Welcoming:8/10 Menu Choices: 8/10 Food Presentation: 7/10
Food Temperature: 8/10 Food Taste: 14/20 Service: 7/10
Ambiance/Music: 7/10 Architecture/Interior: 5/10 Air Quality: 7/10
Total: 71/100
More about: Habtoor GrandThe Hilton Habtoor Grand was next on the list, to find the best five stars hotel breakfast in Lebanon. After Le Vendome, Le Gray and Le Royal, stopping in Sin El Fil was a good choice. We reached at 09:30 am to be welcomed by a professional staff working like a beehive. Three waiters, a hostess and a head waiter were all trying their best to please this Five Star hotel clientele.
We were seated at our table, proposed coffee or tea, asked if we would like a newspaper and given a free Internet access. As I always do, I went around to secure the needed pictures before starting to eat. Dozens were taken before the head waiter approached me to know the purpose of that. I told him that I was searching for the best breakfast in lebanon, and came here to enjoy my time. I continued with no problem…
As a first impression, the menu is wide and varied, the choices are good, the plates are clean and the ambiance is calm and welcoming. A long square hall with six different food islands at its beginning. A view on the hotel’s entrance gets the needed amount of light in the room.
Six different islands:
Fruits, Sweets section, hot preparations, cold cuts, cheese and labneh, cereals, fruit of the month
The choices available:
The head waiter proposed some eggs, so we ordered sunny side up and omelette: Those were just perfect. Non oily, beautifully looking, tasty and fresh. Two thumbs up.
As I always do, and from the minute I reach, I pass around to take all the needed pictures and mark the negative points I see around the buffet. Empty plates, dirty serving spoons and food debris… An hour after, I pass again to make sure the staff cleaned them and filled the plates: Today all those little details were not taken care of. The head waiter who asked me my opinion about the experience heard clearly my comments and approved them.
Dear hotel managers, the buffet should be handled by one member of staff who doesn’t do anything else: One member should look after the buffet’s details from 7 till 11. Clean and refill the plates, clean the serving spoons, remove the food debris, check the temperature, close the hot plates to preserve their freshness…
What I enjoyed:
- I liked the two choices of olives: Cut and plain
- The knefeh is a good idea, representing Lebanon’s best breakfast choice even though its taste is average
- Fayrouz songs play in the background adding a touch of relaxation
- I liked their chocolate croissant. Generously filled
- Some muffins are presented under a heating lamp giving them a crunchy and tasty feel
What I didn’t like:
- The place looks and feels too dull for a breakfast area
- The table setup looks cheap
- Cold cuts and cheese are, feel and look like they were prepared the night before with their sides rolled around and a layer of water and oil on. It seems their fridge is way too cold. The minimum you expect from a five stars hotel is to serve fresh ingredients. A professional manager seeing those places look wont accept to serve them
- The buffet is not as clean as I expected it to be in a five stars hotel
- Where are the table clothes? Aren’t we in a five stars? Or are you trying to wash less?
- A choice of mini jam jars should be presented on the tables
The unacceptable:
- The serving spoons were too dirty
- Paying the cheque was my ultimate shock!
Asking for the cheque, I paid the bill of 100,000L.L putting a 100$ bill. The hostess came back with 47,000L.L and said: “Sorry sir, but we consider every 100$= 147,000″. !!!!!! I immediately called the bank to inquire about today’s rates and had a smiling answer: “100$=152,000L.L”
Imagine! having breakfast in a respectful hotel in town that earns a living out of stealing 5,000L.L from each 100$ paid. Can you imagine the amounts of money they make every single day? What a shame! For 35$/person, adding to that 7$ for the valet parking, the breakfast is not worth it.
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