A decent, three star hotel in Yerevan
Written: Dec 26 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Reasonably priced, three star hotel, pleasant service
Cons: Few facilities, bare minibar
The Bottom Line: About the only decent 3-star option in Yerevan
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| vodkaboy's Full Review: Best Eastern Hotel Congress |
Yerevan does not have a shortage of hotels; it does, however, have a shortage of international hotels, and of a hotel aiming at the budget traveller. There are several old, Soviet era constructions, but service tends to be old-style. There are several small, private hotels of 20-50 rooms, all independent and not part of any known brand. What they all have in common, though, is that they tend to be expensive, relatively, and aiming for the business traveller, or people willing to pay five star prices for four star service at best.
The Congress Hotel opened just recently. It is owned and run by the Italian company Renco, who also own and run the five star Hotel Yerevan. They rightly saw a big gap in the three star market and have pitched the Congress Hotel for the budget conscious traveller, the holiday maker, people who want to pay for and receive a clean, safe, but no-frills three star service.
From the outside it does resemble the Hotel Yerevan, in the way it looks. You would easily guess that it is from the same group. Inside the decor and style is certainly similar, but not so plush.
Arrival, Reception and Lobby
My flight arrived in the small hours, so I rolled up to the hotel at about 4am. There were about half a dozen people in the small reception area, a couple who I took for security but I couldn't guess who the others were. Not porters, as nobody offered to help me with the bag.
The reception area is tiny, the six people in there made it feel crowded. The reception desk was ahead to the right; two people were crowded behind it. To the left of reception was a small bar and behind, to the right, the restaurant.
Check in took a couple of minutes, thankfully, then I was up in the lift to my room.
The Room
After such a small reception I had expected an equally small room but it was really just normal hotel room size. It was quite warm, but thankfully had an air conditioning control that worked.
The bed was new, quiet and comfortable. There was a TV, with a number of working channels (several Italian channels, as the hotel is run by an Italian company). There was a table for working, and underneath that a minimally stocked minibar offering just a few bottles of cola, pop, beer, but no spirits, diet drinks or snacks.
The bathroom is slightly misleadingly named as there was no bath, just a basin, toilet and a shower stall. The shower stall, though, was large and there was even a built in seat to sit on while shampooing one's armpits. The shower was powerful and, later in the morning, did wonders for waking me up.
Bar and Restaurant
You'll be proud of me, I tested both.
The restaurant is behind reception, to the right. I got to the restaurant about five minutes after breakfast ended; from what I saw of the breakfast buffet, I hadn't missed much. I was shown to a table by a very pleasant, helpful and friendly waitress (if you've spent much time in Yerevan, you'll know that these are rare qualities in waitresses!). I didn't bother with breakfast and ordered a grilled chicken breast instead. It came about twenty minutes later, the portion was quite generous and it was reasonably tasty. The service was pleasant and attentive throughout.
The bar is to the left of reception. It is just a long, narrow room with tables and chairs down both sides; it actually is about all you need in Yerevan, there are enough decent bars in town. The one time I went to the bar was when I got back to the hotel late in the evening. I sat with a couple of friends and had a drink. The prices were not unreasonable, the service quick and pleasant.
Facilities
Bearing in mind this is a three star hotel, there are not many facilities. There is a fitness centre in the basement, which is just a room with a number of exercise machines. A fitness fanatic would probably say it was very limited and poor, but it looked all quite painful and threatening to me. There is also an outdoor pool. For the business minded, there is a conference hall that can take up to 120 people, and two smaller meeting rooms too.
Departure
This was an area they let themselves down a bit. The check out seemed to take ages; I was leaving for the airport to get a morning flight, so didn't have time to play around.
For some reason I couldn't figure out, it took the lady behind the desk several minutes to get my bill together - two room nights, one brunch and one round of drinks should not have taken so long to add up. I could have done it in half the time, using my fingers and toes.
Location
The Congress hotel is located about 100m down Sarkissian St from Republic Square. This makes it a good location, whether in Yerevan on business or for pleasure.
Walking up to Republic Square one passes the European Medical Center (which we hope you won't need) HSBC bank, and one of the more popular night clubs, Monte Cristo.
Abovyan Street, with everal restaurants and discos, is just across The Square so less than ten minutes walk from the hotel.
Summary
Certainly neither the most comfortable, nor the best located, hotel in Yerevan, but one of the best value for money. It is Yerevan's first real three-star hotel, catering for the budget concious traveller, and it does that very well.
For the most comfortable hotel I would recommend the Hotel Bass; for a more business-oriented hotel, the Hotel Yerevan is probably best. However, for a holiday maker, looking for value for money, The Congress Hotel probably offers the best standards and convenience within a budget price.
Note I originally published this review in Nov03 but for some reason it has moved to "Preview Category" and does not appear in the Travel category under Armenia Hotels. After waiting months for the review to be moved, I have now copied it over, so if you experience some deja vue, that may be why!
Recommended:
Yes
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vodkaboy
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