The King David Hotel

First the positives: nn1. Location, location, location. Just a short walk from the Jaffa gate of the Old City, has stunning views of the Old City and Is virtually surrounded by restaurants and shops within easy walking distance.nn2. Ambiance. Dripping with history, decoration and design is fantastic. Just a pleasure to spend time in the common areas of the hotel. The surrounding grounds are well maintained and tended. Dinner, outside overlooking the Old City is a treat. nn3. Service. Most members of the staff are “over the top” helpful and accommodating. The General Manager was fantastic. Some wait staff was first class. The sommelier, who treated us to a tour of the wine cellar, and a wine tasting, was outstanding. As a Centurion member, we had a 4:00 p.m. check out. With a midnight flight from Tel Aviv, we were allowed a 6:00 p.m. checkout, which was much appreciated. nn4. Price. At roughly $800/night, you might ask, how could price be labeled a positive? A spacious room, with a large balcony, overlooking Old Jerusalem, within steps of the Jaffa Gate, in one of the most historic hotels in the world is going to command a hefty price tag. A comparable room in Paris, London or Rome would cost you double.nnNegatives:nn1. Breakfast. The morning meal is a huge buffet, but very few options attractive to a Western traveler. One of our party mentioned, “I’ve never seen so much food with nothing to eat.” No meat, eggs had to be special ordered. nn2. Beds. Strangely, all of the rooms on our party of five couple were equipped with twin beds, pushed together to form King Beds, but with a large gap between them. Each half had a bottom sheet and a twin comforter. We are accustomed to a bottom sheet, a top sheet and a blanket. It was almost impossible to explain to housekeeping the concept of a top sheet. I cannot sleep under a quilted comforter.nn3. Service. How can service be both a positive and a negative? While there were numerous superstar staff members, there were a few that stood out, and not in a good way. Several of the young, male breakfast wait staff were surly and unpleasant, projecting an almost hostile attitude. Early one morning, I took a bag of laundry downstairs to the front desk in a deserted lobby. I asked him if he could see that it got to the laundry The young man at the desk looked at me like a was crazy. “This is not housekeeping. You should leave that in the room.” So, I said, “you want me to walk back upstairs and put it back in the room?” He said, “Well, I guess so.” I would think the proper response, in a first class, service oriented hotel, would be, “I’ll take care of that”, and call housekeeping to come pick it up. nn4. Bar. For a relatively busy hotel, the bar area is tiny, and the bar staff is glacially slow at times.nnAll in all, the positives far outweigh the negatives, some of which (food selection and sleeping practices) are obviously cultural. It’s hard to imagine a better option if you can afford to spend the money.

My husband and I are currently at the King David Hotel for a three week vacation. nnWe have stayed here in the past and it has always been a positive experience, and I can tell you that this has been the best stay we’ve ever had at the King David. nnWe arrived after our long flight from JFK and we were immediately taken care of. nWe were welcomed and offered something to drink and a nibble in the lobby before Eitan, The Guest Relations Manager escorted us to our room. He went out of his way to make sure our room was to our liking and that we had everything we needed for a comfortable stay. nEitan is true hospitality professional. nnWaiting in our room was the best Turkish Delight (Rahat Likum) I’ve ever had. George from the front desk told me they make all their sweets here and he kindly offered to send more up when I told him how much I loved the sweets. nnThe room has a large Nespresso machine with a variety of capsules and an electric kettle with an assortment of teabags. nGlass bottles of water are replenished daily. Thats a really great touch. So simple and so appreciated. nThere’s also a small fridge with a (paid)beverage menu you can order from. nnOur room is large, very well appointed and welcoming. The bedding is top notch, high count cotton sheets, excellent pillows (there’s a pillow menu) and the firm mattress is amazing. nnThe bathroom is a real oasis. The tub is separate from the glass enclosed shower stall. Water pressure is really great and very welcome after a long day of sightseeing. Towels are large and fluffy and oh, the warming towel rack is a luxury! nBathrobes and slippers are also very welcomed. nMolton Brown bathroom amenities are lovely and plentiful. nnThe blow dryer is powerful so I’m glad I didn’t bring mine. nnThe room is very quiet. We can’t hear any of our neighbors and we can barely hear the outside noise when the window is closed (we face the beautiful YMCA building and King David Street).nWe like to open the window during the day to welcome the sounds of the city and the November breezes. nnHousekeeping is outstanding. thanks to Waal, our room is always impeccable. Both Waal and Ranin are incredibly efficient and very friendly. They regularly stop us in the hallway to ask if we need anything else to make our stay more enjoyable. We also receive a daily phone call from guest relations to make sure we’re comfortable and have everything we need. nnTurndown service is a lovely and welcome touch. Especially the De Karina chocolates on our pillows every night. They’re so good! De Karina is an Israeli gourmet boutique chocolaterie. I’m so happy the King David supports local businesses. nnThe room has a Shabbos lamp and you can ask for a regular room key for Shabbat. There is also a Shabbat elevator. The hotel only has six floors so using the stairs is also very doable. Staff is well trained on all things Shabbat for a smooth stay. nnThe King David breakfast is legendary and something we look forward to every morning. Again, service is impeccable. The hosts and waitstaff are kind, welcoming, and very attentive. Isaac and Karim remember our preferences and make sure we have everything we like every morning. They are friendly and kind, with a grace that comes from years of experience. nThe whole dining waitstaff deserve a shoutout. nnThe King David’s lobby is beautiful and welcoming. It’s quite majestic and a great place to sit and people watch. The lobby staff in their impeccable uniforms are always present and attentive to the different needs of guests, from cruise tours to individual families, and international delegations. nThere is so much history in this building. nNot to miss is afternoon tea and a pastry from the dessert cart. It’s real treat and a nice way to unwind and regroup after day of exploring Jerusalem.n nThe grounds are impeccable and stunning. Its a pleasure to stroll the gardens and swimming pool area. nnOne afternoon we had lunch on the terrace and it was a lovely experience. The food was very good, the service on point as usual and the live jazz music was a pleasure. It was a sunny day and the terrace was full of families and friends out for a nice meal. nnAnd for any questions or suggestions, Jeremy Weiss the Concierge is incredibly attentive and very knowledgeable. nnThe front desk staff is also very attentive and efficient. I have yet to wait more than a couple of minutes for any requests. Kudos to Avigail and company!nnOur stay has been a dream and we’re already planning our next visit. nnJerusalem has a variety of excellent hotels, but there’s nothing like coming home to the King David, the very first of them all. n