Where is it?
The Pullman hotel is located in the old town in downtown Riga. The location is excellent, just a short walk from most places of interest as well as shopping, cafes and restaurants.
The airport can be reached by taxi in around 15 minutes.
The arrival experience
I arrived at the hotel quite late around 10 pm. The hotel is located in a beautiful building from 1789 which was once a stable, although quite obviously most of both the interior and exterior have been completely changed and modernised since those days. If you have a look inside the lobby area you can still see traces of what the building used to look like. They really have preserved the old building and parts of the interior very elegantly.
To remind hotel guests of the origin of the building (a fun fact the staff like to mention) there is even a full-sized horse greeting guests in the lobby.
The hotel made an excellent first impression, especially with its location next to the small park. It is certainly something different from all the hotel chains in Riga, most of them built in the 90’s, and there are plenty of them in Riga.
By 10 pm most guests had already arrived and I was immediately checked in by a friendly young man. I also needed some help to print a boarding pass for a flight the next day and he happily helped me with that. As a silver member in the Le Club loyalty program of Accor I was also given a drinks voucher to be used in the bar.
The room
I had booked a superior room (actually there are no standard rooms in the hotel) which was located on the fourth floor.
The room gave an excellent first impression, nicely designed with a modern interior in mostly grey and black colours. The hotel has only been around for about two years which you can easily notice, everything is in an excellent condition.
Although fairly average in size (normally between 21 an 24 sqm) they really had made the most of the space. There was a large king-sized bed, a TV, a small desk, a well-stocked minibar and a closet.
There was no bathroom in the traditional sense in the room. Instead the wash basin was located inside the room while the shower was in a separate room and the toilet in yet another room.
Food and drinks
There are two restaurants in the hotel called Equus and Vinoteca. Equus is located in the lobby, just behind the reception desk, and is divided into a restaurant area and a bar area.
I only had time to make a visit to the Equus Bar in the evening to make use of the drinks voucher. The interior of both the restaurant area and the bar area are beautiful with the old preserved brick walls. There are also some cool furniture, some very nice lighting and generally a great atmosphere. The drinks voucher could be used for a drink of my choice, and not just beer and wine, a cocktail like a gin & tonic was not a problem.
Other facilities
There is a relax and spa area in the hotel with an indoor heated pool and a sauna. Unfortunately it had already closed for the day when I arrived and I did not have time to visit it the following day.
There is also plenty of art around the hotel, which is actually worth having a look at.
Service
The service was very nice and friendly from check-in to check-out and all my requests were promptly taken care of, including arranging an airport shuttle for the next day and helping me print a boarding pass.
My loyalty was also recognised with a drinks voucher at check-in and a personal welcome letter in the room, together with some cookies and chocolates.
Unfortunately the reception staff made a mistake at check-out as the stay was partly to be paid by points. The points had already been deducted but I was still charged the full amount and as I was tired and in a hurry in the morning I did not notice the mistake until I had already left the hotel. However as I discovered the error I sent an e-mail to the hotel a few days later and got a reply and an apology within just a few hours telling me a refund had already been made to my credit card.
Breakfast
As I was leaving the hotel early I did not have breakfast in the hotel in the morning, but it seems like breakfast is served in the lovely Equus restaurant.
In the lobby coffee and tea were available for self-service from the tray in the morning.
Final impression
A beautiful building from 1789 with a nice and well-preserved interior and great atmosphere, especially in the nice Equus bar. Modern and very nicely decorated superior rooms and friendly staff. Something different from all the chain hotels in Riga.
Be the first to comment