City Star Hotel

City Star Hotel, