Al Habtoor Palace, Budapest

My stay at the hotel was absolutely delightful! The rooms were clean and comfortable, and the overall atmosphere was welcoming. One of the highlights of my visit was the breakfast — everything was fresh, delicious, and beautifully presented. A special thanks to Mona, the wonderful breakfast hostess, who made every morning brighter with her warm smile and attentive service. She always greeted guests with genuine kindness and made sure everyone felt taken care of. Her hospitality truly stood out and made my stay even more enjoyable. Highly recommend this hotel — and make sure not to miss breakfast with Mona!

Most helpful and professional The hotel is centrally located walking distance from most of interesting destinations.

A truly memorable experience. Unparalleled service from all the staff. The hotel provides an exceptional breakfast. One of the best hotel breakfasts I can remember having. Anna in the dining room gave us a very warm welcome and made us feel at home. I'd like to give particular praise to Amey in the dining room who was a true gentleman and provided the highest level of service I have ever experienced, going out of his way to ensure we had everything we needed without waiting a moment. As the saying goes - We were waited on "hand and foot". I highly recommend the hotel. Will definitely be coming back. Josh

We stayed four nights in a Twin Deluxe Room with breakfast included. Before arrival I contacted the hotel with room preferences and a request for late checkout at 4 p.m. It was confirmed for €100. The confirmation was polite and professional. Unfortunately, almost everything that followed fell far below the standards of a true luxury hotel. Important context Many reviews you see online still reflect the Ritz-Carlton era. The building, interiors, and furnishings were created during that time, but since early 2025 the property has been rebranded as Al Habtoor Palace Budapest. The “heritage hardware” (historic building, elegant lobby, classic rooms) still shows the Ritz legacy — but it also carries forward weaknesses in noise insulation and plumbing. The “software” (service, operations, and management) has deteriorated. Positives • Historic Adria Palace building with an impressive lobby, especially in the evening. • Rooms are spacious, classically styled, clean and well furnished, with good views, although beds are way too soft. • Central location near main attractions. Negatives • Noise insulation: inadequate; metro rumble beneath the hotel and garbage trucks at dawn every night make restful sleep impossible. • Windows: let in too much outside noise, not up to five-star standards. • Plumbing: hot water at the sink takes almost a minute to arrive, wasteful and inconvenient. • Check-in: No smiles, cold and impersonal. At the end the receptionist asked: “Do you need help with your bags?” — while two large suitcases were standing right there. Then she simply handed over the key cards with the words: “Your room is on the sixth floor.” No escort, no welcome, no explanation. And although welcome drinks were clearly displayed at reception, none were offered. This was three-star service, not luxury. • Service inconsistencies: Requested luggage racks never arrived until a second call. No turndown service for three nights, then suddenly at 9:30 PM on the last night a maid knocked, rang the bell, and used a keycard to open the door — stopped only by the safety latch. Offering turndown at that hour is absurd; attempting to enter a guest room like this is a serious privacy breach. • Breakfast: Repetitive, minimal, and poor quality. Cheap sausages and cold cuts, frozen pastries and breads, one slow six-slot toaster with guests queueing around it. There are à la carte egg options, but no menu and no one tells you about them — you only find out if you ask. When I did, the cheese omelet arrived as a mushroom omlette, and the staff reaction was unfriendly. No Asian options at all. At best a three-star breakfast. • Final day fiasco: Despite confirmed late checkout until 4 p.m., my key card was already deactivated at 12 p.m. After getting it reissued, housekeeping entered my room with the Do Not Disturb sign on the door at 2 p.m., claiming their system showed I had checked out. This is second “intrusion” was an unacceptable operational failure. Checkout experience At departure I reported both intrusions. To their credit, the front desk called a manager to take notes and admitted it was unacceptable. Then they offered to waive €50 from the €100 late checkout fee. I found this petty, because in a hotel calling itself luxury, the whole amount should have been waived as a gesture. Or none at all. I thought the management’s response was clumsy and inadequate. At the same time, another guest checking in was being offered late checkout until 4 p.m. free of charge, probably because he had status with the hotel. Conclusion Al Habtoor Palace positions itself as a top scorer luxury hotel competing with the very best in Budapest, such as the Four Seasons and Kempinski. Its rates reflect that ambition. But the reality is disappointing: infrastructure weaknesses inherited from the Ritz days, combined with deteriorated service under Al Habtoor, result in a property that looks five-star but operates like a confused three-star. Travelers should be cautious: many glowing reviews reflect the Ritz-Carlton past, not the current Al Habtoor reality. Unless management urgently raises both hardware and software standards, this hotel does not deserve to stand in the same league as Budapest’s true luxury hotels.

This beautifully renovated hotel used to be the Ritz Carlton Budapest. Has a very elegant, but relaxing charm about it. The staff is incredibly polite. The rooms are extremely comfortable the air conditioning and heating systems. Keep you nice and cozy, and the breakfast and Italian restaurant are both top-notch. The location is only a few blocks from all the major attractions of Budapest and we particularly liked riding the number #2 street car goes up and down the river to the Chain Bridge and Parliament.