This review of the Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem was first published in the summer of 2020 and describes the hotel as it operated during the Covid period.
The Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem is a luxury hotel of a rare kind. It combines a level of opulence you will not find elsewhere with a real fit for the Haredi public: in the rooms themselves, in its mehadrin kashrut and, of course, in the way it is set up for Shabbat and festivals. It stands in one of the best locations in the city, near Mamilla Avenue, beside the Jaffa Road pedestrian area and within walking distance of the Mahane Yehuda market. The Old City and the Western Wall are a short walk away too.
Cleanliness at the Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem in the Covid period
What interests every holidaymaker most these days is the standard of disinfection and cleaning. The hotel has always been known for operating at the highest level in Israel in every respect, and now it is exceptionally strict about hygiene. It takes part in the worldwide Hilton campaign for high-grade room cleaning: on top of the usual routine, each room goes through an extra disinfection between guests.
To meet Hilton’s global standard, everything a guest touches often is disinfected again, including handles, taps, the balcony door, remote controls and the switches for lights and air conditioning. Even the toilet rolls come in a special cover. Once a room has been cleaned, the housekeeper places a special sticker on the door to show it has been disinfected. The sticker tears when the next guest opens the door, so you can tell at a glance.
In public areas guests are required to wear masks. Sanitising stations have been placed in every corner, and public spaces such as the lobby, lifts, door handles and toilets are cleaned more often. Staff all wear masks, must wash their hands and change gloves for each room, and used towels go straight into a sealed bag. All of this is done in consultation with global and local authorities, including the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control.
Meals and service
Dining in the Covid period
Did you think lavish meals were impossible right now? You were wrong. The food is served at the highest level and is exceptionally tasty. The pre-Covid buffet is no longer running. Instead guests sit at their table and receive a rich menu from which they can order whatever they like, with no limit. It is like a buffet, except everything is brought to you without leaving your chair.
Service is very fast, everything arrives on time and at exactly the right temperature, and the staff are remarkably courteous.
Mehadrin kosher room service
The hotel’s service has a reputation as the best a hotel can offer. One more thing worth noting is the room menu: you can order from the restaurant menu to your room at any hour. The hotel is described as the only one in Israel that offers mehadrin kosher food delivered to the room, a huge advantage, especially now. The food arrives at the right temperature, on a trolley that turns into a table, with side dishes and extras.
A conversation with the general manager
The hotel’s general manager described the challenging period and the key hygiene rules, and spoke about occupancy, which surprised him for the better: “Of course we knew the Covid period was no ordinary time. Normally the Haredi public makes up about 50% of our guests, and a great many guests live abroad. With the skies closed, they obviously cannot come. Even so, we were pleasantly surprised by occupancy in June. We built a forecast, and in the end the number of guests was far higher than we expected.”
“A guest who comes here knows he is protected. The hotel’s spaces allow distance between tables, food is served to the table, the rooms are disinfected to the highest standard, and guests like that and feel safe. We expect a dip during the Three Weeks, but the bigger crowds will arrive in August. For now the hotel relies on the Israeli tourist, mainly at weekends, since there are no flights.”
He also told us that next month the hotel would unveil a pool and a luxurious spa with separate hours for men and women, so Haredi guests could enjoy them too.
A holiday at the Waldorf Astoria is an especially good choice in this period. The rooms, the cleanliness, the food, the service, the atmosphere: all of it is recommended.
Comparing options? See our guides to mehadrin kosher hotels in Jerusalem and hotels in Jerusalem.
