The Grand Hotel Excelsior

The hotel was a disappointment, despite its prime location and branding as a 5-star. Upon arrival I was impressed with the entrance and lobby, as well as the helpful and friendly attitude of the FOH staff. We had to wait a few hours to check-in, as we arrived at 12pm, so we took a wander around the hotel and pool-side area. This was when we began noticing problems. Despite there being 5 members of staff at the pool-side bar, and no other customers inside at the time, service was terrible. I asked what fresh juices were available due to various food allergies. The staff were completely confused when I asked them this, and looked at me blankly, which did not instill confidence. One told me they made fresh lemonade, but another seemed confused when I mentioned this, as though they do not offer fresh lemonade. We ordered something else, but the staff were then too busy with their social conversation to take the payment when we offered. When someone finally turned back to us, they were confused that we had no room number and it took three attempts for them to understand. That was the first and last time we ordered anything pool-side. The pool itself is a good size, and the pool area itself is a nice area, with different seating levels. It was a shame the pool staff, and pool boys who handled the umbrellas etc. were so disinterested and generally unavailable. There is no engagement with guests, and it just felt very alienated, in comparison to the service offered at other 4 or 5-star hotels. The exterior of the hotel looks in need of renovation, particularly if you are looking back from the outside pool. This matched the interior, which looked tired and outdated. The hotel has styled itself as a throwback to grand European hotels, but it has not been maintained, meaning it looks outdated and too dark, especially in the rooms. Whilst the room itself was quite nice, and had great views, the bathroom was awful. The floor was dirty, there was mold growing on the tiles and there was no working extractor fan. I was disappointed, as it is being advertised as a 5-star with premium facilities etc. The biggest let down, though, was the breakfast service. Firstly, the 'kiosk' to check you in for breakfast is amongst the seating, not at the entrance to the restaurant. There were often queues to be seated, so people sitting at tables were right next to the queues. There was general chaos in clearing tables and seating guests - one manager was left to choose where to seat everyone and nobody knew what was going on. The staff were also rude and disinterested, just like at the pool bar, and did not appear understand allergies, so I decided to stick to poached eggs. At other hotels we usually order these from our table, so we asked one of the waiters, but he did not understand what a poached egg was. When I finally found out they were being made at the station, I ordered 2 well-done, but the chef was rude and grumpy and did not cook them as instructed. This was a repeating theme for 3 of the 4 days, and it became increasingly frustrating. Finally, the hotel advertises live entertainment every day of the week, with cards at each bar table listing the acts for each evening. However, there only seemed to be entertainment on one or two of the five nights, so we never returned to the bar to sit down and have a drink. This was also compounded by 3 staff between them getting confused over what we had ordered on the only night we did sit there. Overall, I would not recommend the hotel if someone was looking for a luxury resort. The location is something most hotels can't match, so it should have a great advantage, and the FOH staff were friendly and helpful. However, the hotel is letting itself down through its terrible service and quality, as well as the tired product.

Beautiful Hotel in a very quiet location away from the hustle & bustle of Valetta City Centre with excellent amenities. If travelling to the City Centre there are a number of stairs outside of the Hotel to be negotiated. Superb customer service from the Guest relations Manager Milena Lukic. We were looked after from the moment we checked in for a 4 night stay after a 7 night cruise with P&O.

This hotel has a very good location with great views of the harbour. It is a steep but short walk into Valletta. No problem for us though the hotel seemed to cater for older people in the main. The pool area is very good and provides plenty of shade. Lunch snacks by the pool were good though expensive. The bar is a pleasant area to sit for a short period in the evening and staff there were always friendly and smiling. We enjoyed the international buffet in the main restaurant. Room cleaning was of a high standard and the room was comfortable. The hotel is of a classic and old style which was once grand but now tired and in need of refurbishment. Information was forthcoming if you ask a direct question though only the private hotel trips were freely advertised. More information should be volunteered re. Places of interest. Breakfast was plentiful but average. We generally had difficulty in obtaining a pot of tea each day and one day asked twice then received a stewed and tepid offering towards the end of our breakfast. It was good to chat with Marita on our last morning and on this occasion staff were very attentive! We did enjoy our stay but the hotel is not as great as advertised or I would be less critical