Besides the smell, the stains, the pubic hair, and the bugs eating you at night, this a very nice place. Thanks very much British Airways and your friends at BMED!!

we only stayed at Alia Hotel for one night only. we were on our way to the UAE. the place is ok but I wish we had another choice. Alia is the only one close to the airport. It felt like a 2 stars hotel at max.

The worst hotel I have ever stayed at, a badly kept “Alia Gateway” hotel in Amman is located within a 3 minute drive from the airport. Despite what you might hear the hotel is a 1* hotel catered to transit passengers.

If you happen to be a transit passenger on Royal Jordanian Airlines (arriving in Amman AND leaving with the Royal Jordanian flight) you will be given a voucher that would allow you to stay free at the “Alia” hotel. Since Royal Jordanian - according to the manager’s information - is only paying the hotel 15 JD (about 21 USD) per each transit passenger – this is the quality one should count on - $21 per night. You will get a sorry … room with no fridge in it and same quality breakfast. Well, those who want to stay for free should not complain…

I would rather like to warn those unfortunate passengers who are on transit with airlines other than Royal Jordanian or tourists looking for an accommodation. DO NOT GO TO THIS HOTEL!!!!!!! You will pay a 5* price for a 1* quality and there is no way around it!!! I experienced it myself. I flew into Amman with my husband from Sri Lanka. The next morning we were to part – my husband was going to Iraq to continue his work in Baghdad and I was going home to Budapest via Frankfurt. My husband was arriving AND leaving with the Royal Jordanian Airlines and in fact did get his voucher for a one night stay. I was arriving with Royal Jordanian and leaving Lufthansa, which did not give me the right to stay at the hotel free of charge, so I was prepared to pay my share of the double room. When we arrived to the reception we were shocked to hear an explanation that I can NOT stay with my own husband even if I wanted to pay half of the double room’s price! That was some new rule introduced by the management/owners. The hotel insisted I get a separate room at a sweet price of 85 JD (120 USD!!!) and my husband will get another room free of charge. That would be his choice whether to stay in the room he is getting from Royal Jordanian or to join me in another room I was getting for the full price. Showing our passports that we are a husband and a wife and are both on transit did not help anything. I called up the manager but he insisted these were their rules. Two separate rooms! So I did end up paying for a whole room 120 dollars and we did get two keys for two rooms, so one room was standing empty all night.

One would think that for a 120 dollars in Jordan you get a fantastic service and a great room… Well, yes and no. Downtown in a Sheraton hotel you can get a room with breakfast for 120 USD, but that is only a 5* hotel. If you want to stay at a 1* hotel next to the airport you will probably be bored with all those amenities like a swimming pool, a sauna, a gym, etc. The price that the “Alia Gateway” hotel has the nerve to charge – a price of a 5* hotel – will buy you a room with no fridge!!!!!! There will a TV, but no remote control. To get the latter you would have to go to the reception and request one – probably they are afraid that the guests would steal those remote controls… So. You got a shabby room with no fridge and no remote control in it. You only paid 120 bucks. Thank God there are two towels and a roll of toilet paper in the bathroom! If you dare to switch on the air conditioning you’re gonna be disappointed. It will not work. When you try calling reception to ask what the hell is going on they will tell you that it is winter time and the air conditioning is switched off!!!!!!!!!! Never mind that you might not be from the Middle East originally and for you their winter still might seems too warm to be able to fall asleep!!! Tough luck – they will not turn on the air conditioning for you!!!!!

After you have sent everyone to his mother and decided to open the window to have some fresh air – if you can not turn on the air conditioner – there will be another catch waiting for you. The window will not open!!!!!!! What do you want? It is a 1* hotel! You only paid 120 bucks, remember? The reception will happily tell you that only a plumber has the right and the tools to open the window… And they will be happy to call him up for you. The plumber will show up in about 10 minutes with pliers and will open the window. But if you are not skillful enough to adjust the required width by a single motion the window will close again!!!!! And you will again have to call the reception to call in the plumber to open the window in a 120 dollar room………………….. Oh, and the night stand is falling apart………..

It sounds like a bad nightmare………………….. Yet it was true………… That was our last night together before parting for a few months. In addition we only had 5 hours left to sleep before catching our flights… When I lost my patience and demanded a manager to get my money back he firmly told me that I will not get back a single dollar. The fact that we had to pay for a separate room and for this hefty price got no fridge, no remote control, no air conditioner, closed and locked window and falling apart furniture did not convince him. The more I argued with him the less time was left for us to sleep. So we gave up. The last thing that I heard was that should I want to have breakfast in the morning I would have to pay for it!!!!!!!!!! To my question how come a 120 dollar rate does not include breakfast no answer was given…

I will try to share this experience at as many forums as I can because I want to warn people – do NOT go to Alia hotel unless you want to be taken for a ride. Only those keen on survival programs should apply………………..

I agree that for the 1 night transit stay, this hotel is adequate. It sure beats spending 8 hours sitting in an airport terminal waiting for your next Royal Jordanian flight! We stayed at the hotel both to our destination in Kuwait and again 2 weeks later on the return. The hotel staff is very professional and extremely helpful. Meals are included and was suprisingly very good traditional middle eastern cuisine (much better than the airline food!).
The rooms could have been a little more updated but were adequately clean for a free one night stay. We requested 2 non-smoking rooms in the only wing of the hotel designated smoke-free and were easily accomodated. If you have the time, take advantage of the tour agency in the hotel by booking a driver and van for $15.00/person. We did this and were able to sightsee most of Amman in 4 hours. Sure beats sitting in the hotel room! Overall, an adequate hotel for a free 1 night stay in Jordan, but I probably wouldn't stay there for vacation-type travel.