Grand Hotel Union

I have visited this hotel every year for the last six. It is with sadness that I would not visit again. The would be "little extras" at other hotels used to come as standard here but unfortunately no longer. I have recommended this hotel previously to friends and family yet would hesitate do so now. Its is not all bad but lacks the finesse it once had. On a positive note the staff are fab, particularly on reception. They are welcoming, friendly and knowledgable. They dealt with a leak in our room very quickly and efficiently. This though is where it fails. Maintanence was very poor. We paid for a deluxe room. We checked in and all looked as expected. We left our bags and went out to return to go to bed. Once in bed we noticed a damp patch on the ceiling. This then turned into 2 damp patches then when we entered the bathroom there was water coming through the spotlights in the ceiling and had covered most of our belongings in there. We were concerned that water was coming through electrics and reported. Positively a maintenance man came within 10 minutes however then we were told we had to change rooms. We packed up our belongings and moved. We were moved to a room with single beds not double. The room looked tired. The door on to the balcony was stuck and would not open, three light bulbs didn't work in the room, we had only half a toilet roll, plug socket facades had come loose and fallen on to carpet, curtains had come off of their runners, and no coffee machine as in our previous room. We felt a little let down and decided to cheer ourselves by visiting the hotel pool and spa as we have on previous occasions. Unlike other times when it was peaceful and tranquil by the pool after treatments, this time it was not. The pool was full of children running, jumping and screaming. The staff disappeared when the noise started! The pool area was cold this time too. Both the water and air temperature. We were also told on entry that the spa had run out of towels! We were told to go back to our room and bring our bath towel. I didn't find this good enough for a 4* hotel spa where treatments were at reasonable cost. Surely a hotel has a laundry or if not then THEY should be getting extra towels not sending guests away. The hotel bar was surprisingly often closed in the afternoon too which I found odd as previously it was open all day. The breakfast was a wide and varied spread although the hot food was never hot, barely warm. Cold options though were tasty and plentiful although the breakfast room at weekends was rather manic but that was due to volume of guests. The location of this hotel is superb. Within the pedestrianised zone and near to everything you could want. It is the location and staff that I would rate here now. Sadly no longer anything else. We looked at other hotels while there and have chosen the next one we shall be staying in. It is not here.

Ljubljana is a great city for exploring on foot. It is compact but varied, with river walks, a large park and great shops, bars, cafes and restaurants. The Christmas market, decorations and atmosphere are all lovely. The Grand Union Hotel is a gem, very close to the central square and triple bridge, with beautiful Art Nouveau decor and fabulous staff.