Grand Hotel Kempinski High Tatras

What a surprise. The only reason we stayed at this hotel is because I am getting older and the thought of driving over six hours between Krakow and Budapest did not excite me. We looked and this luxury hotel was the best alternative, almost exactly half way. Convenience is one thing. Offering an outstanding value is much more important. Of the twelve hotels on our journey, this is definitively in the top three. I should mention that it is a beautiful location, high in the mountains on a mountain lake. Although this was not ski season or summer hiking season, the weather was just warm enough for a stroll around the lake on well maintained walking paths. I am a big advocate of first impressions. Driving up we were greeted and welcomed into the hotel, our car was parked, our luggage properly taken care of, and the reception desk immediately offered a glass of Champaign. This type of attentive service was the norm for our whole visit. Food service was outstanding. We had an excellent lunch in the bar upon arrival. That evening, the dining room offered a wide assortment of choices with a very complete wine selection. The Sommelier assisted us with a perfect Slovakian wine to match our entrée. Breakfast, my favorite meal ,was equally as good, with many local specialties. Kempinski has an excellent reputation and the Grand Kempinski High Tatras did not disappoint. It made a planned travel stop into a very special stay.

Grateful for this fulfilling experience. Amazing spa, dining facilities and staff making the stay so pleasant and unique. The location and hotel are truly precious! Especially thankful to the lady in red Maria for her professionalism and little presents for us 🤩

This hotel has a lot of potential to be a true grand hotel. Excellent service, good food, historic architecture, spacious rooms and beautiful view. The spa facilities are lovely, and the well-informed concierge had many good suggestions across the local area. Where this hotel lacks are the finishes and comfort. Furniture in rooms and common areas is old and worn out and in desperate need of replacement. Beds are much too hard, and pillows lumpy and too soft, makes it difficult to have a good nights sleep. Heat is too hot and heaters in room are disabled so no way to control the heat… had to sleep with the windows open in a snowstorm or sweat to death. I left feeling tired and stiff, and while I enjoyed my time in High Tatras otherwise, these issues need to be resolved to bring the property to true Kempinski standards like in the rest of Europe.

What an amazing place. The views the hospitality was beyond. I will be going back again and again. From check in you are made to feel like family. The ambiance of the hotel is amazing. Everything from the room service, dining and spa were amazing.

Beautiful hotel with exceptional service and views. It felt so old world. We loved it. We were there for a meeting and had a wine tasting event. Alexander, the Sommelier, taught us so much about the Slovak wines and the incredibly patient vintners. He really knew what he was talking about. We were quite impressed. He chose some amazing wines for us to try. We had such a lovely evening. We even went to the store in our next town, Brno, and bought some of the wines we tasted.

For context, I stay in 5 Star hotels frequently as well as being a Spa lover. That said this hotel disappointed on many levels and I felt like I was being nickeled and dimed at every turn. Hotel The hotel looks and feels dated and tired. Bathroom had a musty smell. Furnishings are passe. Paid for lake view but was placed in a ground floor/semi-basement room such that looking out the window was even with the grass outside making it hard to see the lake. Bed was hard as a brick, pillows were totally deflated. Bed linens were nice. Valet parking is 50 Euros--and the free parking is street parking which even on a Monday was quite full, so we opted for valet. They should tell you on the web that the free parking is street parking. Dining I had no idea when I booked this hotel that the only restaurant is a quite formal one with a menu that is not straight ahead--also I found there is a business attire dress code for dinner. While this is lovey, the hotel should warn/notify guests when booking. Especially given the setting and activities guests are likely to be engaged with such as hiking for skiing. Not everyone will know to bring more dress up clothes. Also it is really expen$ive and the menu is odd. The menu did not appeal to me, soups were good but one entree, Tortellini Bolognese had lime foam on top. Really odd and many other dishes suffered from this same forced inventiveness that plagues restaurants these days. While one could get 'normal' food in the bar/lounge, there are no proper dining height tables in the lounge so you have to eat your meal on a cocktail height table. Also a burger in the bar will set you back a staggering 38 Euros which is NYC or Tokyo prices. Others have commented on the breakfast, I felt it was adequate but again many things are extra, like juice so you have to be careful. Spa The spa is truly lovely. Nice pool, various saunas and showers and a quiet room. View of the lake. Gym is nice. Although the gym was quite warm due to no A/C. There is no water station in the spa--I asked for water and it was 8.50 Euros. I have never seen a spa that did not have water accessible for free. So overall for the level of expense the hotel is a disappointment.

We had high hopes for this hotel, it was overall disappointing. We were given a room with a view to some rocks we had to pay extra to have something to see. They said that since we booked through *******....we don t get the same advantages as other customers, this is not a 5 star thing to say at the reception. The restaurant food was simply atrocious, I paid 60 euros for the worst piece of stake I had in my life, ever. Do NOT go to that restaurant, you have been warned. The bar and the spa are the only things we actually liked, 99% of the staff are very well trained and very polite.

Katherine Noel, the general manager, runs an extraordinarily classy establishment. The service is impeccable, from the greeting to the restaurant to the housekeeping. The building is old but in perfect condition. The spa is lovely and relaxing by the pool with a view of the lake is great people watching. The food in the Grand Restaurant was excellent, very French, quite formal but we felt relaxed. On our second night we weren’t in the mood for a big dinner so ate in the bar, which was terrific. The High Tatras are very beautiful, and after a great hike to a large waterfall we delighted in returning to the Grand Hotel Kempinsky. This isn’t a big destination for Americans but if you love the mountains, it’s well worth the effort.