Fredd

As Diamonds with a "right" as of Aug 15 to lounge access we would choose the Prague Hilton over the Hilton Old Town without hesitation. YMMV.

Our Executive-floor room was slightly nicer at the Prague Hilton but our room here at the Old Town is perfectly adequate, exactly as JDiver has described it so thoroughly up-thread. A couple of funny anomalies, I have to admit. The Prague Hilton supplies bath sheets, the Old Town provides the smaller bath towels. The Prague Hilton supplies mouthwash. No mouthwash here at the Old Town and only one bar of soap (not two) for the entire stay. I successfully requested and received a sheet and light blanket to replace the duvets in both hotels. Our executive room at the Prague Hilton held a bathtub and a separate shower, a nice touch but the the combined tub and shower at the Old Town is satisfactory and the bathroom floor is heated, a feature incidentally that Mrs. Fredd doesn't favor. You can't please everybody.

The employees appear in general to be happier and much more motivated at the Prague Hilton, despite its apparently being the largest hotel in the Czech Republic. It's hard to get a smile out of the employees at the Old Town, with one or two exceptions. The apparent lounge manager here sits glumly at his computer most of the time and looks thoroughly bored. The first morning of our stay after the disagreement over lounge access I asked him for the letter outlining the hours and services. The letter arrived that night with the promise of our "gift amenity" and somebody apparently tried to deliver it when we were napping according to a note at the door, but they never followed up so I can't say what the amenity is. At the Prague Hilton it was a .5 liter of a sweetish white wine in an ice bucket, but I suppose it's the thought that counts.

Yes, the Old Town is adjacent to one of the major pedestrian areas, right at the edge of the action and next to the Republica metro stop. The Prague Hilton is a 6-8 minute walk from here but it is only a 2-minute walk from the Florenc metro stop once you step off the hotel property so for us with five-day passes the location isn't a determining factor. We noticed we could cut through a mini-mall that runs the length of a building separating the Hilton from the metro stop. It's labeled Lékárna, which I believe means pharmacy in Czech.

Here in the Old Town lounge there is a pleasant but limited continental breakfast, an espresso machine, and there are a couple of choices of cold snacks out in the afternoon for tea (cakes, etc.) and in the evening (a mini-quiche last night and a plate of cheeses). At the Prague Hilton the breakfast choice was much larger, including jugs of coffee at our table and encouragement to order from a supplementary "hot" menu, and we were offered the option of dining in the lobby restaurant, which we did one morning - a marvelous buffet breakfast! ^

The evening offerings at the Prague Hilton are of the type that tempt you to skip dinner if you've had a large lunch. For example, one night there, along with the salad bar and the large variety of breads, the hot appetizers were mini-hamburgers (surprisingly tasty and even cooked rare!) and won tons complete with dipping sauce.

We've met one quite friendly young employee from the Phillipines (she apparently has a Czech boyfriend) in the Old Town lounge. She has been helpful and hospitable. Otherwise, the "team" spirt at the Prague Hilton is much more obvious.

I was initially annoyed at the Old Town's chiseling attitude of denying us the executive floor and especially lounge access on the first night of a four-night stay until we complained but after three nights here I think I can look past that. Ironically, the lounge has never been crowded, despite its rather small size.

In summary, either hotel is okay, the Hilton Old Town is closer to, well, the Old Town, metro access is similarly convenient, and the lounge and the general ambience at the Prague Hilton are vastly superior IMHO.

Cheers,
Fredd