Review Continental Hotel Ulaanbaatar

Well quite an experience was this one, let’s sum it up.

Building

Continental Hotel in Mongolia looks a little bit like the white house, really, but a little bit run down, I mean being a president I wouldn’t like to work here. Lobby looks very nice, marble and all that, chandeliers, gave me a good feeling. Looked quite fancy.

Views

Well i expected reading from the website to have nice mountain views or views over the city. Well neither is true. From the mountain side, they are building a big 8 floor building, so any nice view is gone. And on the other side, (my room) I have a view on parking places and run down buildingsites. Not really the thing i expected while reading the website.

Breakfast

Awful, I just come in 9:30 at the staff tells me there is no breakfast to be served any more (while the sign in the elevator says brakfast till 10:00 am). Well i start a discussion and tell them breakfast is served until 10:00 and finally they give in. So could order a few things, since the breakfast table was almost empty. No big success.

Scrambled eggs, eggs scrambled in too much cheap oil, dry and not tasty, tried one bite.

French toast, was made of spongy cake dipped in eggs and fried in the same cheap oil as the scrambled eggs (same here, just one bite and threw them away)

Well whats left, maybe some cereal, there was a little bit oat left on the breakfasttable, asked for some more, and you guess it, they didnt have anymore.

So just took 2 apples, still hungry, and went back to my room.

Next to that there was no non-smoking room, so while writing this review, I’m smelling like big cigars. Quite incredible that some people’s lungs can handle cigars in the morning.

Room

It is a nice place, took a semi-deluxe room, 110 USD a night and must say its nice, nice LG flatscreen TV (only the channel overview they have is not right anymore) so couldn’t watch ESPN as I had hoped.

Furniture looks a bit cheap though, but good enough. Nice big couch to lie down on the have a read or watch TV. There is a small desk in the room were the internet router was based. No, WIFI so you can only use the internet on the desk.

What surprised me, when i got in, there was no internet working, this got me a bit worried. But thought what the heck and they promised me it would be working in the morning. Well I’m here writing, its 12:30 and the internet is still not working. And what did i see to my surprise if you want to use internet, they will charge you an extra 0.04 cents per minute for it and there is no WIFI. It’s not that it’s a lot of money, but from a “high class” hotel I expect something else.

Bed is too hard, after the first night I had a sore back from sleeping here. Its nice and big though, but pillows are too big, so your neck is in a strange position. I asked them to bring me a matress cover to make the bed a bit softer, which they did right away.

Bathroom

Nice and clean! Nice big bathtub, hot water is good, provided with the neccisities, soap, shampoo etc,

Waterboiler

I was trying to make some tea, so called the reception to bring me a water boiler. They did within half an hour, but while cooking the water the boiler started leaking badly. So my desk and papers were wet when i came back from the toilet. Incredible, it’s plain dangerous, I was shocked by it.

Staff

Most of the staff are doing a great job in trying to help me out, but I think the Hotel just needs some better management, instead of investing in facade, invest in good breakfast, good beds and take care that everything works.

Desk Chair

Finally while writing, my chair breaks down and I collapsed on the floor. Call the reception, a new chair within 5 minutes, but incredible, plain dangerous.

Conclusion

All in all, this is not my place to stay, while being here for 1 night, I called the reception for about 7 times to fix this and that.

Staff is very helpful and try to help you out, but it doesnt cover bad breakfast, too hard bed, no internet, no nice view and a leaking water boiler and a chair breaking down.

In potential the Continental is a nice hotel, rooms are real nice, but they have to change a lot of things. In the mean time I say try another place.

Contact

Continental Hotel Ulaanbaatar
Olympic Street, Ulaanbaatar 210648, Mongolia
Telephone: 976-11-323829
Fax: 976-11-329630
Email: sales@ubcontinentalhotel.com

http://www.ubcontinentalhotel.com