As part of a weekend in the second city of Norway, which has a significant tourist potential, I stayed at the Radisson Blu Bergen Royen Hotel, for an experience, let’s say … debatable! Not only is the property expensive, very expensive (even for the Norwegian standard of living), but the services provided are worthy of budget hotels.

Booking

We booked into this hotel at the last minute… It was already past midnight when we arrived when we booked. And for good reason, we had a reservation initially at the Magic Hotel Kløverhuset, located at the edge of Bryggen. But this hotel is absolutely in decent. For about 200 € per night, you have a reception located in the lobby of a shopping center, and clubbers who invade the hotel and make a hell of a noise until 2:30 every night: we fled and found a room at the Radisson located 10 minutes walk away. Sure, it was NOK 2,100 a night, but it was just a little more expensive and especially much quieter. So we booked by phone a few minutes before our arrival.

Arrival

We arrived at the hotel by foot. The night receptionist took care of us immediately and did our check-in. Despite my insistence, he did not want to apply the discount applicable to the employees of my business, despite the fact that it must be applied up to the last available room without exception.

However, we were upgraded to a Business Classroom, the equivalent of an Executive room. Unfortunately, only rooms with two separate beds were still available.

We were not told if breakfast was included or not.

Room

What can I say… If the Executive rooms are in this state, how are the standard rooms? Not that it’s indecent, but the decoration isvery basic, the carpet is worn to the bone, and the furniture shows significant signs of fatigue and suspicious stains.

The rest of the room does not exude cleanliness either: hair found in many places, very rough cleaning of the sanitary facilities.

Let’s talk about sanitary facilities. The design of the shower is to be totally revised: I understand the interest of the Italian showers, but such a weak separation induces that the bathroom is soaked with each shower. Very bad point.

I would also like to mention the very approximate quality of the housekeeping: the sheets were not changed after the first night despite our request, and the beds were not even made properly: I do better at home!

The water bottles have not been replaced either, nor the Nespresso capsules. Unbelievable

Hotel facilities

The hotel has a fitness room and a sauna, which we did not have the chance to try this time.

Restaurants

The hotel has a breakfast room and a restaurant/bar with a nice terrace.

For this stay, we tried the breakfast service, finally included in our rate (we learned it at check-out, thanks for the professionalism!).

The latter is served in a huge and rather impersonal room with a service reduced to the strict minimum. No order taking for hot or cold drinks.

The buffet is quite well stocked but the choices are limited. If there is salmon, it is cooked and cold, whereas one expects smoked salmon. There is brown cheese, a local specialty. But no choice on the preparation of the eggs: it’s fried with bacon or scrambled with chives. In short, not great. Fortunately, this is included.