This is a continuation of the “vacation run” – a 50/50 mileage run / vacation my wife and I took to Cairo in January, 2015. Previous posts include: Etihad flight from Washington to Abu Dhabi, Etihad lounge hopping and Abu Dhabi to Cairo, and Arriving in Cairo and Keeping an Open Mind.

Reason for choosing:

We chose the Cairo Marriott Hotel and Omar Khayyam Casino primarily based on location, although the fact that it was only 10,000 Marriott Points helped too. The hotel is located more in the city than some of the other Marriott hotels, and we thought that would be helpful for some of the touring we wanted to do.

Map

Lobby and Check in/Check Out Experience:

Checking in was interesting, since it was at 4am. Luckily the hotel was able to provide us the courtesy of the extremely early check-in. We did end up having to wait for 10-15 minutes for the room to be ready. At Checkout (where the photo below is from), we weren’t terribly impressed, but, alas, it happened. An interesting point was that the hotel security, seeing us with our bags, wanted to verify we actually settled the bill. Now that is a way to treat your guests, especially your elites!

Lobby

Where the hotel stood out:

We really enjoyed the lounge. It wasn’t the best lounge we’ve had, but it had a nice view of the Nile and a reasonable spread in the evening. The overall facilities were nice as well, including a beautiful looking pool–although a bit chilly for anything but children it seemed–and there were a few restaurant options onsite as well. While it is unfortunate, but still needs to be said – the hotel security was also very good as well, as it offered that little extra peace of mind.

Pool

Lounge

Where the hotel fell a little short:

The hotel fell shortest with the “meet and greet” service that I spoke more about here. That said, as far as the hotel itself, the rooms were a bit dated. It was certainly more than sufficient but you could see some wear in areas. The room, in my opinion, was no reason to avoid this hotel, just a reason to be aware it is not the most up to date. This is not terribly surprising considering the hardship that Egypt’s tourism industry is undergoing at the moment.

Room at the Marriott

Wrapping Up:

Overall, the hotel was great for 10,000 Marriott Rewards points, and it had a nice location. An added benefit was that if you wanted to–although I wouldn’t recommend it–you could pretty much stay in the hotel, as there’s food and plentiful amenities. I didn’t mention it earlier, but there is a Casino in the hotel, however it only had roulette, and some card games. Generally, my barometer of a good casino is if it has Craps, but, not having Craps meant I wasn’t enticed to gamble at all. Really, the biggest shortcoming of this hotel is who they have partnered with to provide ancillary services. That said, I would still consider the hotel for a future stay.