Grand Hotel Excelsior

We had an amazing weekend here recently. We had booked a twin room but was informed by the travel agent that this was no longer available. On arrival at the hotel they said that no problem & arranged for another bed to be made up along with the King that was already there. The staff were all so helpful & friendly, nothing was too much trouble. 3 out of 4 mornings we sat by the window looking over the fabulous harbour towards Sliema. The location is great & if you don’t want to walk, there is a regular transfer into Valletta. It was all helped by the lovely warm weather

If venturing to Valleta this is a must stop Hotel. The facilities and accommodation are perfect. All who work there make for a special holiday. Try.

The Employees of this establishment that we have crossed paths with are amazing! Definately have amazing P.R skills and handled everything absolutely well. I hope I am spelling their names accurate (if not, I apologize). Our first encounter was with Efren. He welcomed us with a warm smile and attended to us divinely. Front Desk was excellent and helpful with check-in. Then there was Ibrahim who is such a wonderful soul. Very charismatic. At the ceremony, there was Thawfeer and all the rest or employees that waited on us and served us with utmost dignity for the two nights at the ballroom. Very attentive. A round of applause to all of you. To the Housekeeping Service and the Room Service crew. You guys are awesome! Quick with everything. Then, As our time came to an end, There was Romeo, He handled all our luggage delicately and bid us farewell, but then I forgot something and had to return. He was at the concierge desk and helped me promptly and I am so thankful to him. It was a bag with our souvenirs that I forgot. (A mom of two active toddlers, sometimes mom brain kicks in and I forget things). All in all, I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone at Hotel Excelsior. The entire staff, You all were great. You guys made us feel welcomed. All of you deserve 5 stars for your services in every way. It was our first time there and it definately won’t be our last. Until then, cheers! Xoxo

Room on 9th floor with sea view good sized room large terrace. Whilst we were there the fire alarm went off . We walked down the 3 flights to reception along with a number of other people. On arrival in the reception we found the reception desk operating normally. I went to the desk an asked about the alarm and was told it was a test. When I said it would be nice to be forewarned the lady told me abruptly that we had been by signs in the lift. Instantly a male colleague chipped in and said it was our fault we had not taken notice of the signs. When I said there were no signs on the 3 occasions we had travelled in the lifts I was abruptly (little short of being told I was stupid) told that the signs were there. Behind us were two other couples who both independently corroborated that at the times they travelled in the lifts there were no signs up. This was an example of the lack of customer friendliness from the reception. This impression was compounded when at check out we were told that our 150euto deposit would be rdfund in a few days maybe 10 to 14 days.

Solid Stay but Feels Like a 3.5-Star Hotel - Dated Property. I recently stayed at the Grand Hotel Excelsior in Valletta. The experience was generally positive, but the hotel definitely feels more like a 3.5-star property. The best way to describe it is: an old cruise ship that’s been docked for 10+ years—charm in some places, but dated in many others. Check-In: Check-in was slow, more of an island time pace. Guests who arrived after me got their rooms before I did. It also genuinely felt like a certain demographic was being preferred, which was disappointing. Mei lied to us at pm that our room was almost ready and we will call us shortly. She didn’t and her body language clearly showed she was never going to. Mei left as her shift got over and Roweca finally got us a room and offered multiple times to buy us drinks but i just needed to get to my room. Not a great start! Rooms: Rooms are decent sized, clean and spacious, but the design is old. A big annoyance: there is no charging outlet next to the bedside, which is very inconvenient—especially for business travelers who rely on their phone alarm, watch chargers, or medical devices. Bring your own adaptors. They are stingy on towels as well. Water: Hot with Pressure or Cold without. Seriously there’s a water pressure issue in the hotel. Either you get really hot water or moderate / cold water seems to have low/no pressure. Taking a shower the first day was a challenge. Housekeeping: Housekeeping is very good, and I appreciated the evening turndown service, which is a nice touch many hotels no longer offer. WiFi: Surprisingly good. Strong and reliable throughout the hotel. Dining: Breakfast is ok ish. the omelette station could be better. Shockingly, they didn’t have tomatoes, which is odd for an omlette station. Service is slow and get packed during the morning rush hour. Go early to get a good omlette or skip it. Not ideal if you are in a hurry. Marita is wonderful. Also had lunch and dinner in the restaurant on the 4th floor which was functional. There are better choices in the city for food. concierge team is excellent, genuinely fun to talk to, and very helpful with recommendations and bookings. Jordan, the greeter, is fantastic—warm, welcoming, and a big asset to the front-of-house experience. Shuttle service is good for the most part. You are generally speaking better off walking though. It’s not a long walk. Overall: A comfortable stay, but the hotel needs modernization. Great staff (with some exceptions), good WiFi, solid housekeeping, and convenient location but dated rooms, slow check-in, limited adaptors, and poor bedside charging setup bring the rating down. Still, a decent option if you adjust expectations.