Hotel Imperial, cheap & central (Hotels in Prague in general)

Member Name: fluffysheep

Product:	Hotels in Prague in general
Date:	14/05/03 (252 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: location, price, appearance

Disadvantages: shared facilities

Perfect for anyone on a tight budget who wants to be central. To start we're talking about 2500 CZK max, this is about £50-£60, for a double room. If you look around on the internet, you might, as I did, get it for a good bit less, maybe £40 for two people in a double.


Hotel Appearance

All the photos on the net looked nice, originally a luxury hotel, built in 1914 it's got that historical grand look that you've just got to have in Prague! You can get pictures on http://www.abaka.com/Czech/Imperial/ , their website and there's hundreds of other photos from various third parties offering accomodation there. The photos of the outside are stunning and the building does in reality have that overbearing look over the street due to it's grandeur. The halls and landings inside and the Cafe Imperial connected next door all have that grande old look but they're in no way drab: very bright and very eye-catching.

Rooms

On to the accomodation, again the photos on the site are reflective of the rooms (unlike many hotels who pick the premium rooms to photograph). They're basic, there are beds and drawers and wardrobes, but how much time do you want to spend in the room! Above all they're clean, they've been refurbished in 2000 and they are bright and modern, while basic. The rooms I saw had huge Windows giving a superb view out into the bustling streets of Prague, it can be nice to wake up and sit on the window sill and look out on the trams passing by and the atmosphere of the Prague you're about to step into.

Shared Facilities

The slight problem for many might be the shared facilities. The toilets are plentiful, maybe one for each three rooms, situated on the corridor opposite the rooms. They're clean and again basic, a toilet, a sink... what more do you need?
The shower rooms have maybe three or four shower cubicles and are also situated on the corridor, again th
ere's no shortage. They're also clean and on my floor, they even had a separate section down the back with two showers in a lockable room with a mirror. Not sure why but it was handy enough for me. There's plenty of room to shower and change in each cubicle, I expected to feel a loss of privacy but in the end it just meant I had to walk out my door to get to the shower or bathroom, no biggy.

Breakfast

Breakfast was basic continental, as much OJ, coffee, tea, Croissants, bread, cheese and ham as you need. There's a quiet room out the back for guests to enjoy this, it's good enough to start the day and it is free! Leave room for lunch though.

Staff

The staff were one of the biggest attractions, they were cheerful and always pleased to see you (even at 4am when you dandered in through the 24 hour reception). They were more than happy to help out with advice about attractions or resturants or I'm sure, anything else you need to ask. The 24 hour reception also sold drinks and crisps and cigarettes in case you forgot to stop on the way home.

Location

The biggest attraction of the hotel imperial is the location. for this price it is in an unrivalled location. The street it is on is relatively quiet (though there's a 24 hour bar within 1 minutes walk if you need!) but in 5 minutes you're in the Old Town Square, take a different turn and you're in Wencelas Square. On the way there's plenty of resturants and bars and plenty too look at. The metro and trams are easily available with a 2 and 1 minute walk respectively and these take you to there slightly further places such as Prague castle accross the river. If you're bussing it, there's a bus station just down the street, or a train station 2 minutes walk away.

Overall, it's great value for money. If you're on a budget and want a cheap, central hotel and don't mind shared facilities too much,
then it's perfect. the history and appearance just give it that little something special that is typical of Prague

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