Cristal Palace Hotel

“Pluses and minuses”

I was part of a group so I can't comment on the price. The distance to several tourist areas is walkable (less that an mile to Quattro Canti). The room was large and the bed was fine but the furniture was very old. There were few electrical outlets and no USB connections. The bathroom had good ligh… more

I was part of a group so I can't comment on the price. The distance to several tourist areas is walkable (less that an mile to Quattro Canti). The room was large and the bed was fine but the furniture was very old. There were few electrical outlets and no USB connections. The bathroom had good lighting for a hotel but no storage. We used the table in the room so that worked for us. We had a shower which we prefer and it was easy to step into. This hotel seems to cater to groups and that can mean congestion at breakfast. One of our mornings a large group was leaving early but breakfast isn't available until 7:30a. We got the last too seats and there were no coffee cups. We had to double up cardboard cups meant for water. Food selection and amounts were adequate but they need more than two coffee machines to handle the crowds. Also, the elevators are small so it is crowded for the moments groups are coming or leaving. There are good restaurants close which can be important. If you can start out just a bit later in the morning, this hotel would be fine.

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“Good hotel. Lovely staff. Clean and close to historic Palermo”

The hotel is in the Via Roma, a bit off from the old city, but that surrounding makes it a bit less loud. There are some very good restaurants in the vicinity and a supermarket. It also is a short walk to the harbour. I had a junior suite, situated on the top tenth floor, it has a private terr… more

The hotel is in the Via Roma, a bit off from the old city, but that surrounding makes it a bit less loud. There are some very good restaurants in the vicinity and a supermarket. It also is a short walk to the harbour. I had a junior suite, situated on the top tenth floor, it has a private terrace with a view towards the city and the Pellegrino mountain, if you have a good eye, you can see the sea too. Although advertised with free bottled water, it was just a one time 2 half liter bottles. Coffee and tea facilitie is instant coffee and tea bags. I didn't used it. The suite is very spacious, the bathroom as large as the entrance, it's really large! I had expected more shower gel, a few sachets do not do the work, no dispensers. The bed is great, I am quite picky, but that bed was very comfortable and kept me wanting to stay in longer than needed. The breakfast, unfortunately, is not a 4 star breakfast. They really can do better. Blue eggs, even the scrambled eggs where blueisch, too many sweet things, not really continental, but a sweet breakfast is part of Italian culture. The coffee in the buffet area was a dream, in the other part of the room, the coffee was not good. The ladies who host the breakfast are great. I hardly ever met such a crew of dedicated service personnel. Especially Teresa stood out, she has a great attitude, welcomes all with a personal touch and feels and sees what is needed to be done. Her smile makes everyones start of the day a joy. The bar is not a bar in the expected sense, it is just a counter where you can order a drink, and then take it with you. Reception was cool and business like, no real personal touch to it, no welcome in the sense of "happy to have you here" this is something to work on. Guests expect to be welcomed. One lady at the reception clearly was fresh and new, she had a great enthousiast attitude, I hope she can make a difference and keep that spirit. All by all, I had a very good experience with this hotel. I hope they can polish some things up, so the hotel really be a full 4 stars worth. La Ringrazio Squadra.

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“Lacking any customer service”

The room itself was clean and comfortable for what we paid. This was let down by very average customer service at the front desk. No acknowledgment of Accor Gold status and did not even look if there was a possibility of late check out when asked. Just a no. Website states umbrellas available (it w… more

The room itself was clean and comfortable for what we paid. This was let down by very average customer service at the front desk. No acknowledgment of Accor Gold status and did not even look if there was a possibility of late check out when asked. Just a no. Website states umbrellas available (it was raining outside) but not the case when asked. Costs so little to have a few umbrellas on hand or can I suggest, remove this service from the Accor website. Breakfast was disappointing to say the least and I imagine only supplied beacuse this is an Ibis Styles thing. The whole hotel was operated like it was still the old Cristal Palace Hotel and not an Accor Hotel. There are much better options than Ibis Styles Palermo Crital when staying in Palermo. Unfortunatley I cancelled my original booking with Grand Hotel Wagner to stay at an Accor hotel. Never again.

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