Grand Hotel Karel V, WorldHotels Luxury

We did not feel welcome. We paid in advance (not cheap!), but the hotel started out by charging 50Euros in deposit in case we would steal from the room or plunder the minibar without paying. This sends a message that you are not really welcome and you are not to be trusted. We never experienced this in other hotels and we certainly never expected it from this one as it seems high class and - we thought - not likely to have many criminal customers. So despite the hotel objectively being very fine, with good facilities and well located, this way of "welcoming" guests made the stay far less enjoyable than it could have been, as we felt barely accepted as guests. Would not recommend. And might I add, we did not feel like using the minibar at all.

Location is very good. It's easy to access by car and most sights are nearby. Estste is very nice. Private parking outside. No valet parkkng. Some rechargers for EV. Room was nice. Good shower. Good bed. Good wifi. No water as courtesy. Standard buffet breakfast.

A luxurious hotel in Utrecht where our experience was terrible. Unacceptable. Yes it was a warm day 28 degrees. So what? It's summer. Check in was nice. We were fine en a room I the Roman building. Modern building beyond the historic building. It was ok but had zero appeal of an historic hotel. Zero. We noticed the room was warm but air conditioning on and we went out for dinner for a few hours. On return the room was even hotter! And we had closed the curtains as well to help. I called to ad use and they changed our room saying. Yes the main house is cooler than Roman annex. Which meant to me. We ourpoaely put you in a room that was not good. In main building. The room was also hot. We put the air in and went out for a night cap. Coming back. Still hot. We hope will cool down by 3 am or so as I write this awake and unable to sleep. They haven't followed up or anything. Maybe I am wrong but is it that everyone working at the hotel under 25 yrs old a problem? Room experience and customer experience very poor for us. I hope if you book it's better.

My second visit to the Karel. This time I stayed in the old wing, rather than in the newer rooms. Yes it's more expensive but it's money well spent. Only in the main building will you feel the real majesty of the place. The room was large and airy with a wonderful bed. The Brasserie served excellent food (I'd recommend the a la carte rather than the set menus) and on a hot weekend sitting outside with a drink in the property was rather nice. We skipped on the breakfasts, E35 each a night seemed a step too far but I'd suggest the money you spend on the Karel, at least with a weekend stay is worth it. Service was generally good, although there a couple of beautiful and cool male servers who seemed to believe that I was neither cool or beautiful, but then that's age my friend. There are service issues though. There were weddings at the hotel which (presumably the wedding planners had ensured) resulted in a lot of people resources being focused on tasks for those. So when you arrive there's no suggestion of help with your luggage while you see staff carefully carrying teddy bear presents off to rooms connected to the wedding. Then there was an issue in our room that on one of the hottest days in May ever our in room mini bar wasn't working. We called for someone to look at it and were told we would need to wait as everyone was busy (more teddy bears?) and eventually when someone arrived they agreed it was dead but that there was nothing that could be done. They would look to see to moving us to another room. They would come back to us. They never did. The next morning we followed up with reception. They made notes and said that someone would look at the problem and get in touch with us. Nothing happened. On check out I mentioned the issue again, in the hope they might fix it before the next guest arrived. Notes were taken, and I was asked if I had reported the issue. Yes I had and some simple solution, like putting an ice bucket in the room might have been a partial solution, but then everyone is so busy. I also got a message from a company reporting a data leak of my information. It was clearly related to a hotel booking, although the hotel wasn't mentioned and some investigation on the internet traced it to the system the Karel uses for bookings. I asked about this, wanting confirmation that the leak related to my booking with them. Yes, although there was a long round about conversation about how it wasn't the hotel, or the hotel's fault. I disagree, if I book with you directly and you've chosen a system that isn't secure that is your issue. The amount of data leaks coming from travel related companies is getting noticeable. Just shrugging it away isn't the solution. In the end it's a lovely hotel and some of the problems may relate to it being a weekend stay when functions take over hotels. But when you are paying E300 a night for a room without breakfast paying attention to all of your customers needs might be worth thinking about. Perhaps if I had order fifteen teddy bears for our in room fridge the issue might have been resolved?

