Hotel Hestia Ilmarine (Tallinn, Estonia)

Reviewers were largely positive about the accommodation for offering a good standard of cleanliness and comfort at reasonably competitive rates. Most travelers who experienced the catering thought the food was good too and reasonably priced. Most diners were pleased with breakfast but some noted queues for the toaster.

Guests loved the location for having most of central Tallinn within easy walking distance. It is two minutes’ walk to the tram stop, 15 minutes’ walk to the ferry terminal and the edge of the beautiful unspoilt old town is about five minutes away on foot. Another reason many visitors liked the hotel was for the quirkiness of being a former factory. A few clues to its past remain evident following a sympathetic conversion into a hotel.

Helpful, sweet and friendly were among the terms used by reviewers when leaving remarks about the staff. Guests mostly found personnel were eager to please although sometimes there was a language barrier with some non-English speaking employees.

Some harsher critics pointed out issues they felt were unbefitting of a four-star establishment. These included unsatisfactory cleaning and occasional low water pressure in the bathrooms. Some guests thought the décor and furnishings in the rooms were drab. The lack of tea and coffee-making facilities in standard rooms annoyed some guests, who also wondered why only upgrade rooms contained them. Light sleepers encountered noisy rooms facing the road. However, courtyard-facing rooms were reportedly quieter.

Reviewers sometimes reported a slow free Wi-Fi service or that the signal kept dropping.

Some special requirements requested on certain reviewers’ bookings weren’t always honored, which annoyed those affected. In addition, guests were sometimes checked-in to already occupied rooms.