Phoenicia Tower Hotel

not impressed

I stayed for 4 consecutive nights (10-14APR 2009). The water pressure in the shower was abyssmal, electronic room keys expire every day at noon, the towels smelled like cigarette smoke, the carpet was grimey, lots of late night traffic in the halls, loud music from the night clubs on each floor resonated through the walls while I attempted to sleep, the gym was the size of my closet and ALL of the equipment was broken, and fire/smoke alarms went off at 4am due to the night club downstairs for three straight nights. The wake up call NEVER came either. Besides the surprisingly fast wireless internet, this hotel is only a cheap place to stay for few days. Don’t expect much more than that. You can pay twice as much and stay at two nice hotels a few blocks away, and just across the street from most of the embassies.

A little scary

I arrived at 1am in the morning. This was a destination for people who wanted to party hard and stay up all night. The hotel was on one of the major roads that provided no access to the hotel. Get off at the nearest exit and work your way back through small roads, dirt lots and an alley. I parked down the alley. The staff was friendly and helpful but had a few odd policies. They wanted to take my passport. They made a copy for themselves after I protested. They also took my camera. I wasn’t comfortable leaving my camera at the desk but they wouldn’t waiver from their policy. They said they would lock it up. In the morning it was in plain sight behind the reception desk. There was a security guard walking the floor. He walked me to my door. It gave me a sense that this place needed a guard on every floor! The room was older and the finishes were cheap. The bathroom had a worn out look to it. It was serviceable and seemed clean but was very dated: reason for no camera. The people in the next room came to party. The loud Arabic music went on all night. I think the security guard asked them once to turn it down but that didn’t last long. I never became comfortable with the room or the situation so I never slept. The sun came up at 4:15am so I left the hotel. I passed a policeman in the alley who was carrying an automatic submachine gun. Armed policeman in the alley? The room was clean and the staff was friendly and helpful but I wouldn’t recommend the experience.

Book your stay somewhere else. This didn’t seem like the place for wives and kids unless you are familiar with the area and the culture.