The hotel is walking distance to train station . We arrived and were greeted warmly upon arrival and the room was very spacious . The breakfast was lovely where you are able to order French toast , eggs etc . We had some drinks outside as the weather was nice and again these were lovely . There is champagne also which is a nice touch . All staff were very nice and are super relaxed and friendly but special mention to Luke who was lovely and got our coffee machine in room set up for us and was such a nice guy.

Very hard to fault to be honest. Very stylish place, excellent front of house staff, great location, fine rooms - even though I stayed in the annex and not in the main part of the hotel. Expensive, yes but worth it as a special treat.

From start to finish we were made to feel so special and welcome . The staff are so polite, friendly and courteous and nothing is a problem . Unfortunately when we arrived at the hotel early due to flights our room was unavaliable . We were offered to leave our luguage and explained the best way to get to the town centre so we went off to explore and have some lunch . On our return the receptionist welcomed us back and explained that our room was in the outdide wing of the hotel due to having a balcony room . We walked accross the courtyard where there are various statues . Our balcony room was in the forth floor with views overlooking the canal . Wow what can i say the room was spacious , clean and extremely comfortable . They provided everything you needed from Toiletries , And a lovely range of speciality teas and coffee having a nespresso machine was a real treat . I must admit my bestfriend and i had a wonderful nights sleep and really didnt want to get up . We had breakfast included and what can i say eating in such a gorgeous dining room set the tone . There was so much to choose from on the buffet from fresh breads, pastries , cheeses , salads , cold meats , salmon and fruits to cereals and yoghurts . The jams selections were beautiful and a,lovely choice of flavours . You also had a vast selection of hot items on the buffet . We could order something also from the menu we both went for the eggs benedict which were absolutely delicious . This break was absolutely what we needed extremely indulgent, relaxing and what the doctor ordered . I would certainly return to this most beautiful hotel

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.

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.

The hotel is beautiful, staff was friendly and accommodating, room was clean and food was delicious. And the location couldn't be better!

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.

Checked in, and asked about restaurants as I specifically booked for the vegetarian cuisine. No tables. 3 phone calls later “you can eat at the bar”. Unacceptable for a 5 star. The staff were happy to suggest I could go eat in the city, but if I wanted to do that, I wouldn't book a hotel complex would I?

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.

Beatitudine proporții, nice garden, 1 Star Michelin restaurant. Good accommodation and excellent services. A place to stay if you can afford.

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.

The hotel is deluxe and attractive but is spread between multiple building, making it something of a nuisance getting from room to restaurants and finding your way back. Restaurants are generally good (and expensive). We found the bistro food superior to the fine dining venue. Some dishes in the Michelin room were very good (the amuses and starters) with follow-ups less so. Our room was well appointed. Oddly, a wall clock had hands that moved erratically without regard the actual time.

My wife and I had booked a room with a view. We were given room 130 in the Roman building. Our view was of the waste and recycling bins and the other was the view of the staff and car park entrance, not pleasant views at all. It was noisy, bins being carted around all day and cars and people entering and exiting. We had lunch with family members and had to wait a very long time for our second course, in the end we had to ask when it would be arriving and when it did it was rather on the small side and not very good at all. Very few lunch/brasserie options for the vegetarians/vegans and breakfast had the same poor options for the non-meat eaters, in fact no hot food vegetarian options that I could see and for £30 per person my wife was very disappointed with a cold croissant and cheese. Hard slices of cheese were stale around the edges. There also was a noise on and off throughout the night, a whirring loud sound, was it the pool or washing machines beneath our room?

Fantastic hotel with great facilities. Perfect for our stay, where we walked around Utrecht every day, and therefore really enjoyed the spa and wellness areas to relax after a day out! The breakfast is marvelous and staff friendly. The rooms are luxurious and very quiet. The gardens and historic setting add great atmosphere. We really enjoyed our stay.

I love the Dutch. Problem is they think they're right all the time! This smart hotel looks great but when you have to live with details it's ordinary. No room service when you ask for it. The security stops you getting to your room. It's so big and laid out that there's no character. Staff are pleasant. Expensive. Lesson learned. We won't be back