Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem

This review is long overdo. To begin we must thank Gilly Frankel. She, more than anyone at the hotel, saw to our pleasant and enjoyable experience. Gilly was involved while we were still in the United States, communicating with care, concern and professionalism. Some details bear mention. When we arrived at the hotel, Gilly made herself available for anything and everything we needed. From places to go, to the few overlooked details by others at the hotel, we knew we could count on Gilly. Being that the war was still ongoing, its effect was painfully felt by the fewer numbers of tourists all throughout the city. Our weekend Shabbat was wonderful. One of the front desk members dropped the ball on the last morning of our visit, forgetting to leave us breakfast packages to bring with us to the plane, leaving us without food for our journey back home. Disappointing for a hotel of this calibre. But the visage of Gilly lingers and we are deeply grateful for the kindness and professionalism she extended. Ask for her when you visit the WA Jerusalem. It will make your special occasion in a wonderful hotel more special.

We are regular guests at the Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem and the level of service consistently exceeds expectations. Special recognition goes to George from the Food & Beverage team, who continually goes above and beyond to ensure his entire staff is attentive and perfectly aligned with the needs of every table. Each guest is cared for with exceptional attention and professionalism

PROS: Great location Excellent food at breakfast and dinner Beautiful building CONS: Bad service (with a few exceptions) The kindest way I could describe the service at the Jerusalem Waldorf Astoria is to call it “INDIFFERENT.” It was cold and impersonal from the moment we checked in to the minute we checked out. Whenever we approached the front desk to ask a simple question we got the feeling we were interrupting something more important and were inconveniencing the staff. It was that kind of attitude. One evening when we waited to be seated for dinner, the hostess was obviously busy with a personal phone call because she was yelling at someone on the other end of the line. Even though we were standing right in front of her, she didn’t take any notice of us until she finished her call. There were 2 exceptions to this poor service: Fuad at breakfast in the dining room was always very cheerful, charming, and kind. Nadine, a server we met at both breakfast and dinner, was very sweet and helpful. NOTE TO MANAGEMENT: At checkout, after putting many THOUSANDS of shekels on my credit card, it would have been nice to hear the front desk person say “Thank you for your business” or “We hope you enjoyed your stay.” But all he did was to continue staring silently at the computer screen without ever looking up. Will NOT be returning. There are other nice hotels in the same neighborhood where my thousands of shekels might be more appreciated.

Probably the best hotel I have ever stayed in. But that is what you get for that price. Room is excellent, location is excellent, breakfast is excellent.

