Pullman Budapest

The Pullman Budapest is a super fancy, stylish hotel in the heart of Budapest. It is split into two buildings that are visually separated, and the architects had fun with that. The bathroom is fantastic, the location is excellent, and the breakfast is lavish. Only the crowd at breakfast and the lack of a spa held it back.

Quick verdict: A stylish, very central Pullman with a generous lobby, a great shower, a welcome dessert plate and a lavish breakfast. The breakfast room gets very crowded and loud, and I did not see a spa. One thing to check afterwards: my stay shows up as cancelled in my ALL account. JCI Score 3.6 out of 5.

Location

The hotel is very well located for exploring the whole city centre. You can walk to the Parliament and, with a bit of walking, to the castle. The metro is nearby and takes you anywhere else. There are great restaurants close by too, and I list two of them below.

The hotel sits between two streets, one of them, I think, a pedestrian zone and the other a quiet street. My room looked onto one of them, and there was no noise at all.

Getting There & First Impression

I came from the airport and took an Uber to the hotel. The bus is also an easy option, and it was no problem at all.

The hotel is split into two parts: two buildings that are visually separated, as if a slice had been pushed in between them. The architects played with that in a fun way. The reception is generous, and the lobby is very nice.

Check-In & Loyalty Experience

Check-in went very smoothly. I was Gold at the time, and I think I got a small upgrade to a room in the newer part of the building.

The welcome was lovely. In the room there was a dessert plate with a few sweets and a card, and it looked very fancy. I did not take a photo, which I regret, because it was great. The welcome drink we had at the bar, and the staff there were super friendly.

The Room

My room was on the fifth floor, in the newer part of the building. It was generous and very comfortable.

The bathroom was super stylish and really great. The shower was fantastic, and so were the amenities.

I did not see a spa. There is a small fitness area, but that is all I know about the facilities, so I give Comfort only two stars.

Food & Drink

The breakfast was great and very lavish, with a wonderful selection and really good coffee. The restaurant design is outstanding. But it was very full and very loud, and we had to make a real effort to find a table at all. The staff did their best, but with so many people it was hard to handle.

Two restaurants nearby are worth a tip:

• Fleischer Restobar (website) is a few minutes from the hotel in the same street, Nagymező utca. We sat outside on the street, like in a French bistro, on a mild evening, and it was exactly what you want. Very fancy cooking, super friendly, and not that expensive.
• Tati (website) is an award-winning restaurant that grows its ingredients on its own farm. Our table was in the basement, but it was still very fancy, and the food was really good.

Digital Customer Experience

Nothing digital to report.

The Bill & Value

I paid €530.76 for three nights, with breakfast for two included, plus €16.56 in taxes and fees at the hotel. That makes about €177 per night. For a stylish Pullman this close to everything, with breakfast included, that is good value.

One thing surprised me. In my ALL account this stay is listed as cancelled, and I cannot find any points for it. I don't know what happened at check-in or with the billing, and I noticed too late to fix it. My tip: check after your stay that the night shows up in your account.