Just returned from a 3 day trip to Riga. This hotel is a gem, so reasonably priced, the staff were great, excellent breakfast buffet! We would definitely return to this lovely city and wouldn't stay anywhere else but the Albert!

About 15 mins walk from hotel to the Old Town, but a few bars and restaurants near the hotel if you don't want to venture that far at night!

A great venue for a short break......!

We stayed here for two nights at the end of February 2008, largely because of the generally positive comments we'd read on Tripadvisor.
We were not disappointed and it's hard to add anything that hasn't been said already.
The hotel is bright, clean and comfortable. It's about a 10 to 15 minute walk to/from the centre, but as Riga is flat that isn't a problem.
The Flying Frog cafe/restaurant just around the corner from the hotel is recommended. It does appear popular with locals, however, so you may have to wait for a table at busy times. Luckily we didn't have to.
The 11th floor bar in the hotel is fine, but be sure to take your own torch if you intend to do any reading!
Riga is a pleasant city which can probably be 'done' in 2 - 3 days.
The Latvian Museum of Foreign Art costs 3 lats per person and probably isn't worth it, in my opinion. The Museum of Occupation, which is free, is certainly worth a look, however, but clearly doesn't make for a cheery morning or afternoon.

When booking our room, we asked for a non-smoking double room on one of the highest floors - which we didn't get. We had to choose between a non-smoking twin room, or a smoking double - we went for the non-smoking one, which smelled of smoke. (!) No view from our room. The reception staff did not speak good English, and communication was somewhat difficult at times!

Our standard twin room (#611) was quite small, but clean(ish) and comfortable enough (if you don't mind the rather ugly colour scheme!). Two quite comfy beds (with huge, thick, veeery firm pillows), a small work desk, two chairs. Aircon, minibar, TV with 12 channels (but very few in English - only Eurosport and BBC world). Free WiFi is available, and there's also a computer in the reception area where you can check your emails for free if you don't bring your laptop.

The bathroom (shower only, no bathtub) was quite small, but nice and warm! There's no shower curtain, and the floor got soaked every time someone took a shower.

A buffet breakfast is included - some hot foods (bacon, beans, eggs, oatmeal porridge...), plus a somewhat limited selection of bread, cheese, cold cuts, fruit, yoghurt... Breakfast is served until 11 - which is nice if you like to sleep in a bit when you're on holiday. ;o)

Upon check-out, the surly receptionist charged us 350 Lats instead of 350 Euro (that's ca 150 Euro more than what we were supposed to pay!) - I told her (politely!) that this had to be a mistake, and offered to show her my booking confirmation - but she just kept repeating that "No, this is correct". This got somewhat tiresome after a while, and I told her I'd like to talk to her supervisor - which made the receptionist disappear for quite a while. When she eventually came back, she started punching numbers on a calculator without a word to us - I asked if she'd realised that they'd made a mistake, and got a surly nod in return. No apology! Everyone can make a mistake, but I do not accept rude behaviour. I was *not* impressed!!!

Albert is quite moderately priced, but I probably won't stay here again - I'd say Hotel Centra, for example, is a much better option.

This hotel is excellent value for money, we got 2 nights for just over £90 including breakfast. The staff were friendly and helpful and spoke excellent English at reception. The rooms were extremely clean and comfortable (although the beds were a little too soft for our liking). The ensuite bathroom was a good size with a large walk-in shower; shampoo and handwash were provided.

The breakfast was very good quality and a range of items were available including a large selection of vegetarian and vegan friendly items. We were impressed that the breakfast was served until 11 giving us time for a lie-in.

We visited the Star bar on the top floor of the hotel, the drinks menu was extensive although prehaps a little over-priced. There is an excellent jazz/blues bar just across the road where drinks are a little more affordable.

The hotel is located about 15-20 minutes from the Old Town, the walk is pleasant and there are a number of routes through the city's various parks to get to the centre. The area surrounding the hotel has an interesting array of architecture and is in the heart of the city's Art Nouveau district.