Elite Stadshotellet Karlstad, Hotel & Spa

Service and Amenities: The hotel has been praised for its excellent service and quality amenities.

I wanted to like this place, but well ... We were greeted by really nice people in the lobby, but that's where the positives ended. Firstly, the room we were given had an overwhelming smell reminiscent of an old people's home. On top of that, it was equipped with a toilet and chairs clearly intended for elderly guests or those with mobility issues. This was neither requested nor appropriate, and certainly not in line with the experience one would expect from a romantic spa hotel. I think there might be some nicer rooms somewhere else in the hotel, but the one we got - and I am trying not to exaggerate here, is one of the worst I have stayed in, in Scandinavia. Worse still, we discovered something quite unhygienic and frankly disgusting in the bathroom next to the sink (see pictures). This should of course never happen in any hotel room, let alone in a setting that advertises itself as high-end. We had also looked forward to using the spa facilities, but were surprised to find that we were unable to access them. No one had informed us that the spa had to be booked in advance, either at the time of booking or at check-in. When we tried instead to use the rooftop pool, we were sent back and forth between four different places to get towels by multiple staff members - no one followed us, or just got us towels. Ultimately we ended up in the spa to get towels, where we were turned away at with a rather dismissive “no you can’t get towels here”.