 07:00.

The party group should have been given rooms on their own floor, segregated from the other guests. The hotel could foresee the problem, and could have made everybody happier.

The rooms are poorly insulated with respect to sound. The hotel acknowledges the sound problem by placing earplugs at each nightstand in the guest rooms. Although I travel frequently on business, I cannot recall staying at a hotel that offered earplugs.

When we called the front desk at 03:00, the manager said he would talk to the party group. He had no effect.

When we talked to the front desk at 09:00, the receptionist told us sternly (and I quote) "It is too late [to complain]. There is nothing I can do now. You should have asked to change rooms [last night]. We would have switched you." In my culture, in a similar situation, an apology is appropriate. Instead we were scolded for not demanding a different room. At 3 AM!

I expect hotels that accept reservations for large groups to be cognizant of room assignments. Placing a group on their own floor or wing is a standard technique. This hotel failed to avoid a problem in the first place, and lacked enthusiasm to correct the problem when it occurred. This is not an isolated instance, it seems, but rather a chronic indifference to their customers.

Whether you are traveling for business or leisure, this hotel's staff is likely to be inattentive to your needs. For this reason, I recommend AGAINST staying at this hotel.