Guest reviews Marriott Mena House, Cairo

by anwaarb2021 Cairo, Egypt

A dinner by the pyramids

The magnificent pyramid view has got it all, the dinner by them is great,actually the food wasn’t that good,but we went there to see the pyramids anyway, the classic egyption style of the hotel makes you feel like you’re in an old film 🎞 the staff wasn’t that nice, the pool was great and it’s all about the pyramids view.

by Windy_Keala Kapolei, Hawaii

Lovely grounds, great location

We chose this hotel for its proximity to the pyramids. The hotel has a historic character and expansive grounds. Food at the restaurant was great. Our breakfast for two could have fed twice as many people. Loved the view of the pyramids from our room.

by Mooonen Greifensee, Switzerland

Beautiful garden, very poor service.

During our trip to Egypt, we stayed two times several nights in the historical hotel “Marriott Mena House, Cairo”. The first time we were treated quite fine. The room was clean, although I noticed a few broken fixtures which could easily be repaired. The impressive garden area, the pool, and the amazing view towards the Pyramids from the coffee/restaurant blew us away completely. On our second day we booked two ticket ourselves to see the Pyramid night show and asked the reception if they could arrange a taxi. They recommended the taxi-service in their hotel. They asked us over $40 for a max. 10 min drive and pick up afterwards. In Luxor, for the same service we paid around $10. As it was my birthday we did not bother too much and paid it. Funny thing, after charging so much, the driver even expected a tip, which we did not granted him. However, the poor service is mostly related to the coffee/restaurant place and the reception. The guys at the reception are always friendly, till you bring up an issue, then the mood completely changes, and everyone becomes grumpy instead of staying polite and helpful. Sometimes when we took breakfast in the early morning, few people there, we received a check-book. The waiter would say to us we just had to sign and write our room number, but they asked our number already before when we sat down. On the bill there was an option to tip, on top of the 12% service charge which already included in the bill. We found it very uncommon, in the other luxury hotels we stayed during our trip they would just ask our number upfront, that's it. What makes it even stranger when it was crowded nobody received a check-book, including us. A couple of nights we ate at the restaurant overlooking the pyramids. One time we waited 30 min till someone came to help us, and it is not that they do not have enough manpower. They were all the time cluttering together, even arguing in front of customers between each other, this was very unprofessional. The waiter who came to our table after the long wait was close to being plane rude to us. After waiting a lot, we finally got served, pasta with chicken, without chicken (except for some small pieces). Except for a friendly polite young guy “Hussein”, almost all the staff was easily irritated, not smiling and seemed overworked. I recommend the staff-management to take a good look at the gardeners, and the great effort they take to keep the garden in beautiful condition. You have a great place, but in the end, it is the people that run it that make it stand out. Hopefully when we come back in the future things will improve and I can change the review to 5 stars.

by DeBrajelon Moscow, Russia

Far from Marriott standards

Pros: 1) Nice view on The Great Pyramids of Giza from the main restaurant. 2) Clean rooms. Standard comfy Marriott beds and pillows. Cons: 1) All fancy bars and restaurants are closed and the main restaurant/lobby bar have a very very limited selection of food and drinks provided. 2) Anything you buy has 12% service tax automatically included, but for what? There are so many staff members that want to SELL you something (food, taxi, additional services, etc.) and they are very annoying, BUT when it comes to the actual service - everyone is sooo sluggish. Once sitted at the restaurant, you will wait up to 30 minutes for your order to be taken. If you have ordered a bottle of wine, nobody will come to pour it in your glass (until you start doing it yourself and only THEN they will rush to you). 3) Attempts of cheating at the reception desk - Hotel tried to doublecharge me for the breakfast, which is included in the room rate. The reason was that I have children - but I don't and the invoice clearly stated the same. Also the hotel took a $600 deposit, locking it hold on the card. The staff tried to release the deposit at the checkout day, but the money were returned only after 10 days. 4) The hotel security is poor. Nobody checks at the gate whether you actually stay at the hotel. As a result, random people are present on premises offering excursions, taxi, etc.

by KerryF390 Newport Beach

Not following health and safety guidelines and other disappointments

The people are wonderful but some of the hotel staff keep their masks below their noses, a few do not have them on at all. They do not ask guests to wear masks. Staff says there are no cushions by the pool because of COVID but the Room Service menu is a wrinkled piece of paper. The towels are terrible. The bathrobe feels like sandpaper. I had a massage and they used the hand lotion from the room, etc.etc. The dining options and the menu are very limited. I understand the problems with COVID but Marriott should spend the money and keep some minimum standards. It is so sad because we have stayed here before and it was superb. The good news is that the view of the Pyramids is still phenomenal.