SkiAdcock

Hotel website:

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/trave...ph-collection/

Cat 7. Opening August 2017.

"Publica introduces a new concept in the hotel industry, a hotel that is home to a local Social Club. All hotel guests have free access to the club's activities that include sports&fitness classes, live music and more. This way hotel guests get the chance to meet local visitors, mainly professionals from Herzliya's Hi-Tech Zone. The concept of sharing is essential to Publica and visitors can feel it in various places, Greco restaurant, shared work space, outdoor terrace, art gallery and of course in the Social Club.

The beach is just a 10-minute walk away, shops, cafés and restaurants are within a short walking distance. Visitors can easily reach Tel Aviv by car (20 minutes) or by public transport.

Greco Restaurant: every dish is typical of Greek cuisine, with a variety of flavors, all placed in the table center. The Bar: open 24/7 the oversized bar caters to guests and patrons day and night. On the go deli-style breakfast and night time bar offering a true urban bar experience in the heart of the hotel."

captainbaker

Sounds nice. We go to Israel a few times a year used to stay at the Renaissance on the beach in Tel Aviv. Now that Marriott is merged with SPG, we stay at the Sheraton across the street and have never looked back. The Sheraton is amazing, modern and the location fantastic. You are about 100 yards from the sand.

SkiAdcock

Officially open. Marriott press release today:

http://news.marriott.com/2017/09/aut...blica-isrotel/

"Publica Isrotel draws inspiration from its location at the heart of Herzliya’s burgeoning tech district through its public spaces, specifically the hotel’s Social Club – a feature that gives free access for hotel guests with a regular lineup of live music and sporting events. The hotel’s ‘Shared Workspace’, a multifunctional meeting space with soundproof phone booths, free wi-fi, and complimentary coffee and beer, boasts stunning views and is perfectly adapted to Autograph Hotels’ creative and entrepreneurial guests as well as the dynamic local start-up community.

Publica Isrotel’s 159 rooms and suites offer sophisticated, contemporary design with lots of natural daylight and a certain number boasting sea views. The hotel features a state-of-the-art fitness centre, boasting a full-size vintage boxing ring and rooftop swimming pool, complete with its own bar serving light meals and a selection of drinks.

With its cozy, urban-chic design, the Lobby Lounge invites guests to work, meet, and relax in convivial surroundings. Guests are catered to no matter what time of day with the hotel’s Lobby Bar serving everything from deli-style breakfasts through to Mediterranean and Asian-inspired dishes, and late-night cocktails; all of which can also be enjoyed outside on The Patio. For guests looking for a bold, unique dining experience, Greco restaurant will serve traditional Greek dishes that are perfect for sharing."

Srisarin

To bad you still can't use the "secret" airport here as we did back in the MFO days.

docbert

Staying here at the moment. As mentioned above, the hotel has been open for 3 months, so still has that "new hotel smell".

In general - especially given the other options in the area - I'm impressed, although with one or two oddities.

My only real complaint is that despite billing themselves as a "business hotel", the room doesn't have a desk. There is a coffee table, a shelf, lounge chairs - but no working desk or chair. Otherwise the room is great - photos available here.

There is a lounge on the 6th floor that's open to all - including a coffee machine (24 hours) and free draft beer (4pm to 9pm).

The breakfast is typical Israeli Kosher, although with a much smaller range of options than any of the other hotels in Herzliya/Tel Aviv that I've stayed at, and with no omelet station. As Marriott Gold breakfast was free, but I'm not sure how much otherwise. There is a restaurant/bar for dinner, but I haven't used it so can't comment. The location is great in terms of restaurants with dozens of options within a few hundred metres walk.

The prices are currently lower than the majority of the other options in the area, but it'll be interesting to see if that continues as they build business. It doesn't appear occupancy is all that high at the moment. Currently at our corporate rates they are a lttle over half the price of the Ritz Carlton down the road.

All up if you need a hotel in Herzliya and don't want to pay for the Ritz I'd definitely recommend it. Personally it'll be a toss up for me whether I stay here next time or go back to Tel Aviv and live with the extended commute (our office is a little outside of Herzliya so I need to catch a taxi either way)

Update: Breakfast is US$23, which is very high given what it is. There are several Cafes very close which would be a good option if you didn't have breakfast free/included and didn't want to pay that for it...

SkiAdcock

Thanks for the update w/ pics. Much appreciated.

Cheers.

xtremeski2001

Stayed here for a week earlier this month.

Still feels like a new hotel, but the scented oils in the lobby are a bit much. It's a trendy looking/feeling hotel.

