Shanashel Palace Hotel

Business is business; in hotels, they provide room and services, and customers pay for them. However, in Shanashel hotel, there is no trade. Mr. Abbas, Shanashel CEO, and his team have a humanistic view of serving their guests to delight and satisfy them. I think this point of view has more value for them than money. From the first contact, they care for guests. They texted me on the morning of the check-in date to reassure both parties about everything confirmation. That was a kind of peace of mind for me to ensure that I would have an easy check-in process. A very polite man, Mahdi, was waiting for guests to take their baggage to the hotel when we arrived. The check-in process was straightforward and fast; Esraa and Ali were supportive, kind, and polite. They could speak English fluently. Another man took our luggage to the room. When I entered the room, I found that they had considered a free upgrade for us. Instead of a standard twin room, they had given us a spacious triple suite at the same price. We were exhausted from a long trip. Some minutes later, a man rang the door; and he brought a basket of fresh fruits and told us, "Hospitality." Yes! It was great hospitality and more than our expectations. The room was comfortable. Maybe it was not very luxurious; however, we felt that we were in our home. The breakfast was great. There was a complete variety of pastries, fruits, warm foods, dairies, nuts, and a delicious natural orange juice for breakfast. The taste of the coffee was excellent. Mahdi also worked in the breakfast hall as a waiter. He was doing his job in the best way. The lobby and the restaurant were stunning and well-decorated with gorgeous windows. It was remembering that we were in a country with a great history of civilization. Although Iraq is injured and exhausted from several wars, the atmosphere in the lobby told us that Iraq, like an old princess, is still beautiful and full of passion and flirtation. Thanks for Mr. Abbas. He provided a late check-out for us until 6:00 PM. When we wanted to leave the hotel, some boxes of sliced fruits and pastries were a great souvenir and provided a calmer and better road trip. I went to Shanashel hotel as a guest, but I left there as a friend. It will be my home in Iraq, and I will never choose another hotel in Baghdad. Every hotel can make the walls of rooms with gold, but it is useless for guests. Nonetheless, only few hotels can make a difference through their culture. Shanashel is one of them.