Grand Hotel Oslo

This hotel had such great potential. We were given a large junior suite and they let us have early check in since we were so jet lagged. It is a great central location. However on the second night of our stay we were awakened by the loudest pulsating music from a pub across the square that was playing dance music. It was so bad that we asked to change rooms but they said that the only room available had poor ventilation. The music went until 2 in the morning. When we spoke to the front desk at first they denied having noise complaints and then admitted that it was a problem but they haven’t found a solution. Let’s be clear, this wasn’t city hotel noise. This was a dance club that felt like it was taking place in your room. I’m not going to even bother mentioning the good food at the breakfast buffet ( that was not included in your rate) because if you can’t sleep at night nothing else matters. They gave us back a few dollars but I think it was unconscionable on their part to put us in this room. Buyer beware!!

Beautiful hotel. Extremely clean and quiet. The location is probably the best in the city. Staff is amazing. Breakfast is wonderful. This is not a budget hotel, but it is worth the price!

We followed the signage to say we could enter the cafe ‘if we had a reservation or wanted to sit inside’. Upon entry the big bearded male server was so rude and told us we couldn’t come in without a reservation. That is fine if you are polite but why did he need to be so rude?! We heard from other tourists that the service was bad and unpleasant at the cafe so we are pleased at the end that we didn’t go. Just disappointing that a so called Grand cafe is not so grand.

We really enjoyed the old world ambiance, beautiful hallways and doors of this hotel. Our room had a balcony overlooking city hall and we enjoyed the fantastic atmosphere as Norwegians celebrated their win over Brazil. The noise over our 3 nights did not bother us and ended before 10am. It was worth it to be in the centre of everything. The bus tours start just down the road and there are lots of shops restaurants etc all around. A short walk to the royal palace, the old fort and the ferry port with nice restaurants. The bed was very comfy and the room was nicely decorated. The bathroom was surprisingly small but worked well. The staff were very helpful and friendly. We were sorry we didn’t sample their breakfast until our last day. It was sumptuous and had everything hot and cold and all the different coffees and milks at a very good price. Sorry we didn’t try the restaurant for our evening meal. We’ll just have to come back.

This is a pleasant enough hotel in a great location for seeing the sights of Oslo. A little bit of faded grandeur. However, that great location is marred by the whole Karl Johans Gata and Stortingsgata area being very noisy. While we were there there was an open air disco at the pub over the road which was very audible in our room at the front of the hotel in the evenings. The pub is next door to the Parliament building - odd. There can be protests outside the Parliament which add to the noise. There are other pubs up and down the street so it is a bit of a ‚party mile‘ sadly. The whole area is noisy with trams and buses running down the South side of the square. It also seems the city‘s Metro runs immediately below the hotel, judging by the rumbling noises. The rooms are adequate. Despite mentioning it on the first day, the room thermostat didn‘t function although the air conditioning was adequate when it was hot outside (and a bit too cool overnight). Some of the staff are excellent, some less so. We arrived on a Sunday afternoon. No porters to help move bags from the taxi or to help take them up the six steps to the elevators or to the room. When we left the porter was very helpful. Given the access to the elevators and at least one split level floor in the hotel, it is probably not a good hotel for wheelchair users. Breakfast buffet is good. One meal at the hotel restaurant spoilt by a main course that was inedible.