Mini Hotels
Mini-hotels - what are they like?
- Have from 3 to 15 rooms.
- All rooms have private WC and showers.
- Breakfast is always included; it is served in a special dining room.
- Such places tend to be spotlessly clean and their workers friendly.
But there are nuances which influence the quality of accommodation offered, and therefore the price:
- 24-hour reception is not a must; in some places the hotel representative comes only for few hours in the morning to serve breakfast, to clean and to help guests with whatever they might need.
- Most are located on 3rd, 4th and 5th floors in buildings without elevators.
- Air-conditioning is a very rare facility.
- The entrance to the building might look shabby and you would never guess there is a hotel inside.
- Internet access for guests might be available, but it is not a must.
- The range of food for breakfast varies correspondingly to the price the mini-hotel, as does the quality of English spoken by the receptionist.
- Rooms can vary - from noisy to very quiet, relatively small to very spacious with high ceilings.
My advice:
I am not an agent for any place I recommend. My opinion about them is independent and informative. My consultancy is free. Let me know what factors are important for you personally, besides the central location, and I will help to find a mini-hotel that best satisfies them.
For example:
- you want to have access to the kitchen facilities in the evening when you return back home;
- you prefer to have a bath, not a shower;
- you want Wi-Fi in your room;
- you smoke;
I have worked with tourists for 10 years, and so unavoidably witnessed what they like and dislike about their accommodation. I know more than Internet advertising materials will tell you.
For groups of 4 to 15 people
I highly recommend small groups to consider mini-hotels for accommodation. I believe that for small groups they are an even better option than 5 star hotels, for the following reasons:
- We can always find a hotel of such size that you will have most, if not all, of the rooms there.
- You will get all the advantages of a hotel i.e. daily room cleaning, ready breakfast, a receptionist to help.
- You will not need to pay extortionate prices for a cup of tea or a glass of beer in the evening, when you returned back from a long day's sightseeing. In fact soft drinks in such places are usually complimentary. You can bring beer from the nearby supermarket or even to ask a receptionist to do it for you.
- You will have space for staying together and chatting in the evenings - using the breakfast room as if in were your private sitting room. You are welcome to bring with you take-aways.
- In my experience the service provided is more pleasant and cordial than in 5 star hotels - for the simple reason that it is hard to be personal when you work in a place with over 300 rooms. But it's another story if there are only 5 or 7 rooms. And for the same reason the speed of response to any possible requests from guests is also quicker.
