Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko

A-Maz-ing! We had a deluxe mountain view room with connecting door to our son ( 18) which worked perfectly. Beautiful views of the mountains. Ski in ski out was fab- 2 minutes walk to the gondola. Really worth paying the extra €20 a day for the VIP pass. Longest i waited was 20 minutes when i went at peak time, but normally just 5 minutes. Boot and ski room was excellent - really helpful and the boot heaters made sure they were dry everyday. We had half board so we did’t have to find somewhere to eat each day- really good quality choice of food in a buffet style every night. Definitely something for everyone and the breakfasts were amazing. The spa area is 5 star- amazing selection of saunas and steam rooms and indoor and outdoor pools. Very quiet in the day but busier after around 3.30pm but still plenty of beds round the pool and not too crowded. After dinner, live music in the lounge every night was a really nice way to round off the evening. Can’t fault the experience and we look forward to a return visit. Evenings in the lounge with live music

The hotel is really beautiful, with a cozy chalet feel and lovely furniture throughout. I stayed there twice in one month, each time for a long weekend. On both visits, they acknowledged my loyalty status and upgraded me to a nicer room, which I appreciated. During my first stay there was a welcome amenity, but surprisingly there wasn’t one the second time.||The staff were friendly overall, though they didn’t always feel as experienced as you’d expect from a true five-star luxury hotel. There was also no turndown service which is strange for Kempinski or any luxury hotel chain.||On the positive side, the spa is excellent and the hotel has a great atmosphere. Breakfast was also very good, with plenty of variety and high-quality options.||I hope the hotel will develop their employees because this beautiful property deserves it.

Exceptional Humanity & Service As returning guests, we were forced to cancel our upcoming trip due to the security situation in Israel. Despite being past the cancellation deadline, the management showed incredible empathy and authorized a full refund. It’s rare to find a hotel that puts people before policies. We are so grateful and will definitely return as soon as we can. Highly recommended!"

Hotel is fine. There's a lot of corruption going on here such that a lift pass is useless - you'll end up in a two to three hour queue while they let people with VIP passes through. Kempinski VIP pass used to be the way to just bribe your way out of queueing for hours, but now everyone issues VIP passes and even having tried to buy one's way out of waiting, you're still sent to wait in the rain instead of enjoying skiing. I'd choose a French resort next time, same price, better skiing.

We stopped by the Kempinski Hotel & Resort Bansko for a quick brunch on the last day of our vacation. The restaurant was not busy, yet the service felt rushed and somewhat disorganized. We ordered two hot chocolates for our daughters and coffee for the adults and our son. While serving the drinks, the server accidentally spilled an entire hot chocolate onto our youngest daughter and her red winter jacket. Our daughter remained calm, but the server appeared very flustered. My wife immediately stepped in to reassure her, saying that everyone was okay, that accidents happen, and even checking to make sure the server’s hand was not hurt. The server did apologize verbally and brought a replacement hot chocolate, which we appreciated. However, beyond that initial moment, there was no real acknowledgment of the situation. There was no follow up, no check in, and no attempt to address the fact that a hot drink had been spilled on a child and her clothing. What stood out most was that the concern we showed for the server seemed greater than the concern shown for our daughter afterward. When we returned to the table, the food itself was good, and we made an effort to move on. Still, the lack of any further response or recognition was surprising given the setting. When it came time to leave, my wife paid the bill of 80.18 BGN in cash, giving 90 BGN to the same server involved in the incident. The remaining amount was assumed to be a tip. Nothing was comped, and no gesture of goodwill was offered. While we were not expecting compensation, some acknowledgment would have gone a long way. To add to this, when we left, our table still had wet napkins and chocolate milk on the floor. Nearly an hour later, it still had not been cleaned up, which reinforced the feeling that the situation had simply been overlooked. Accidents happen, and we understand that completely. What made this experience disappointing was not the spill itself, but how little care was shown afterward. For a hotel presenting itself as a five star resort, this was a surprising and disheartening experience. Incident happened at the Bansko Kimpinksi hotel lobby coffee bar on Dec. 21, 2025 ~11am - 12:30 pm.

Lovely Kempinski. ❤️ An amazing location for ski lovers. Exceptional design and refined taste in every restaurant in the hotel. Wonderful Spa 🔥 A place you definitely want to come back to.

Hotel is lovely, staff are great, food is great, perfect location for skiers with a great boot room. But don’t come if you want to be able to relax in the bar, by the pool or jacuzzis after a days ski. The staff let feral children run around screaming all evening causing havoc and never once in our week here have the staff tried to get the children to be quiet, approached parents to get them to control their children or stop the noise. Not a relaxing time to be around the hotel really. You cant even escape in the spa level because children find themselves down there being noisy sometimes too. Service in all other aspects is great! Would’ve been perfect if not for that.

This hotel disappoints more and more with each passing year. It is not only failing to live up to a 5-star standard, but not even to that of a 3-star hotel. As if that weren’t enough, the staff had the audacity to refuse serving us starters or even a simple burger in the lobby, solely because we were wearing spa bathrobes, while hosting a guest who had come to visit us. What is most shocking is that they had no issue serving alcoholic drinks and chips, yet they categorically refused to provide even basic food for children. I would be fine with such rules if they were clearly communicated from the beginning, stating that guests are not allowed to sit in the lobby in this type of attire. However, as long as the hotel allows alcoholic beverages regardless of how one is dressed, refusing elementary food for children is completely unacceptable. I give this hotel a score of 0 for its behavior toward guests, toward children, and toward us as paying residents.