4-star hotel experience in the capital, Part I

It has been nearly two years since I visited this hotel in the capital, yet only today have I finally gotten around to writing about it. This is largely because I was recently looking for a hotel in Bulgaria again - checking prices for one specific place, then others - only to discover options in Greece at half the cost. In short, once again, I quickly abandoned the idea of ​​using Bulgarian hotels, traveling within the country, or seeking out specific services here.
But back then, nearly two years ago, I had no choice. I had to travel to the capital, stay for two nights, sign a contract, and go through some introductory training. I funded the trip with money from Steemit, btw., the fact that I was able to do all of this was thanks to Steemit at the time/the powerdown of my Steem.

Getting to the capital by public transport is a nightmare, as I’ve already described in several posts, but finding a place to stay there is just as much of a nightmare. I also shared how difficult it was to find a hotel for a single night last year, when I had to be admitted to a hospital there. So, two years ago, the task of finding a hotel was, as usual, quite complicated. In the end, I had to make a compromise. Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter which specific compromise I make, a compromise is always necessary - it just comes down to how acceptable it is.

So, I decided to book a hotel near the place I needed to go. Actually, my partner was the one who finally suggested it, after a few days of searching. It never would have occurred to me otherwise - simply because I know full well that this hotel is expensive.
Ultimately, I made this decision because it is bitterly cold in the capital at this time of year, and I simply cannot tolerate the cold, no matter how I dress. That was the compromise: paying more to avoid having to walk around in the cold for long time over the course of a few days.
Of course, this convenience came with other, subsequent trade-offs.
But as it turned out, the room rate for this time of year had been reduced. Instead of 226 euros for two nights, I paid 150.06 euros. The hotel's website actually prompted me to register in order to receive exclusive offers and an even larger discount. In the end, however, after I completed the registration, the prices remained exactly the same, nothing changed, and I didn't receive anything exclusive. This was a bit annoying, as I don't like creating unnecessary accounts on websites.

And then, the adventure continued.
I tried calling the hotel to ask if they had an iron. I needed one to get ready for the next two days. It might seem like a strange question, but as it turned out, an iron is not something you can simply take for granted.
No one answered the phone number listed on the hotel’s website, despite my calling repeatedly. The only way to get information about the hotel's amenities was through a bot, an AI assistant, that was offered. Naturally, it couldn't answer a single question I asked. I can’t even recall what else I asked it, aside from whether there was an iron available. Its answer to everything was: "I don't know."

Later, when I arrived at the hotel, I found out that there is always someone at the reception and the internal phone is always answered; however, that external line... it’s likely a connection that gets lost somewhere in a locked room, perhaps the sound is muted, or something else is going on. The fact that no one answered after so many calls even made me wonder: is this hotel actually operating at all, and will it even be open when I get there?

Actually, I have known about this hotel for many years - ever since it opened in 2004 in a business district, right next to the well-known Inter Expo Center, a multi-purpose convention center in the capital. The hotel has always been renowned for its luxury and high prices; it is a business-class establishment frequented by guests of the expo center, primarily foreigners.
To be honest, I suspect it is still coasting on that past reputation. What I encountered at this "luxury" hotel - something that couldn't possibly be gleaned from the photos, as it was an experience rather than a visual detail - suggested that it is no longer the high-end establishment it once probably was.

I don’t know whether 20 years is a long time or a short one, or if things should have been renovated or replaced during that period, but it was clear that nothing inside had been touched since the place first opened.
The staff member who accompanied me to show me the room explained that there was an issue with the central heating - it wasn't working - so they had provided a space heater for me.
The heater was small and quite noisy; however, the room itself was actually very warm - they had certainly made sure it wouldn't be cold, despite everything. And when I asked about an iron, the staff member managed to find one from somewhere, along with this 😅:

Later that evening, while I was taking a shower, the entire bathroom flooded due to an issue with the bathtub drain. When I called the front desk, the staff member told me that nothing could be done. She claimed that such a problem had never occurred in any of the guest bathrooms. However, I had already read about this exact issue in the Google Maps reviews, so I was prepared with that information. I asked if she could at least provide a mop so I could soak up the water from the bathroom floor. She refused, saying she didn't know where the cleaning staff kept their equipment, adding that, after all, it wasn't her job.

Of course it wasn’t her job, I thought wryly. At least the internal line was answered immediately, unlike that misleading external number they’d provided for contact, I noted.

It looks like I’ll continue the story in part two of this post, so it doesn’t get too long and boring.

So, to be continued...