Grand Hotel Karel V

I have stayed in Utrecht before and treating myself to the Karel V was special. My room on the top floor was very spacious. Sitting area as well as a table with chairs made for a nice abode for cool fall weather. Bathroom is large. Shower is excellent. The grounds include gardens with trees which gave me views of fall foliage. The hotel is canal adjacent. Out the back gate is an easy walk up Springweg to Mariaplaats. There are so many shops, restaurants and cafes nearby that I never tried the food at the hotel. The cafe/brasserie has garden seating which would be glorious in the summer. There is a wellness center with hot pools but one needs remember to bring a swimsuit. the location is convenient also to the Hoog Catherine and Utrecht Central station. The history of the location and architectural details are also special.

Super nice time at this elegant hotel made even nicer by the warm and friendly welcome from the young and very professional reception desk team, who throughout our stay continued to make my husband and I feel very much 'at home'. The delightful Angelina helped me book padel courts as I was struggling to do it myself and couldnt do enough to help. Fabulous suite with a canopied large comfortable bed. Oola in the brasserie was also super lovely and made our dinner even nicer with her lovely personality. The hotel is a great location for the city also.

Wonderful hotel! We stayed here as a family for two nights and three days. The hotel, converted from a former monastery, has a rich sense of history while still feeling very clean and comfortable, with a wonderful atmosphere overall. The hotel itself is great, but what truly stood out was the breakfast buffet—it was the best breakfast buffet I’ve ever had in my life. Although it’s a bit pricey, it’s absolutely worth trying at least once. I especially loved the wide variety of cheeses and the made-to-order options like freshly prepared Eggs Benedict and hot chocolate brought right to your table. The only small issue we noticed was that after housekeeping came in, the cups—though washed—still had faint coffee ring stains inside. That said, overall it was an outstanding hotel, and we would definitely love to stay here again.

The hotel is in a great location and our room overlooked a tranquil garden area. The historic building is stunning. However, it is the staff who make the stay so good. They are so welcoming and nothing is too much trouble. We thank them all for everything and highly recommend the hotel.

World class, old school hotel with large rooms, a wellness area with small pool, jacuzzi and sauna. We didn’t eat at their restaurant, but it’s supposed to be quite good and other travelers enjoyed the breakfast, but we’re not big breakfast eaters to we didn’t eat there. |The staff is incredibly helpful and the location is beautiful. A little outside the city center, but a close 5-10 minute walk.|If you enjoy a comfortable hotel with great beds, pillows and old world charm, this is the place.

Dated, tired and 5 star in name only. Broken glass, dirty trays, tired decor, clueless staff. I booked here to have access to the restaurants in the complex. Unfortunately they do not keep any space aside for hotel guests. I asked to reserve a table on check-in and was told no availability. After 4 phone calls and 2 members of staff I was told I could sit at the bar. Wow. 5 star apparently. When I turned up to the brassiere I was turned away again. Then they had to call the restaurant manager, who made a point of telling me how lucky I am to be able to eat at the hotel, and how the hotel terms and conditions guarantee nothing. All I can see here is a tired property being run into the ground. I felt embarrassed at the situations I encountered. Avoid this place. ***Update: on check out I found that the hotel tried to overcharge me. I stayed alone yet I saw 2 breakfasts billed both days. After an hours argument the breakfasts were removed and I was expected to be grateful. Joke of a hotel***

I checked in, for a five night stay, rather bedraggled from the rain. Check in seemed rather aloof. My immediate feeling was not a warm one. Once my room was available I got a call (nice touch). The room, in a more modern part of the hotel had little of the character of the main building, a common issue with old buildings that have been expanded. The room was light and well equipped. The TV remote might have worked better with some new batteries and there was an odd faint smell in the room - almost like straw - that I never figured out.|Room cleaning was generally good although a little perfunctory over the weekend. I did eat on the last night in the Brasserie (I had tried other nights but it was full) and the food and the service were very good and the final bill, for one, of E100 not terrible given the quality. |With an early departure the next day I checked out late on the last night. This was not as easy as it should have been, with a need to redo the process (they’d missed the hotel tax) and in the end two charges to my credit card and a refund.|There is a feeling in the hotel of being an upscale hotel for corporates, you know the place your boss stays while you stay at some US branded chain ‘hotel’. For a vacation traveller it can feel a little stiff. Perhaps the biggest dilemma is whether to go with a more reasonable rate and have a view of the car park or splurge on one of the rooms in the main building. |The location is good and if you arrive from the station it’s not a long walk. I did overhear that they have a good deal on taxis to the airport (now E69, going to E79) so if you’re coming from Schiphol you might want to talk to the hotel about that before arrival. Unless you like Utrecht Centraal at 05:50 in the morning.|I did debate whether this was a four or five circle review. In the end I give it the higher rating as the rate I paid, booked directly with the hotel, was pretty good and did represent good value.

