Gloria Inn Hotel

“Excellent location to see the Fort and Museum”

Excellent 4 days stay at hotel. I was part of a tour and was billeted at this hotel. It is situated in the old section of the city, south of the airport. It was within walking distance to the Masmak Fort and the National Museum. There is an interesting wet market behind the hotel and some local… more

Excellent 4 days stay at hotel. I was part of a tour and was billeted at this hotel. It is situated in the old section of the city, south of the airport. It was within walking distance to the Masmak Fort and the National Museum. There is an interesting wet market behind the hotel and some locally run restaurants offering very fresh fish and meat from the nearby market. It is also very close to a huge shopping suq, department store, and currency exchanges. Most shops around the hotel sell hardware and construction materials, but it was safe walking around at night. Hotel was clean with very friendly and helpful staff. There is a restaurant upstairs from the lobby. The buffet breakfast I found expensive as I don't each much in the mornings, but the cost of the lunch and dinner was reasonable and tasty. So glad I stayed there and not in the modern part of the city with all the glitz and American fast food eateries. This old area of the city will not last.

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“Cozy Stay”

About one hour drive from airport. It is a proper hotel. As I usually stay B&B or guest house, it was a very cozy stay. I joined a group tour and Gloria inn was hotel while we stayed in Saudi Arabia. - Iron board - Safe  - Flat TV - Bottled water/complimentary drinks - AC - Fridge - Huge … more

About one hour drive from airport. It is a proper hotel. As I usually stay B&B or guest house, it was a very cozy stay. I joined a group tour and Gloria inn was hotel while we stayed in Saudi Arabia. - Iron board - Safe  - Flat TV - Bottled water/complimentary drinks - AC - Fridge - Huge closet - Wi-FI  Wi-fi is good enough, but I couldn’t upload pictures into online photo album. I think it isn’t strong enough. Said that, it isn’t only Gloria Inn hotel but other hotels I stayed in other cities of Saudi Arabia. There are Starbucks coffee and small kiosk at the lobby. While I was in Saudi Arabia, I checked only 2 outlets of Starbucks coffee, so I can't be 100% sure but I would say "Don’t expect sandwiches at SBC. They have only drink and sweets. There is fitness Center next to the restaurant on the 2nd level. Room service is available  Laundry service is available  Breakfast is plentiful. Served from 0630 Hotel doesn't do currency exchange service ​There is Lulu (Hyper Market) nearby. It is 5 minutes walking from hotel. It looks like there is nothing near the hotel but once you get to the building of Lulu, you will find a lot.

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“Great hotel! ”

Nice hotel in the "poor area" of Riyadh, (according to rather wealthy Saudis). As a budget traveller, I wasn't bothered by this, and in comparison to wealthy Saudi residents, I'm probably also considered "poor," so I fit right in! The area surrounding the hotel was safe and I felt secure walking ar… more

Nice hotel in the "poor area" of Riyadh, (according to rather wealthy Saudis). As a budget traveller, I wasn't bothered by this, and in comparison to wealthy Saudi residents, I'm probably also considered "poor," so I fit right in! The area surrounding the hotel was safe and I felt secure walking around as a lone Western woman. Only the common annoyances like asking where I am from (constantly) and asking if I am married, to which I always said yes. In terms of location, the hotel is exceptionally close to the fort (a major attraction), but very far from everything else (Kingdom Centre - about 8km away). There is a massive Lulu Hypermarket nearby for all of your shopping needs. Many money changers about a 5 minute walk from the hotel. Buffet breakfast was exceptional! So many options available including whole fresh fruits for take away and omelettes/eggs made to order! There is an espresso machine for hotel patrons to use, however the automatic disposable cup system is such a waste! One of the best breakfast buffets I've encountered in KSA. Rooms were spacious, comfortable and exceptionally clean! In shower, dispensing toiletries provided. Mini fridge, kettle, coffee and tea were appreciated! Bottles of water restocked daily and housekeeping was very good! Shower was hot, with excellent water pressure! Shower actually was enclosed, which is rare in this region, but welcomed. Plumbing had a musty/mildew smell upon arrival, but it disappeared after a few hours. Check-in was painfully slow, but this is common in KSA (upwards of an hour!). Tourism is still in its infancy, and so the early travellers need to sacrifice a bit of time while they pave a fluid process for incoming tourists. Staff are still scrambling to figure out how to process Western tourists. Though, the sometimes disorganized process is worth it to have the country basically to myself while traveling! Overall, a great hotel, if you don't mind staying further from Kingdom Centre. Riyadh is a massive, sprawling city, without any public transportation options, so, in fact, everything is far and accessible only by taxi/Uber.

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“Beep, whirr, clunk”

The Gloria Inn was our first impression of Saudi Arabia. It is close to the old Town and around the corner from several local restaurants. The beds were comfortable and the breakfast was good. Coffee not so great. The bathrooms were very large and had space for our toiletries. The WIFI was very … more

The Gloria Inn was our first impression of Saudi Arabia. It is close to the old Town and around the corner from several local restaurants. The beds were comfortable and the breakfast was good. Coffee not so great. The bathrooms were very large and had space for our toiletries. The WIFI was very good and we were able to get a massage at the hotel that was really wonderful after a long flight. That all being said, we would not have been able to sleep without ear plugs. There was a constant beeping throughout the night - and we had several AC units outside our window. In addition, there was traffic noise as the hotel is right next to a large highway. So, location and amenities were very good, but the noise was a major drawback of the hotel.

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