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Old Jul 14, 2014, 2:53 am
  #43  
danger
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Programs: QF, VA, AC, Hyatt, Marriott
Posts: 3,765
My first introduction to the Conrad brand was at the Conrad Miami in 2006. I had just two nights there on my first round the world trip (I think I was probably HHonors Blue at the time) but absolutely loved it. It set the tone for Conrad stays for me. Since then my exposure to Conrads has been limited - once in Hong Kong and three or four in Singapore - but they have been great and what I would expect from the brand.

The Conrad Cairo should not be a Conrad.

My stay was during Ramadan but that doesn't impact on most aspects.

The hotel reminds me of the Parmelia Hilton Perth or, for those more North American inclined, a regular Hilton Garden Inn, in at least as far as the rooms and general furnishings were concerned. If this were the mid 1980s, this hotel would probably be considered quite luxurious. But in 2014, not so much.

I checked-in in the Executive Lounge but was not provided with any information whatsoever about benefits. There was no mention of breakfast, evening drinks and canapés, internet etc. The lounge was open from 5.30pm to 7pm for the usual fare which was only okay. The lounge itself is nice but, again, dated, although there is a large outdoor terrace with tables and chairs that provide a nice view of the Nile and sunset. The evening spread consisted of two hot dishes that changed daily and a small number of cold appetizers and sweets. Interestingly, there were also a small number of mini-burger-type snacks available during the day. On one day that sufficed for my lunch. Drinks have to be requested and there is no menu.

I received an executive floor room on level 20, the lowest of the five executive floors. The room was of reasonable size with a good size bathroom, separate tub and bidet and good size vanity. There was a nice balcony with a couple of chairs and the same views as the EL. The TV was large and had plenty of channels but few in English. The bed was a little soft for my liking and the pillows, while the size of coffee tables, were particularly thin. It was my own fault for not availing myself of the pillow menu. There was a DVD player but no DVD library which always perplexes me. These days, who travels with DVDs? The refrigerator was cold which is always nice and I received a tray of sweets and a fruit platter (as well as a welcome note) that was replenished twice during my four night stay. The toilet would make a conservationist fume, flushing water for a good 20 seconds and with no option for 1/2 flush, highlighting the age of the place. The in-room air-conditioning was very good and very responsive to the slightest change on the dial. The thing that struck me the most about the room was this bedside clock radio. Again, to me it was something more at home in a Harden Inn or even a Homewood Suites. I thought there was a brand standard for this type of thing.

I found the concierge quite helpful. Still in the early days of this trip I've found myself in need of having to send things home, my baggage already getting heavy. DHL and the like are too expensive considering there is no urgency to the delivery so I enquired with concierge about their regular postal service. I was directed to Attaba which is apparently the site of their main or one of their main postal outlets. I went there in a taxi but nobody spoke English, rendering the trip pointless. I passed this onto the EL attendant and she made a call. Following that I had a gentleman come to my room with a couple of different size boxes to send the goods home and concierge made enquiries with the postal service directly about costs. It ended up being too expensive but it was clear the staff had gone out of their way/done their job in trying to assist.

Housekeeping was quite good and efficient. However, once the housekeeper let himself in without knocking. On the final day, I got a knock at the door just before I went to breakfast. I reminded the housekeeper that I was checking out in about an hour. Ten minutes later I went to breakfast but when I returned the housekeeper was cleaning my room. As I finished my packing, he stayed and completed the job. Weird. I tipped housekeeping EGP10 (about USD1.30) per day, along with a small box of a Godiva chocolate that I'd collected on my incoming Qatar flight.

I had room service once and it was delivered in a reasonable time. It was well-priced and of good quality, delivered on one of those tables on wheels with a linen tablecloth.

Using the Conrad Concierge app I had pre-ordered the Shanghai Tang amenities. They were there on arrival but were not re-stocked throughout my stay. The app itself surprised me. One night I thought I'd give it a run for its money. I ordered an English language newspaper, a shoe shine and information about a water park. Not 10 minutes later I received a call from concierge confirming the paper (which was then delivered for the remaining mornings), advising the shoe shine man had left for the day but tomorrow would be fine and advising the water park was closed at the moment. I was pleasantly surprised.

The pool is a good size and there is a poolside bar. The fitness centre is of average size and has limited equipment, unless cardio is your thing (but no ergo). I did 45 minutes on the treadmill and twice during the workout an attendant brought me an ice cold towel.

Twice I approached reception to change Egyptian pounds into smaller notes for tipping and on both occasions the receptionist deferred to someone else to fulfil my request. That resulted in the agent going down a level and returning three or four minutes later. Also weird.

There was a security screening point at the entrance to the hotel. I've never known quite what to make of these at hotels. (Should it make me feel safer or more concerned that I'm in a hotel that demands one?) The internet service was poor. Several times it took three to four minutes to download 3MB of emails. It also became difficult to connect to sometimes which was frustrating.

I had breakfast in the main restaurant on all four of my mornings (which, from memory, was due to Ramadan more than a Diamond benefit). I was one of only two people there, for my entire 45 minutes or so. Twice I was asked for my room number and twice if I wanted a hot drink. Staff outnumbered guests quite easily. There was a chef cooking eggs to order. I ordered scrambled eggs that were the worst cooked-to-order I can recall having, runny and almost tasteless. My other three mornings were much the same: always more staff than guests and only ever four or five other people, at most.

I used Viator to pre-arrange transportation from the airport to the hotel for AUD43. The agent met me prior to Immigration and helped me with my bags. On the return, I used the Hotel's Toyota Corolla (or "Toyota Crola" as it's spelt in the paraphernalia) for EGP270 (much the same price but a better ride).

The staff, overall, appeared genuinely interested in helping and assisting but at the same time were visibly bored, perhaps due to Ramadan.

I did not enjoy Egypt in the least but if I had to return I would try another Hilton brand.
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