Very disappointing stay – not what you expect from the Waldorf Astoria We returned today from our stay at the Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem, and sadly, it was far below our expectations for a five-star luxury hotel. Before arrival Even before we got there, the experience was disappointing. I contacted the front desk through the Hilton app with a few questions before arrival, but the answers I received were short and unhelpful. The personal concierge didn’t answer our emails at all — only after sending another email 24 hours later did we finally get a reply. We also mentioned in advance that we were celebrating a birthday, and they confirmed they would prepare something special in the room. We were really looking forward to that and had high expectations for the service and hospitality, especially because it’s the Waldorf. Arrival and first impression We arrived at the hotel around 13:00, and the first impression was already bad. At the entrance, two women were sitting and talking to each other, ignoring us completely. There was no one to welcome us, open the door, or offer help with our luggage — nothing like the promotional video showing a concierge greeting guests. The door was half open, and we literally had to squeeze ourselves through with our suitcases. At the reception, we were met by a man who wasn’t friendly at all. No “welcome,” no “how was your trip?” I had requested a possible room upgrade through the app, which is supposed to be approved if available on the day of arrival. When I asked about it, he didn’t even bother to explain that the upgrade wasn’t approved. He also didn’t provide us with any information about the hotel — no gym or pool times, no breakfast details, nothing. The only positive thing was that we were allowed to check in two hours early. The room We got a room on the first floor. The corridor looked uninviting, with dirty carpets. We couldn’t even find our room at first — we ended up asking someone from housekeeping, who explained that we had to go through a big white closed door. Next to it, part of the wall was damaged, with a hole where the room numbers probably used to be. That already says a lot about the hotel’s maintenance. The room was okay but slightly worn down and felt a few years old. The biggest disappointment was that there was no birthday setup, no note, and no surprise — even though it had been confirmed by email. The room was also extremely noisy, facing the main street and the open lobby where breakfast is served. The bathroom had Ahava products, which was a nice touch, but the bathrobes were old and even had small holes in them. We went down to reception to ask if there was a quieter room available, maybe on a higher floor, and to check if they had managed to book us a restaurant table as requested. We were told that no other rooms were available and that, because we checked in early, they didn’t have time to bring the birthday surprise before 15:00 — which didn’t make sense, since a fruit bowl was already in the room. At 15:00, someone knocked and brought another fruit bowl, wine, and a small piece of cake, which wasn’t tasty and seemed store-bought rather than freshly made. The Guerlain Spa We had a reservation for two 90-minute massages. Upon arrival, we were asked to fill out personal preference forms — but the masseuses didn’t even look at them. They came to get us without a smile and simply said, “Come with us.” We immediately looked at each other, already knowing this wouldn’t be good. The massage itself was rough and painful, even after asking for less pressure. It didn’t feel relaxing or personalized in any way. Afterward, we were told we could relax in the lounge area or leave. Nobody even offered us water or tea after the massage, which is standard in every spa we’ve ever been to. We sat there for a while until a cleaner came in and started cleaning the area while we were still sitting there. Only then did we realize that the pool and spa area had already closed. Nobody informed us beforehand that the spa closes at 17:00 and the gym at 19:00 — unusually early for a luxury hotel. The bar After dinner, we wanted to enjoy a drink at the bar. There were plenty of staff members walking around, but nobody came to take our order. When we said we only wanted to have drinks, one waiter gave us an attitude. The bar itself was pretty empty and didn’t have a nice atmosphere. We waited for about 15 minutes, but no one approached us, so we eventually left. Breakfast The next morning started badly — we were woken up around 7:30 by loud noises from kids in the breakfast area below. When we came down to breakfast, the hostess tried to seat us at a table we didn’t want and wasn’t willing to listen when we asked for another one. When we finally got a different table, it was dirty. Our waiter was rude and unhelpful. I asked for an iced coffee with almond milk since I don’t drink dairy, and he told me to “take it from the buffet.” I later realized that he was actually bringing iced coffees to other guests’ tables. When I went to the buffet, I saw that the “iced coffee” was being filled up with 3% cow milk and Nescafé powder — not even fresh coffee. I then asked another waiter for an iced Americano with almond milk, but what I received was again the same powdered iced coffee from the container. No fresh orange juice either — just artificial. The buffet itself was the worst I’ve seen in a five-star hotel in Israel. Many dishes were empty (like pizza or burekas), and when we asked a staff member if there was more, she said, “I don’t know.” I then asked if she could check, but there was no response — and the trays stayed empty. Some food was refilled much later, like a pasta in cream sauce that looked more like soup with just a few pieces of pasta floating in it. The fruits and vegetables looked old, the bread and pastries didn’t appear fresh, and the buffet area was messy, with empty plates and glasses left out for the entire breakfast service. The salads were completely tasteless. I think the photos speak for themselves. When we returned to our table after looking for something to eat (which we didn’t, because most food looked unappetizing and old), our coffee and napkins were gone, even though we had clearly not finished. We spoke to the restaurant supervisor, Hassan, who then understood how frustrated we were. He tried to fix things and offered to bring us coffee and waffles, but even that was inconsistent — we got waffles with only maple syrup, while everyone else got fruit and whipped cream. He later offered us whipped cream, probably after realizing something was wrong with the order. He kept smiling the entire time, but it felt staged and not genuine. Overall, the staff in the restaurant were unfriendly, unprofessional, and didn’t seem to care about guests at all. Check-out Check-out was quick. Nobody asked how our stay was or if we enjoyed it. Another strange detail — none of the staff, from reception to the restaurant, wore name tags. In summary We had very high expectations for the Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem — given its reputation, price, and name. Unfortunately, from the communication before arrival to the service, cleanliness, and overall hospitality, everything was extremely disappointing. The entire stay felt careless, disorganized, and far below the standards of a five-star hotel. This was our first and definitely our last stay at the Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem. Sadly, we wouldn’t recommend it.