The David Citadel Jerusalem

Another lovely stay. Said makes a wonderful cortado. Jerusalem is the OG of OGs. Like no place on earth.

The room the pool

This was our 3rd stay and we continue to love this hotel. Easy luxury. Well maintained facilities, very helpful staff, very family friendly. The pool in the summer is a highlight. Plenty of shade and an amazing view of the old city while swimming in a large pool with a weekend cafe that serves the most delicious watermelon and popsicles (and an entire meat menu). There is also a kids' playroom with very nice attendants that take the time to make sure the kids have what they need to enjoy their play including lots of crayons and colored pencils for coloring/drawing, setting up the playstation, and getting us extra foosball balls when needed. The rooms are nicely appointed and the room attendants were always fast to bring extra towels or waters or whatever else we asked for. The large Israeli breakfast is exactly what you'd hope it would be and the waitstaff always makes sure you have your coffee and a chocolate milk for the kids. We have had the same waiter, Said, each time we come. He is warm and helpful with the kids and we make a point to look for him when we are there. Asal at the front desk was very helpful over multiple requests dealing with our multiple reservations. Overall this is a wonderful hotel that cares for their guests and we look forward to our next stay.

Breakfast with Said every morning was amazing he took care of us!

tout en generale propreté personnels agréable petit déjeuner copieux chambre agreable

Best service ever. Sit at a table where Mr Said is serving you. He will take care of you for all your needs and with a smile and even go the extra mile. Huge thank you to Said for making our stay more enjoyable and so relaxing.

just got back from staying a week at the David Citadel in Jerusalem
we have stayed here many many times and it is our ONLY hotel where we would stay
the view from the room of the old city is breathtaking
the breakfast has the most variety that i have ever seen
but above all the staff at this hotel are the most pleasant and accomodating you will ever find
A SPECIAL SJOUT OUT TO THE GENERAL MANAGER MR. HADAD WHO GREETS EVERYONE WITH A SMILE AND EVERY GUEST IS MADE TO FEEL THAT HE THE MOST IMPORTANT GUEST
THANK YOU

JOSEPH AND JUDITH SCHWARTZ
BROOKLYN NEW YORK

Wonderful spa experience
The original appointment didn't work out
A new afternoon appointment happened
The therapist was new and worked intentionally to please me
Thank you

I have been coming to the DC for 30 years now and here are my comments. There’s good news and bad news.
The good news: as ever, the swimming pool is excellent. Open year round. Heated outdoor, 25m at its longest length. You have to get there between 7-8am if you want to swim serious laps without too many others in the pool.
The fitness facility is very good but it is open to outside members and can be crowded.
The level of Kashrut is mehadrin and the food is generally pretty good.
The rooms are ok although there is no long hanging for long dresses in the walk through robe. The bathrooms are nice, towels good, water pressure good. I have a preference for the top floors with view of Old City so it’s never cheap but as I say, rooms are OK.
So what’s the bad news?
The place is looking shabbier and grottier. Now I get that it is a destination for large groups - wedding, Barmitzvah etc etc, families, kids, and that puts a lot of pressure on the public spaces but even so, there need to be more cleaners and more effort put into the maintenance of these spaces.
And every now and then the beautiful Jerusalem stone grounds and facades need a pressure clean. Especially poolside.
And now the really problematic thing is the reception and dining staff. Over the decades I have seen a general surliness in the mostly Arab staff. It starts at reception where good luck if you ever get greeted with a smile and a ‘welcome back!’ As if we haven’t been here literally 50 times. We arrive after 24 hours of traveling from Australia barely upright, a smile would be nice. There’s no spark, no spring in the step here. Last visit I swear the young woman at reception was looking and looking and looking at my passport so long that I had to ask her if there was a problem. There wasn’t. Still took 15 minutes to process and get a key, after waiting for 15 minutes because there were about 2 people on staff and about 4 people ahead of me.
The porters are good and do their job well. (I always tip well).
The cleaning staff for the rooms are good.
BUT OMG the dining staff. The waiters call out to each other across the dining areas in Arabic. They cluster in areas while you wait for service. They never step aside when I am walking back from the buffet holding a plate; I have to stand back to allow them to pass, even if they aren’t even holding a tray. There are some older waiters who are courteous but the young ones, it’s as if they haven’t had any training. And on Shabbat, it’s awful. Dinner for guest of the hotel is 550 NIS. For outside guest is 650NIS. This is for dinner. Pay the same for lunch. And for this, they supply bottled still water (Italian) but if you want fizzy water, or other soda, you pay extra. Dinner is from 7pm-10pm after which the buffet is closed and they cannot wait for you to leave. Lunch is from 1.30-3.30, same urgency to get you out of there.
Look, I know, it’s busy, there are a lot of ppl there for Shabbat, it is what it is. But when you are paying those prices dammit, give me fizzy mineral water! Don’t make me feel like I’m some pest if I’m lingering- and part of the reason I’m lingering is you haven’t brought me my cup of tea yet. So much of this wouldn’t be a problem if the waiters just behaved hospitably for heavens sake. The culture seems so ingrained I don’t think it can ever change. Please don’t think I haven’t given the hotel feedback on many occasions, usually when asked by some hapless new manager of guest relations who probably can’t take it either.
On top of all of this, at my last visit there was a large group in the common dining room Friday night and Shabbat lunch who had some sort of an entertainer who sang non stop at the top of his voice the whole time, encouraging the group to bang on the table and whistle and shout- FFS it’s a common space, get your own room if you’re going to behave like this. Now I know the hotel Manager can’t do much about this at the time but it was excruciating. Part of our small group was a special needs person who became very agitated because of the noise. It’s just not acceptable. Maybe say something to them, like keep the decibels down, stop banging, give it a break, there are other guests here, something! Do I have the be the Karen here? So that was my peaceful Friday night, and they were at it again lunchtime but thank Gd we were seated further away in an adjoining space. Perhaps I digress a little, bad manners aren’t the hotels fault but is there not a protocol here? Whatever.
DC needs to get its act together because I’m pretty sure I won’t be back until they do.

