We had booked our room about 9 weeks in advance. The room itself was fine (a little small -- we ended up upgrading for the last two nights to a penthouse suite, which was large and had a gorgeous deck), but we were surprised when we received a note upon arrival that explained construction would be ongoing throughout the day. The noise was truly unbearable and, although in Jerusalem there's plenty to do during the day and no need to stay in the hotel, with two small children, we would have appreciated the opportunity to nap the kids at some point midday. We were very surprised that we weren't told about the construction before arriving. Had we been informed, we may have chosen to stay elsewhere and visit the Inbal on a different occasion - instead, however, we were left with no choice (as booking another location last minute would have cost a fortune). The hotel did nothing to make up for the noise, either - the rates should have at least been somewhat reduced.
Another incident: we wanted to do a day trip at the Dead Sea but didn't know exactly where we should go. Naturally, we asked the concierge at the front desk, who advised us "go to Mineral Beach." When we arrived, we discovered it was (and had been for a while) closed due to sinkholes. After an hour's drive to Mineral Beach, we had to drive...We had booked our room about 9 weeks in advance. The room itself was fine (a little small -- we ended up upgrading for the last two nights to a penthouse suite, which was large and had a gorgeous deck), but we were surprised when we received a note upon arrival that explained construction would be ongoing throughout the day. The noise was truly unbearable and, although in Jerusalem there's plenty to do during the day and no need to stay in the hotel, with two small children, we would have appreciated the opportunity to nap the kids at some point midday. We were very surprised that we weren't told about the construction before arriving. Had we been informed, we may have chosen to stay elsewhere and visit the Inbal on a different occasion - instead, however, we were left with no choice (as booking another location last minute would have cost a fortune). The hotel did nothing to make up for the noise, either - the rates should have at least been somewhat reduced.
Another incident: we wanted to do a day trip at the Dead Sea but didn't know exactly where we should go. Naturally, we asked the concierge at the front desk, who advised us "go to Mineral Beach." When we arrived, we discovered it was (and had been for a while) closed due to sinkholes. After an hour's drive to Mineral Beach, we had to drive an additional 75 minutes south to finally find an open beach (Ein Bokek). Had we known in advance, we may have scrapped the plan entirely and used our time (with 2 little kids) more wisely. I was very disappointed that the concierge advised us to travel to a place that had been closed for over a month due to sinkholes.
A few other annoyances: the parking garage entrance/exit was broken, so for 4 days, we had to wait for an attendant to come and open/close the gate, and each time ask us if we were staying at the hotel and to provide a room key. On one occasion, no one was on duty at the parking gate or in the front of the hotel (outside), so I had to park the car at the gate so I could go inside the hotel to get someone -- not a huge deal, but certainly not what I expect from a supposed 5-star hotel. Also, we had to ask for a roll-away bed 3 times before it arrived upon our arrival. Next, Friday night dinner/buffet and pretty awful -- the meat was all overcooked and tasteless, the soup tasted soapy, and the sides were oily -- the dessert buffet was by far the best part. Another annoyance -- on Shabbat, despite our requests to the contrary, a staff member entered our room to clean and turned off/on lights that we had set before Shabbat (we don't turn on/off lights on Shabbat), so, after a long night and a desire to put our kids to bed, I had to wait again for the "Shabbat elevator" to take me back down and then up again to "hint" that the lights be fixed (we can't directly ask that lights be turned on/off for us on Shabbat). Finally, the pool drinks menu is SEVERELY lacking and should be updated.
We upgraded our room for the last 2 nights and were told we'd have late checkout. However, at 12:45pm, we got a knock on the door asking why we hadn't yet checked out at noon (regular checkout time). Once we explained we had late checkout, it wasn't an issue, but to me, at a 5-star hotel, it's the little things that really stand out, both for the positive and negative.
The best service was offered by a "trainee" - Rachel - and we thank her for her friendliness at check-in.
Some positives:
The breakfasts were delicious. The penthouse suite's rooftop deck is spacious and has gorgeous views -- we spent most of Shabbat afternoon out there (which was a pleasure, given there was no construction on Shabbat, so the otherwise-horrible noise was not present). The location is excellent, too. The room service food was pretty good, too.
All in all, a subpar experience, especially given my expectations and the reviews I saw here.More
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