Sarajevo is not a city overflowing with first rate hotels. The front desk was overwhelmed at check-in but proved to be quite helpful after I discovered that the air conditioning in my room didn't work. Eventually I was given a different room that was far superior to the one I vacated. The location in the center of the old city is fantastic. Everything worth seeing was minutes away on foot.
Before the war this was THE hotel in Sarajevo, and it is still the place to go for a touch of European grandeur. Particularly in the ground floor Viennese Cafe or out the back in the Mozart patisserie where young children bring out the Charlie Chaplin in the waiters. Staying there is a slightly different story. Redecorated (rebuilt?) since the war the hotel is already wearing out. The decor is eccentric to the point of potential annoyance (zebra patterned timber panelling), the plumbing indifferent, the lighting inadequate and room facilities sometimes broken or missing (eg no iron, kettle). But despite that it is still worth the stay -- views, spacious rooms (if you ask) with sofas, chairs, desk, a kitchenette in some, location as central as it gets - next to the old bazaar, one block from "that" bridge and most of the older parts of Sarajevo a few minute's walk. It is a timely reminder that BiH is a poor struggling country with a barely functional government and this Hotel is not the only thing that doesn't work as well as they'd like. But BiH welcomes all the visitors it can get, it has lots to offer and Bosniaks are, in our experience, delightfully courteous, friendly and helpful people.
Modern, clean hotel with Great service.
Pros:
Very good breakfast, large, quite room. Good, location in the city centre of Sarajevo, with walking distance to almost everything. Nice pool in the basement, and a large outdoor terrace/café. The hotel has very high western european standard.
Con: when we arriverad we first got wrong type of room, but we could easily change to a bigger room after complaining at the reception.
Can highly recommend staying at this hotel.
We stayed at Hotel Europe for 2 nights as part of an Insight Vacations Tour in June 2013.
Our room was huge, with a large sitting area with 2 sofas, and king size bed. However, the good ends there. We were only given one room key. There was no iron or ironing board, or clothing press. We went to put some items in the "safe" and found instructions for the safe, but no safe. When we inquired at the front desk about the safe, we were told that there was a problem with the safe and that it had been removed, and no they did not have a replacement safe for us, and no we could not change rooms, and no they do not have a safe at the front desk. Definitely not a 4 star or a 5 star hotel, but then there is more! Our room was on level 0, which meant it was below ground with our windows looking at the feet of people sitting at the cafe outside. Our room was cold (odd for June, but it was cold), after playing with the thermostat for a while and not being able to figure it out, we called the front desk for help. We were told that they turn the heat off in May and there is no way to turn it on in our room. When we decided to go to bed, we were surprised to find that the large king size bed only had 1 double size duvet on it under the bedspread! So we look in the closet and did find 1 extra single size duvet in there, so we used that. But the room was still cold, so we ended up piling the bathrobes on top of us too to keep us warm at night. Crazy! Then there is the shower...they have instructions next to it, which don't help. All I can say, is just keep trying and you'll figure it out eventually. The best part of this hotel is the location. It is within walking distance of many things you'll want to see. There is a bank, grocery store, and pharmacy all across the street from the hotel. Its about a 5-10 minute walk to find the tourist shopping area and many restaurants.
We had 1 buffet dinner and buffet breakfasts at this hotel compliments of our tour. Dinner was ok, but nothing special. Breakfast was interesting because half of the items out for breakfast were leftovers from dinner the night before!
If I had my choice, I don't think I would want to stay here again, but if the American tour groups that come through the city are staying here, then you know it must be one of the nicer available hotels...I can't imagine what the other hotels in this city must be like!
We selected this Hotel based on the Trip Advisor ratings. Too bad we did so before reading "Four Star masquerading..." That describes our experience quite accurately. We had been traveling throughout Slovenia and Croatia and Sarajevo was our next to last stop. The only thing I can say about the room is that it is large. It is also dark and dreary. Operating the shower requires an engineering degree and there is no way to avoid drenching the entire bathroom. Linens and towels leave much to be desired (the towels were in the closet, not the bathroom). The lighting is poor, the air-conditioning is miserly, the lobby chaotic and the service indifferent or incompetent - hard to tell which. I have NEVER been restricted to one plastic key card to be shared with my husband (we do sometimes separate!) or charged for failing to return the plastic key card. It was impossible to sit in the cafe/bar because of the cloud of smoke. The outside cafe was nicer but closed early. The only good thing about the hotel is that it is well situated. We had booked two nights as we were arriving in early evening after stops in Medjugorge and Mostar on our way from Dubrovnik. We decided to leave after one night, and reduced our tour of Sarajevo to that evening and the next morning. There may not be better options in Sarajevo, but at least if you go in with the idea that it is a three-star hotel, the disappointment is not so overwhelming.
This hotel is conveniently located, has great food, great rooms and great service. I can't say much more. I really enjoyed staying here. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The wifi was a bit of an issue, but its really not enough to complain about, since other hotels in similar categories have the same issues.