I had the most amazing experience breakfast was great and the service especially my server samer murad made the best coffee for me and cappuccino for my wife definitely worth it

היה מעל המצופה, הכל קרוב, הילדים נהנו מאוד, הצוות היה מקסים, בהחלט נחזור לשם.

We just wrapped up our stay at The David Citadel Hotel and honestly, it was worth every single penny. If you are looking for absolute comfort, top-tier service, and a location that makes exploring Jerusalem incredibly easy, this is the place to be.

The location is honestly unbeatable. It sits right across from the Mamilla Avenue shopping area, which is full of great cafes and shops. More importantly, it took us less than 10 minutes to walk right up to the Jaffa Gate to enter the Old City. Being able to easily head out for a morning walk through history and then step right back into a quiet, luxurious hotel room was amazing.

Speaking of the rooms, ours was spectacular. It was incredibly spacious, immaculately clean, and the bed was one of the most comfortable I’ve ever slept in. We had a balcony that looked right out toward the Old City walls, and sitting out there with a coffee in the morning watching the sun hit the stone was a huge highlight of the entire trip.

The facilities are just as impressive. The pool area is beautiful—it's heated, so even when the breeze picked up, it was perfect for a relaxing swim with the old city walls in the background. And the breakfast buffet was on another level. The variety was massive, with fresh local cheeses, salads, hot shakshuka, and amazing pastries.

What really stood out, though, was the staff. Everyone from the front desk to the bellhops and restaurant team went completely out of their way to be helpful, welcoming, and professional without feeling stuffy.

It was a completely flawless experience and we would absolutely love to stay here again next time we are in Jerusalem.

עשירה מיקום מקסים

I am extremely disappointed with my experience at The David Citadel Hotel.

Last year already, my stay went so badly that I left the hotel earlier than planned. At the time, Manuel from Guest Relations apologized and encouraged me to give the hotel another chance during a future stay.

Unfortunately, this new experience was even worse.

From the moment we arrived, the welcome was cold and unpleasant. A wedding was taking place at the hotel, and it seemed to completely disrupt the organization and negatively impact the experience of the other guests.

The parking, which was included with my reservation, was unavailable because it was “full.” The way this was communicated to us was particularly rude, with absolutely no effort made to find a solution.

On Saturday morning, we wanted to have breakfast on the terrace. We were abruptly told that it was “not possible” because the area was reserved, and that we had to eat inside instead. Once again, the issue was not only the situation itself, but especially the tone used and the complete lack of consideration for guests.

Breakfast was included in the price of my room, yet I never even ended up having breakfast there because the entire experience was so unpleasant.

Unfortunately, these are only a few examples among many others.

Considering the very high prices charged by this hotel, the level of service and overall experience were completely unacceptable. I have rarely experienced such an unpleasant stay in a hotel of this standard.

I absolutely do not recommend this hotel.

David SARFATI

היה מעולה

We had booked breakfast that same morning on the platform, but apparently the information wasn't registered. Upon arrival, I had to prove I had made a reservation, even though there was that there was plenty of space. The next question was, "It wasn't my day, but how do you pay?" And we had to pay before having breakfast, which I found rather friendly. I said we were there to celebrate our wedding anniversary, but there was no reaction. The table service was very slow, 20 minutes for a coffee and a waffle, but the buffet was very good and A waiter spilled coffee next to our table; we had to wait 10 minutes for someone to clean it up. And instead of drying the floor, he put up a sign that said "wet floor." Like in the restrooms. Two tables became available next to us, and when we left 40 minutes later, they still hadn't been cleared. This is not up to 5-star standards. Too bad, we thought it was a good idea to go and have breakfast there.