This is my first visit to Thessaloniki, during which I stayed at the City Hotel for 5 nights. The City Hotel is located in a very central area: it is situated along the shopping street (Tsimiki Street, where one can find international fashion brands like H&M, Zara, Espirit, United Colors of Benetton); and a minute walk to Nikis Avenue (a popular promenade which is lined with cafes and bars, where one enjoy a gorgeous waterfront sunset view). From the City Hotel, it takes only about 15 minutes to walk to the White Tower (Thessaloniki’s main landmark) via Nikis Avenue; it is actually just a straight walk down Nikis Avenue, along the sea, and it is impossible for one to miss the White Tower; a further 2 minutes walk down Nikis Avenue would take one to the Alexander the Great Monument.
The breakfast buffet opens punctually at 7am every morning; the spread was ok: it was not wide nor was it paltry. It included warm food (like fried bacon, sausages, eggs, and hot pies), and cold stuff (there was an open freezer where they kept cheeses, fruit cocktail…etc). The buffet also served a variety of breads, juices and whole fruits, and they also offered 2 varieties of cakes. Having said that, I have stayed in 4-star hotels elsewhere in the world where they only serve cold cuts and breads for breakfast, so I appreciated the fact that they also serve warm food here.
Internet access is free at the hotel lobby, but I don’t recall seeing any dedicated stations in the lobby where one could use one’s laptop (there were, of course, sofas on the lobby, but typing a long email on a laptop on one’s lap isn’t exactly ideal). Nevertheless, the cost for Internet access within the rooms wasn’t too pricey (for instance, 5 euros for 90 minutes or 10 euros for 200 minutes, where usage wasn’t limited to a one time use, but where one could do multiple log-ins during the duration of one’s stay).
The room that I was allocated to was a little run-down (the TV set was the old non-plasma screen type, so that probably tells you something); one Tripadvisor reviewer had asked for a change in room, and apparently discovered a big difference in room standards, nonetheless, I didn’t bother to change my room as I was in Thessaloniki for a conference, and wasn’t in my room for most of the time in any case. On some evenings, as I was lying on my bed ready to sleep, I could hear some American hotel guests talking along the corridors – perhaps one reason for this is the room layout: from the bed where I was lying, my head was only about a meter to the door. Meanwhile, I appreciated the electric water kettle that was provided in the room (in hotels that I have stayed elsewhere in the world, this is not a standard provision, and one has to pay extra for it).
The hotel staff were polite and helpful. During my stay, I once had trouble with my electronic key, and after getting it repaired in the lobby, a hotel staff accompanied me back to my room to make sure that I could open my door. I also had an early-morning flight to Athens to catch, and I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t be able to get a taxi to the airport so early in the morning. Nonetheless, despite it being the wee hours of the morning that day, the hotel lobby staff on duty wasn’t at all grumpy, and was highly helpful in getting me a taxi, keeping a lookout for me for the taxi, and helping me with my luggage.
Overall, I had a pleasant stay at the City Hotel: the location was second to none and the staff were helpful and courteous. If I were to return to Thessaloniki some day, I would stay here again because the room rates reflect value for money for a hotel located in a very prime area.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
