Prime Nile-side location
Neighborhood: Garden City
Phone: +20 2 792 1000
Fax: +20 2 792 1010
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Blessed with a prime Nile-side location, this boxy looking hotel bears little resemblance to the world-famous original, which burnt down in the 1950s. However, its name continues to draw tourists and business travelers, but some may find it gloomy and short on amenities for its price bracket. On the plus side, it does have one of the largest and most memorable banquet halls in the city. Its Scandinavian parent company keeps it clean and well-maintained.
298 rooms in total. Singles From EGP 570. Doubles From EGP 570. Suites From EGP 1421. Check In: 15:00. Check Out: 12:00.
Minibar, Restaurant, 24-hour Room Service, Television, Bar, Disabled Access, Business Facilities, Air Conditioning, Whirlpool.
Banquet facilities include one of the largest ballrooms in Cairo and several smaller ballrooms that can be converted into conference halls.
In-house doctor, disco, casino, billiards, belly dancing and Asia House (a highly recommended Far Eastern restaurant. Rates vary sharply between summer and winter.
Reviewed by: P from Auckland, na, NZL on Aug 12, 2006
Shepheard could be better
My wife and I had a double room with a reasonable Nile view in the Shepheard at a discounted rate of $US 110 per night (as part of a conference package deal) for a week in July 2006. We arrived to check in at around 2 am in the morning, feeling rather tired and flustered after a rather unpleasant taxi-ride from the airport. The lobby was still busy -and smokey- and we were left waiting for several minutes before the check-in was completed. Service was perfunctory and not especially friendly- and nobody made much effort to welcome us to the Shepheard. So not a great first impression. The room was spacious and clean- but the shower was cold (quickly sorted out the next morning though). The cleaning staff and room service were efficient and friendly (although in typical Caireen style they did come and drop rather heavy hints about leaving a tip behind before we left- which had the effect of reducing our generosity). Having several items of clothing which needed very minor creases ironing out, I requested an iron and ironing board, only to be informed that the hotel did not make these available and that I would have to use the (much overpriced) laundry service even for very minor touch-ups. (When will hotels learn that such silly ways of extorting extra money from guests only encourages them not to return?) I was even less impressed when the shirt I had intended to wear for my conference presentation came back with several marks and requiring a full service. The restaurants and bars were ok, but the service was uniquely slow (particularly in the roof-top bar), and the breakfast range , while nice enough, was the same every day. I got the impression from the staff that they do not receive the 10% service charge which is standard in all the restaurants/ bars. Meanwhile, with the exception of the unexpected- and talented-rooftop xylophonist, the homogenous and ubiquitous muzak in the lobby and the restaurants was insipid to the point of being irritating. Something Egyptian would have been more atmospheric. The Hotel taxi service was not cheap, but it was air-conditioned and the drivers were- on the whole-reliable. The exception was the chap who, on the Caireen pretence of hospitality , took my wife for a meal at his 'father's house'; the house was, of course, a shop, and although the meal was nice enough, my wife was then pressured to buy something; after refusing, and explaining to the shopkeeper that she'd been told he was the taxi driver's father and that this was merely Egyptian hospitality, both she and the Taxi driver were chased out by the furious owner. It's quite a funny tale- except that this should not occur with the Hotel's own taxi service. The Shepheard finally bade us farewell by imposing an adiitional EP 100 charge for an unexplained phone-call which we had no time to dispute. So overall, it was pleasant enough, but it wasn't especially good value, and certain irritating events really detracted from it being a positive experience. We won't be going there again.
Would you recommend this to a friend?
No
Why? / Why Not?
Hidden charges and indifferent service at times
NOT STAYING AGAIN
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Reviewed by:A Yahoo! Contributor from Dubai, UAE on Jul 08 2007
Gracious and convenient
The Shepheard is perfectly located to go to the Museum and explore downtown Cairo. The Indian resta...
Reviewed by:A Yahoo! Contributor from Toronto Canada on Dec 03 2006
