Hospitality To The Core
LOCATION
It’s hard to imagine a more central location in Ljubljana than the busy Čopova Street – all of the key city attractions are on the doorstep. The Hotel Slon (Elephant) is the oldest hotel in Ljubljana and is one of the city’s icons, where urban locals have been meeting since the 19th century. In 1937 the hotel got the look that it retains to this day, when it became the most beautiful and the most modern hotel in Ljubljana. The Hotel became part of the Best Western Hotel Chain in 1996, at which time it was fully renovated.
ACCESSIBILITY
The Hotel is located on the main city entrance route in the very centre of Ljubljana. Key institutions in Ljubljana can be reached on foot, which is very practical. The Ljubljana Airport is 25 km away and the hotel has a well organised shuttle service. Parking a car is slightly more complicated but can be arranged by the Hotel Concierge. The hotel is right next to all the main bus lines.
COLD APPETIZER - Architecture and Aesthetics
The modernist style of the Hotel was created in 1937, with the hotel evolving during the transition from Art Nouveau to Modernism, a time of constant change. The appearance of the hotel is typical of this period, but one cannot speak of a special effort put into the design. The architecture is good, maybe a bit predictable, but more importantly, of course, is the interior, which has been renovated and updated recently, and with a sense of fine detailing that gives the hotel a soul.
WARM APPETIZER - Staff and catering
Care and attention to guests are in the genetic code of the hotel and for the implementation of these policies the Director, Gregor Jamnik pays special attention. An excellent choice was the inclusion of the legendary pastry shop Zvezda (Star) as part of the hotel offer. With probably the best pastries and cakes in the city, it is an excellent offer with a pleasant ambiance. Breakfast is fairly good too, so no comments here. The restaurant and lounge offer a solid Slovenian and Mediterranean cuisine, but the price is worth reviewing.
MAIN DISH - Conference hotel service
168 hotel rooms were renovated in 2008. Interior furnishings are tasteful with quality, almost prestige, materials, with only the capacity of some of the rooms subject to criticism. Accepting that this is not a five-star hotel, a little more space is always welcome. The cosmetics in the bathrooms are not low- end, with guests having L’Occitaine available to them. The special element, however, is the beds, probably amongst the best you can get. The entire experience of sleep at the Hotel is called ‘Sweet Dreams’. Sweet dreams are disturbed by the occasional noise coming from Ljubljana’s main roads, which the windows fail to fully block out. The conference centre with its five halls was renovated in 2009 and here too a high level of ‘feel good factor’ is incorporated. All of the halls have daylight and pleasant pastel colours and nice, rich furnishings were used. The capacity of the centre is 250 participants for conferences and congresses and up to 350 for receptions.
DESSERT – The extras
Location in the middle of the city’s main events scene with numerous cultural, historical and culinary desserts.
FLOP – NEGATIVE SURPRISES
Parking, parts of the hotel appear a bit dark.
TOP – POSITIVE SURPRISES
Fine details at every step. Elephant shaped chocolates, tidiness of the rooms, luxury cosmetics in the bathrooms, free Wi-Fi.
OVERALL IMPRESSION AND CREDIBILITY
Congress guests are rather spoilt here; the hotel itself is not even that important, more important are the services and the attitude towards the guests. This is something they are well aware of at the ‘Elephant’ Hotel. The long history of the hotel has its own advantages, the service has been tested and is reliable and the guest gets a lot for his/her money. An additional safeguard is membership of the first league of the Best Western hotel chain. Time and again I note that this is a nice hotel that is sometimes overlooked on the Ljubljana hotel scene. In general, the hotel is easily comparable to all the top competitors of its class.
FINAL GRADE: 4.81 GOLD CITY MEETING HOTEL
GOLD final score from 4.81 to 5.00
SILVER final score from 4.61 to 4.80
BRONZE final score from 4.41 to 4.60
