I haven’t been in Medinah for many years, but that changed this week when we visited and stayed at the Hilton Medinah.
This is my review of the Hilton Medinah hotel, which I have wanted to visit for a long time. Last time we had stayed at the Intercontinental Dar Al Iman.
We visited Medinah just for a day because I had booked our flights so that we had to take a trip to Medinah. The flight price saved us about £200 per person, which I then spent getting to Medinah, but it was definitely worth it.
The Hilton Medinah is just a minute walk from the main entrance of the Prophet’s mosque and is very convenient when visiting the city.
The property is about 20 years old, but it is well kept.
Lobby
Check-in
I had booked a triple room for all of us with a partial Haram view. I am a Hilton Diamond member, which means I get an upgrade, complimentary breakfast and late checkout.
In the last two years, I have hardly had any upgrades with Hilton as a Diamond member, so I think next year I will not be pursuing any status with them since even Gold status, which comes with my Amex Platinum, gives me breakfast and late checkout.
The property had upgraded rooms because they showed up as e-upgrades. For a night, I didn’t bother to ask, but it did leave a sour taste for me, especially since Hyatt is so good with elites.
Regarding check-in, we were given our room and asked only for my passport, no visas or vaccine certificate. My Tawakalna app was check at the entrance.
The Room
Not many rooms have a Haram view due to the hotel’s position; mainly, some suites offer a full view of the Haram. The majority of the rooms provide a partial side view.
Triple Room
The room was spacious with three beds and a sofa, which I used as a bed for my daughter.
Room
For someone visiting Medinah and spending the majority of their time in the mosque, the room is perfectly adequate.
I liked that they had triple rooms, which was cheaper than booking two rooms for a large family.
Breakfast
Breakfast is served in the main restaurant, and it was self-service.
The staff were polite, and there was a live egg station plus plenty of choices when it came to food options.
Breakfast restaurant
The breakfast was busy, but it also seemed that the hotel had good capacity as well.
The quality of the food was average, some of the things seemed to have been cooked and become a little cold, but overall, it was edible. I wouldn’t expect a gourmet meal but decent enough to get you through the morning.
I think the staff were fantastic and polite and although they were busy, they also made an effort to serve and smile.
Overall
I have found with many hotels in Mekkah and Medinah that although they say they are 5-star hotels, they are generally below that in accommodation and service.
This is except for the new hotels in Makkah like the Conrad or the Hilton Convention, which typically represent more European standards.
The Hilton Medinah hotel is in a great location; they know they will continue to visit tourists and pilgrims as they are close to the main entrance. If you have family or are looking for a hotel close to both female and male entrances, you really cannot go wrong with this property.
I wouldn’t expect a five-star service that is on par with the price you will be paying for the hotel. However, I will happily go back to the property due to the location and proximity.
Covid measures
You can watch the video I made regarding the Saudi tourist visa and how you can use it for Umrah here.
In Medinah, you don’t need to book slots for regular prayers as things are a little more relaxed. You need to show your Tawakalna app at the entrances, though. However, if you want to visit the Prophet’s Rawdah, you must book that on the Eatmarna app.
Currently (at the time of writing), there were days that it was fully booked.
Also, children are not allowed even in the courtyard. Many mums with children prayed just outside the gates. Everyone who tried to enter the courtyard in Medinah with children was not allowed.
The same applies to masjid Kuba as well, which we visited.
However, if you are in the area and have kids, I would recommend you visit the bird sanctuary 2min away from Masjid Kuba.