Negatives
As another poster mentioned, there's no desk in the room. Really no place to do work or eat. Had an issue the first night with strong cigarette smell, despite it being a smoke free hotel. Manager called me the next day and offered dinner or drinks, which was nice. It was a work trip so never got to take him up on his offer. My king bed was really two twins pushed together and was considerably firm. Pool bar was out of a lot of things and what they did have were, as expected, expensive ($15 or more USD per drink).

Positives
The lounge has some areas to work and also free draft beer in the evening (Carlsberg), which was a nice touch. The pool area on the roof offered great views, but was primarily a 'hang out' for folks on holiday. Room was clean and air conditioning worked better than I expected. Water pressure and shower head were great. There's a Stop and Shop next door, open 24 hours, and had small snacks and beer.

As Plat, free breakfast each morning at the lobby restaurant. Options were okay ... cereal, eggs, cottage cheese, pastries, yogurt and some local items I didn't try. Most offerings were Kosher. Cafe was excellent, great cappuccinos. I did not use the restaurant for dinner. Lots of good spots in walking distance ... Giraffe was excellent (as was the Greek place attached to the hotel) ... also the beach (Ritz is there) is a 15 minute walk and beautiful, especially at sunset.

Would def stay here again.

SkiAdcock

Thanks for the trip report. Much appreciated.

docbert

Giraffe is one of the reasons I stay at this hotel (I'm now at 4 stays here I think). Even when I stay in Tel Aviv I normally make an effort to drop in at least once

And they deliver at lunch to our office if I remember to get in on the group order

xtremeski2001

I probably won't be back anytime soon, but Giraffe to the office would have been nice! I'm not sure where we were getting our food, but it wasn't for Giraffe!

Options for eating in Tel Aviv are plenty, but found it's quite busy for dinner even midweek (we waited 2 hours on a Tuesday night for Santa Katarina!).

skye1

Just had a great stay there. Each morning, the front office manager had a walk around the breakfast area, politely asking how people's stay is going. She seemed genuinely interested in feedback, without wanting to interrupt a meal. My first night, I had a "city view" room, yet from the second night onward, they were able to upgrade me to a "sea view" room, and a corner one at that (windows on two aspects at the corner). These "end" corner rooms (at either "end" of the floor) are slightly smaller than the other rooms, but I found the corner window view to be worth the slight loss in space, especially as the windows are floor-to-ceiling. As for "sea view" rooms, one must remember this is not a waterfront hotel, so the sea is in the distance, but just a bit. The higher the floor, the better, and the lower the room number (...01, ..02, ..03) the better as well as those rooms are closer to the street that the hotel is on, which runs straight to the sea, so the view isn't obstructed by buildings. As for city view rooms, you'd want something on the south-facing side of the building if you want to face the city centre area of Tel Aviv - mine was on the north side. The daily breakfast buffet was fantastic - with the egg dishes including local options such as shakshuka (delicious). The gym is excellent, open 24/7. The staff are so friendly and helpful. The "Meat Bar Burger" place around the corner (a smaller, satellite version of the nearby Meat Bar) lives up to its rep - granted, one doesn't go to Tel Aviv for a burger, but per the reviews, the meat they use is really good. Probably one of the better burgers I've had outside of the US. And yes, Giraffe is close-by as well. There's also a huge grocery store/drug store/department store (like a massive Walgreens in the US) called Super Pharm across the street that has everything, in case one has forgotten something. Major bus lines into the city centre are just around the corner, you're in the city centre in about 20 minutes, and with the "orange" line using posh buses like proper coach companies (reclining seats, air vents, reading lights, etc) . You just need to have a Krav Card in hand for them. Nice beaches are literally a 15 minute walk away, I'd stay there again.

naumank

Thanks for the great report. Can you confirm if there's an executive lounge there?

docbert

There is a "lounge". It's open to everyone, and has free coffee (all day) and free beer (for a few hours each evening - self serve), but nothing else.

If you scroll up to my initial post in the thread there's a link to some photos of it.

naumank

Thanks! I missed the link to your photos the first time I read your post. It looks like one of those hotels which tiny rooms (269 sq ft) and an unimpressive "lounge." Too bad our conference will be held there next week, so for convenience, I'm going to stay there. But really not looking forward to it.

skye1

I guess it all depends on what one "needs" in a lounge:
I found the "lounge" a decent place to work - large, communal work tables with charging stations in the middle, areas with couches/sofas and tables, and "booths" for private calls/conversations, and excellent views.
I found the hotel to be within easy walking distance of any number of excellent places to grab a proper dinner, and countless places along the beach in the city centre for enjoying the magnificent Tel Aviv sunsets (wouldn't want to miss those). .
I found the breakfast in the restaurant downstairs to be fantastic, beats anything you'd find a Marriott club lounge.