Best Western Premier Hotel Slon

I've been a little chary of the Best Western brand over the years: in some cases, it seems to have capitalised on the previously good reputation of a private and/or family-run hotel by acquiring the goodwill and leaving the previous owners in situ as managers, only for the overall standard gradually to deteriorate over time. However, this establishment seems to be rather different: the Modernist fabric of the building dates from 1937, and it has been fairly recently refurbished (I'd guess at around 2013: the date of lift manufacture is normally a good clue). Yes, there are some signs of wear and tear in the communal areas, but the room (318) was in very good shape. As a first-time visitor both to Ljubljana and this hotel, I'd expected (perhaps a tad irrationally), to be a bit underwhelmed; but I'm pleased to report that I was anything but. Our beds were extremely comfortable and capacious. The TV offered an above-average range of programming, including news and sport, and the WiFi signal was strong and constant over our 5 night stay, until, dare I say, various embassy delegations arrived on our final night. The room aircon control was simplicity itself and worked (now that I hadn't expected from one or two other reviews here), and the road noise was unobtrusive (Slovenska Cesta has little other than buses, electric vehicles and the occasional taxi to trouble it, bearing in testimony to the City's green credential, on which it prides itself). There were also some nice touches that you'd expect from any solid Four Star hotel in Western Europe: complimentary ear plugs (despite the aforesaid lack of noise, although great if you're sharing with an inveterate snorer like me); daily good quality toiletries, and bath robes; free bottles of water each day; tea- and coffee-making facilities; a well-stocked mini-bar; a weather forecast on a card on your bed every night, and a full-size umbrella in your wardrobe for your use during your stay. The buffet breakfast is, quite simply, stupendous. You might say that the the depth and breadth of the vegan offering is reflection of the zeitgeist, but the wide range of traditional staples of cereals, breads, fresh fruits, cheeses, meats and yoghourts, and cooked breakfast essentials is both appetising and attractively presented. Items such as omelettes (and they're huge, be warned!) and Eggs Benedict/Royale are cooked to order, although you should allow 20 minutes or so for these, as they have to be transported from the kitchen below. The service is friendly, efficient, and sometimes quite witty, as it is on reception and in the bar. Are there any quibbles? Well, I didn't much care for having to get down on my hands and knees to program, open and close the safe; and interestingly, another guest amongst our party, who is somewhat petite had precisely the opposite problem, in that she had trouble reaching up to it in her room: easily remedied, I'd have thought. A flickering light in the bathroom was reported and, in fairness, promptly fixed. We didn't eat dinner here, but did enjoy an excellent bar snack of meats, salad and buffala mozzarella. It also enjoys an excellent reputation for its cakes. The hotel's proximity to a plethora of excellent restaurants leaves you pretty spoilt for choice in any event. Thoroughly recommended, and would probably get a 4.5/4.75 out of 5 from me if the scoring system allowed. less

We are in the middle of a 4 night stay in Ljublijana at Hotel Slon. The hotel has certainly come up to our expectations. On arrival we were greeted in a friendly manner and assisted with our luggage. The check - in was prompt and efficient with a helpful receptionist. Our room is a very spacious with a king sized bed, and a large en-suite. Our room and the hotel public rooms are kept very clean. Breakfast is very good with enough choices to please everyone. Sometimes food items run - out and are not replaced, or at least not during the time we are in the breakfast room. The staff are friendly and helpful. The Slon 1522 restaurant makes for a very enjoyable dining experience. The waiters are knowledgeable and friendly; service is prompt. The dishes are beautifully presented, good quality ingredients and cooked to perfection. In the hotel café bar we enjoyed an excellent toasted sandwich and baguette, with very good quality Earl Grey tea. Here also the staff were very helpful and efficient. less

This is a wonderful hotel. It's centrally located in the new part of town - next to shopping centres and close to the train station, the museums and the park. But the rooms are super quiet. The rooms are spacious, clean and modern. They're very well equipped with kettle for tea/coffee, a mini-bar and a safe. Enormous tv if you need it. A good selection of channels. Wifi in the room and AC (pay attention: not all rooms are as well serviced by the AC- if you arrive in the dead of summer make sure you get a good AC unit when you make the reservation. The maid service is amazing - they came into the room every day and did a great job. And perhaps the best thing about the hotel is their amazing breakfast. You've heard it before - well - they're not kidding. A great selection - wonderful and fresh - there's absolutely everything you might want to eat here and drink! Down to the bubbly! Highly recommended hotel. less

Terrible, Terrible Hotel! We checked in yesterday and were so disappointed we started looking for other hotels in the area right away. It’s really dated, as soon as you walk up to your room the carpet smells and its really dirty! The rooms look like they were not updated since the 60’s. The room itself was not very clean on the floors, I refused to take off my shoes and the air conditioning is non existent. We are in room 521. The tiles in the bathroom are so slippery they are truly a hazard. There was a live wire sticking out of the air conditioning Unit and it literally was barely blowing any cold air so we complained at the front desk before going to dinner. They said they would send someone up right away, after we got back from dinner we asked at the front desk if the problem had been addressed and the response we got was “There are 170 rooms in this hotel, we don’t check if the maintenance man did his job, if we told you we would send him up, we assume he did his job.” Are you really kidding me?? Needless to say he did not do his job and the air conditioning was not fixed and the wire still sticks out of the Unit. All of Ljubjlana seems to be sold out for the dates we are here so we are out of luck.....so hopefully some of you see this review and not make the mistake of staying at this crappy hotel. This is a 2 star at best, Motel 6 in the US caliber! So don’t let the 4 star tag fool you. We just got here from Crotia where the 4 stars really meant they were 4 stars so it’s safe to say this does not give us a good impression of Slovenia. Plenty of other nice 4 star hotels in the area, just stay away from this one. less

We liked the hotel - nice clean room, comfortable bed, great breakfast and location. Everything is within walking distance. I liked the spa area and wished I would have had time for a massage - the prices were very reasonable. Our room was nice but there was a fold out bed/couch that was out but un-made taking up a big chunk of the room so I had to put that away. Then our sink and shower didn’t drain and flooded the floor. Because of the water stains on the wood you could tell it wasn’t the first time. The service was great at the hotel and I’m sure they would have fixed both but we were tired and just wanted to get to sleep. If driving there, just drive down the bus-only street and park in front of the hotel and unload your bags and they will park your car for a reasonable charge. We would stay here again if we return to Ljubljana. less