Great hotel with helpful and friendly staff who are on hand to help and resolve any issues you have. Excellent facilities for guests in and around the hotel. Would highly recommend the breakfast with options to suit everyone. Hotel brassarie is a treat too.

A beautiful historical hotel located just a stones throw from the centre of Utrecht. Staff are excellent and very friendly and the service at the hotel was exceptional. The hotel lobby is grand and you get the feeling of luxury straightaway. I had a room in the new wing of the hotel and it was very spacious and well appointed. The bed was super comfortable and bathroom had lots of nice supplies. It's very peaceful and quiet here and the city center is just meters away. There are bars and restaurants in the hotel serving drinks and meals. The food was good and service was also good. Parking is available on premise and it's nice to walk around the grounds of this hotel. A gem of a hotel in town and one I would definitely stay in again.

This is a classic "must-stay" location for business and leisure travel gurus in the know. I have been staying here since 2014 regularly and it gets better all the time. Food preparation and presentation is superb, the staff customer experience is an example to competitors, and the studied period decor and sense of history and culture makes this place special.

The short version: The staff added irrelevant charges to my bill, totaling about 242 Euros, which they eventually removed. It didn't feel like an honest error. Review your bill carefully, or better yet, go someplace else. The Long version: The new ("Roman") wing where I stayed is clean and comfortable, but not particularly charming--comparable to a Hyatt in the US. Room service was excellent, coming more than once a day to tidy up, and the grounds are pleasant (I'm not fond of a fountain surrounded by statues, but otherwise it's tasteful). The location is pretty good for visiting the old city of Utrecht. I was in town for a conference, and reserved a room for 3 nights. Booking was online through a management service, HMC Reservations, and all written correspondence with the hotel (many emails by the time all the hassle was over) took place through them. The trouble started when I asked to cancel the third night. Plans change when you travel, and I would be going out of town that evening. I was told there would be a fee for doing so, as it was close to the time of my stay. No problem, I said, but what was the charge? After a couple of somewhat coy emails, I was told I would be charged 175 Euros, the same as the cost of the room for a night. That is unreasonable--a first negative impression--but it was late, as they said. I decided to keep the room for the 3rd day so I could check out late, instead of cancelling. My reservation for the 3rd night was reinstated. Upon arriving at the hotel, I felt like a persona non grata. The staff was unfailingly polite in the testy mode of being over-polite. Then the front desk clerk asked whether I was staying for 2 nights. It's a long story, I said; I had wanted to cancel the third night, but when I was told it would cost the same as keeping the room, I decided to keep it. That is what he would have done, said the clerk pleasantly enough. It struck me as odd that he asked whether I would be staying for 2 nights when he obviously knew I had reserved the room for 3. He wasn't surprised, as he would surely have been had I asked to add a night at that date. Was he hoping I'd say yes to 2 even though I reserved 3? If you reserve for 3 nights, does the clerk ask you if you are only staying for 2? The room I got turned out to be on the ground floor directly between the car park gate and the parking lot. This was a noisy spot, and I needed quiet for work. Did they put me there because it was the only room ready? I returned to the desk and asked if there was a quieter room I could have instead. This was no problem, they said, and I got another room in that building. Why did they put me in the parking lot room to start? Keep that room for last. The stay itself was fine. The room was clean, and there was nothing notable about it. There is no business center, so the front desk printed a document for me pleasantly, their one decent act. There was no charge. Then early in the evening of my third day, I checked out. The clerk asked with an arch smile if I understood that there would be a charge for my last day, which could not be cancelled. Yes of course, I said, as agreed. She printed out the bill and put it in an envelope and I went to catch a train. When I opened the envelope I found the hotel had charged me for 3 nights, as agreed, plus a cancellation fee of 175Euros, plus 3 breakfasts for 22.50 each. I hadn't cancelled anything, and I didn't have any hotel breakfasts, which were optional. So this seemed gratuitous at best. It felt frankly like a mean jab. I wrote my contact at HMC, an ever formal correspondent, and asked for a correction to the bill. She reported that the hotel "had to admit" that I was right, and would correct the bill. I asked for the corrected bill, and received a receipt, but it was the same as the old one. I called MasterCard to see if the hotel had made the correction, and found that they had. I then got another receipt that was again in error, its numbers not adding up. I asked a third time, and did get the corrected receipt, though the taxes listed at the bottom reflect some other figure. I gave up. Overall this reservation and payment were an unpleasant hassle and involved too many email exchanges. If I cancel, I expect a reasonable charge. If I cannot cancel, then the hotel should be fine with my keeping the room each day for which I pay, instead of trying to get me to leave early. I do not enjoy spurious charges being added to my bill. Bills should be handled professionally, and their numbers should add up. Finally, if you send the wrong receipt 3 or 4 times, or treat your guests poorly, you need to say you're sorry. There was no apology from anyone for any of the hotel's rude and unprofessional acts. Ugh. This was an aggravating waste of time. I was sorry I went here.