Second Home in Belgrade
LOCATION
Finding a better location to host an event in the heart of Belgrade would be impossible. The hotel lies in the strict centre of Belgrade on the Knez Mihajlova street. This vibrant part of Belgrade is alive day and night. Especially impressive is the possibility of enjoying nature, as the famous Kalemegdan is only a stone’s throw away. Despite the liveliness of this part of the city, the hotel is located on top of a shopping centre and enables intimacy even when organising an event. In our opinion, the location is one of Mama Shelter’s biggest advantages.
ACCESSIBILITY
From the airport to the heart of the city takes about half an hour at best, but the drive can extend up to an hour. Belgrade is a large city and you have to be prepared for the occasional traffic chaos. The airport is blooming, as accessibility is improving with each year. This is a positive factor for event organisers across the world. The Balkans airport hub has been re-established in Belgrade. A great advantage of the hotel is the luxurious underground garage, transporting guests literally from their car to the hotel lobby.
COLD APPETIZER - Architecture and Aesthetics
A hotel and a shopping centre are two seemingly incompatible concepts that in reality work very well together. The shopping centre’s architecture can be discussed, but the hotel’s almost legendary eclectic style is what impresses the most. The heart of it is not the hotel rooms, but rather the gigantic restaurant with the terrace. The mixture of interior styles, decorative elements and paintings on the wall are complemented by cultural motifs, such as the interpretation of the kilim rug in the lobby and the incredible ceiling paintings. Despite the danger of appearing chaotic, there is some kind of order and harmony, which is admired by the guests.
WARM APPETIZER - Staff and culinary experience
At Mama’s, we are supposed to feel cosy and at home and everything should remind us of mama’s living room. The concept logically includes relaxed staff dressed casually, who are almost standardly kind. The culinary offer starts with the open kitchen, from where they prepare a series of classic dishes and a few with a Serbian twist (the sarma are amazing). The restaurant stretches out on 2000 m2 and can accommodate up to 220 guests inside and an additional 200 on the breathtaking rooftop. The breakfast was particularly worthy of praise, which is on the level of 5-star hotels. Looking at the offer, we only missed a more innovative craft beer list, which would undoubtedly enrich the choice. Overall, the choice is quite conventional.
MAIN DISH - Conference hotel service
Hotel rooms
The hotel rooms are divided into 7 different categories. Beginning with Medium Mama, Large Mama to the XXL one. Some of them are over 44 m2 of space—enough to even fit a table football. A kind note on the mirror from Mama awaits every guest, who ensured pleasant colours and overall comfort. An essential part of some rooms is the couch that can be extended into a bed and a series of funky tables and chairs. The writing desk is spacious and well lit. A big thanks to Mama for the incredible bed that ensures a good night’s sleep and the tiny ornaments that put a smile on the guests’ faces.
Meetings centre
Mama is the pioneer of the alternative offer of meeting halls, which are completely aligned with the philosophy of meeting design. Even their names – atelier speak of their unusualness and creative space. There are five ateliers available for organising an event in Belgrade, the largest of which can accommodate up to 85 participants. On the other hand, if you are not satisfied with the ateliers, you can organise an event in a restaurant, which are usually a great spot for cocktails.
DESSERT – The extras
The co-working space. The hotel is full of co-working spaces and if you don’t fancy working in the room, you can work while enjoying the view of Belgrade on the terrace of the hotel or in the funky restaurant.
FLOP – NEGATIVE SURPRISES
The noise coming from the city can sometimes make it into the hotel room. Mainly on weekends.
TOP – POSITIVE SURPRISES
It seems that the restaurant is the heart and soul of the hotel and as if something were constantly going on there. If you find yourself bored, you can play a game of table tennis, observe the world around you or read a book. Alive 24/7.
OVERALL IMPRESSION AND CREDIBILITY
The concept of the hotel is simple: one restaurant, rooftop, two bars and 125 rooms for guests. On top of that, the interior is in line with the philosophy of feeling at home—in your mama’s living room. Mama Shelter and its eclectic story have enrichened the regional hotel and meetings scene. The story of the hotel chain started in 2008 in Paris, when the Trigano family thought of a brand that offers hotels with relaxed and informal living and socialising area. The picturesque hotel is a true paradise for Instagrammers. Besides this, it appears very inviting and cosy, exactly how you should feel when at Mama’s. A hotel guest cannot be bored at Mama Shelter and this sets it apart from other hotels where everything stops at 21:00. After what we have seen, we can confirm that the brand’s founders have undoubtedly succeeded in achieving the goal of happy guests, happy employees and happy Mama.
FINAL GRADE: 4.87 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
