Jerusalem Gate Hotel

I was here for a few days, and it's in a central location, very clean, has great food and the staff were kind and helpful.

The service was terrible, starting with the receptionist who placed a different airport entry card in my U.S. passport that was of an Israeli citizen to charge me taxes (tourists are exempt). When I pushed back and proved him wrong he threw the passport back at me and checked me in. The bed was uncomfortable, the noise from other rooms was unbearable and the room lacked basic needs.

The location of the Jerusalem Gate is the only positive thing I experienced. The hotel is dated; our room is small (all same size) with a weird third “bed” taking up valuable space and was dirty and stank of cigarette smoke - when we complained, they sent someone up with air freshener. The dining room is crowded and the the food is average.

The hotel was a short walk from the station. The staff are polite but could be more helpful. The room was ok but tired. The a/c didn’t work whether to heat or cool. The bed was comfy and the cotton sheets were nice and soft. Limited wardrobe space. The bathroom had been recently refurbished with a decent shower and was nice. The double glazed window didn’t prevent street noise coming in so honking horns and sirens could be heard all night. The main lobby area is airy and comfortable. The restaurant provided a good breakfast and better dinner. The shops and cafes underneath the hotel didn’t amount of a great shopping experience. Just handy for conditioner which isn’t supplied in the room. Overall the hotel was a little tired.

My favorite part of my stay was the breakfast. The food was very tasty and top notch. I was not crazy about the shower however. There was a plastic door in front of the shower that only covered a small portion of the shower and water got on the floor very easily. There were also no washcloths. I asked the person at the front desk for a washcloth and they had no idea what I was talking about. I hope that wasn't some cultural issue from being in a foreign country.

To be accurate, there is one helpful man at the front desk, a shift manage (his begins with H, Hassan?) My main reason for choosing a hotel over an air B&B was to have someone I could ask when I had questions. Other than the one helpful man, people gave me wrong bus numbers, send me to the wrong place to get the bus, etc. In one case I asked where a street was (transliterations from the Hebrew often vary on different hard copy and online maps) and the woman answered, "You're asking the wrong person." Turned out the street was one block away. Dining room staff cannot keep up when large groups arrive all at once. (No clean plates at start of buffet line, run out of certain foods, etc.) Suggestion - if you want dessert get it right away. Lots of families with many children and they will grab all the desserts at the beginning. Bed was decent, room was clean.

The mall connected to the Hotel is the best part. Extra food and shopping options if needed without having to venture out was really nice. I found that some of front desk staff was not good with customer service, (but some were). The Shabbat food was good, but I preferred breakfast at Prima Park in Jerusalem better, and Shabbat dinner in Roxon urban spa (the old Ramada) in Tel Aviv better.

My stay included Shabbat. The hotel was host to a number of different simchas, so we had a lot of choices for davening. It's not a new place, and in some areas, it's showing its age. However, the hotel is comfortable. Our room had been remodeled, so it was a modern room leading out to a hallway that probably hasn't changed in over 30 years. Location is very good. Staff is friendly and helpful. Overall, a good value and a pleasant stay.

Reasonable hotel minus. A very simple hotel. With really bad service...