Best Western Hotel Anno 1937

Average hotel with small creaky rooms, I guess this is normal for an old building…breakfast was average at best. The staff was not too friendly. The room furnishings were average. The best I can say about my experience was average, except for the price, it was a little high.

The hotel that claims to be the best, Best western in Europe, no need to ask, the gent at check in will tell you all about it. Breakfast is between 7.30-930am, do not arrive a minute early or a minute late or you will not be feed. Breakfast was the least of my concerns once I was given the key to by Cupboard-room. I know how poor Harry Potter felt living under the stairs. 7 of us checked in, I was the only one confined to the smallest hotel room in Europe. Of course I questioned the cupboard allocation but was told the agent had indeed booked the cupboard not a hotel room. The gent on reception has a lovely passive aggressive personally that’s prefect for working in a hotel-cupboard storage. One afternoon we had a beer out the front of one of the other rooms on a small table and chairs, we where informed this was actually illegal as the outside courtyard is part of the restaurant. Even though the room opens to this small courtyard. The printer in the hotel was available to guests. The breakfast was average, fair from Europe’s best. If you run a hotel renting out cupboard space it’s best to make it clear. I asked to change room and was told that was not possible. With 7 rooms booked you’d think they could make sure we all had similar accommodation. If your staying gear please check the room you have booked.

I booked my room over the phone and they scammed me by giving me an expensive room. I was not asked and nothing got clarified. I arrived at approximately 02:00 and didn't have the energy to go out and discuss. The room was nothing special and neither was the staff.

The room and the hotel was cosy, but that is more or less the only positive thing. The service at the front desk was missing service focus and was more focused on processes than happy customers. Normally I live at the hotel next door instead but this time we wanted to try something other, but we will probably not be going back. The breakfast was having a feeling of taken in and out of the fridge for a couple of days. We payed €140 for the room, I would say it is more like a €80-90 hotel experience.

Location is very central. The walls are a bit thin. We hear muffled voices from the other rooms, as well as footsteps. The rooms are not air-conditioned, so it might not be that comfortable during summer.

We arrived with pretty low expectations because the Anno (along with most other hotels in Kristianstad) seems to attract rather a lot of unfavourable reviews. Given this, we were actually pleasantly surprised. The lobby area is nicely styled & the 3 bedrooms allocated to our group were much better than expected. All appeared to have benefitted from a fairly recent contemporary bathroom renovation. Other aspects of the rooms were a tad dated & the doors are particularly awful but aside from that they are ok. Beds are comfy, the shower powerful, there’s a good sized flat screen TV & plenty of sockets. Our room faced an internal courtyard & we enjoyed peaceful sleep. Some areas of the hotel are crying out for some TLC, the corridors are gloomy & hostel-like. The Anno doesn’t have a restaurant but the simple breakfast buffet was absolutely fine & morning service friendly. The location is ideal, central but on a quiet street facing the church & just a couple of minutes walk to the station. An array of restaurants are within walking distance. On-street parking is free overnight with a minimal hourly charge between 9am & 6pm. The outstanding aspect of the Anno for us though was the wonderful lady receptionist, she had terrific English skills but more importantly was always so very smiley & helpful. We witnessed her having to deal with an irate client upon arrival & she handled it with absolute aplomb. She is an absolute credit to the hotel & was a big part of our enjoyment of the Anno (can't believe I didn't note her name!).