Argento

Our stay at Hotel Argento was unfortunately very disappointing from the moment we arrived.

After landing following a long, hot, and tiring flight, we encountered several issues with our allocated room. When we raised these concerns with reception, the male member of staff on duty was dismissive and appeared more interested in arguing than resolving the situation. As paying guests, we found his attitude and level of professionalism unacceptable. After considerable back-and-forth, we were eventually moved to another room.

Unfortunately, the second room presented a different set of problems. The toilet had clearly not been cleaned properly, with faeces visible on the wall, and the bedroom had burn marks on the curtains along with an unpleasant odour. These standards of cleanliness and maintenance are simply not acceptable for any hotel.

To make matters worse, while I was getting dressed, a cleaner entered the room without knocking, completely invading my privacy. This was extremely upsetting and left me feeling very uncomfortable.

The problems continued throughout our stay. The air conditioning did not work properly during the night, making it almost impossible to sleep. It was only after repeatedly speaking with staff that a fan was eventually provided. While this helped slightly, it did not make up for the discomfort we experienced.

The breakfast was average and nothing particularly memorable. The only positive aspect of our stay was the hotel’s convenient location.

Overall, this was a very unpleasant and distressing experience. Poor customer service, unprofessional staff, inadequate cleanliness, and unresolved maintenance issues significantly impacted our stay. Based on our experience, I would not recommend this hotel and would not choose to stay here again.

My experience at Hotel Argento was genuinely one of the worst hotel stays I have had, particularly as I was travelling for business and needed a clean, welcoming place where I could also work.

This hotel is advertised as a 4-star hotel, but clearly between 1 -2 stars at most. The gap between the advertised standard and what I experienced was significant.

The room had an unpleasant smell, and I found stained towels and bedding on arrival. On two separate occasions, I was also given pool towels that smelled unpleasant. The pool itself appeared dirty. The Wi-Fi had constant problems, to the point where I could not work properly, and I ended up going to a nearby café in the evenings just to get my work done.

My biggest concern, however, was safety. I was placed in a separate building across the road from the main hotel. There was no reception staff or visible hotel staff in that building when entering or leaving, which often made me feel unsafe, particularly in the evenings. I did not feel there was any proper staff presence or support should something happen. Given that I was travelling alone for business, this was particularly concerning and not what I would expect from a hotel advertised as 4-star. Check-in was also more than an hour late.

The biggest issue, however, was the customer service. On checkout day, I mistakenly thought checkout was at 12. A member of staff came to my door twice, and on both occasions she was rude. The second time, she aggressively told me, "You need to get out now." I remained polite, smiled, said okay and rushed to get myself checked out.

When I arrived at reception, another member of staff greeted me with, "Huh, what?!" I explained that I wanted to check out. She told me I was 45 minutes late. I apologised and explained that I genuinely thought checkout was at 12. The way she looked at me and spoke to me was openly unpleasant. I simply said that, given I had also been checked in almost an hour late, perhaps we were even. I had no interest in getting into a confrontation, so I left.

I want to be clear that, in my experience, this was not a language or cultural misunderstanding. The staff I encountered spoke English very well. The problem was the manner in which certain staff members chose to speak to and treat guests. The level of basic civility, hospitality and customer care was shockingly poor. I also witnessed staff speaking rudely to other guests.

Ironically, the only staff members who consistently smiled and were genuinely kind to me were the cleaning staff. They were by far the warmest and most welcoming people I encountered at the hotel. I also personally observed interactions that gave me the strong impression that they were poorly managed and not always treated with the same respect by some reception staff and management. It was uncomfortable to witness.

These interactions may sound small individually, but together they created a consistently hostile and unwelcoming atmosphere. As someone travelling for business, that is the last thing I expect when paying to stay in a hotel advertised as a 4-star hotel.

What makes this even more frustrating is that I have stayed at three other hotels in the same area and had absolutely no issues. In fact, I experienced amazing service and consistently polite, professional staff. The Mercure is one example. The difference in service and hospitality was significant. I will be sticking with those other hotels on my future visits to the area.

Management at Hotel Argento seriously needs to review its staffing, listen to guest feedback and invest in proper customer care and hotel service training. For the money, I do not think this hotel is worth it.

There are several other hotels nearby, within walking distance, and I strongly suggest choosing one of those instead.

I visited Malta and stayed at hotel Argento for four days towards the end of August and had a fantastic time. The hotel is generally located just off the Main Street in St. Julian which is a beautiful town. The hotel is tastefully decorated and our room was clean and modern. The beds were comfortable and the room was a good size.

We were greeted warmly by the reception staff ( Rocio,Sughey and Lethicia ) and the restaurant staff ( Mary, Gustavo, Reshma,Phebie and Bimal ) were accommodating with our requests. It was a friends birthday and the staff brought her a cake and sang happy birthday at breakfast which was a lovely touch.

There was a good choice of breakfast with a cooked option including bacon, eggs, sausages and beans etc and also continental options too.

Would definitely stay there again!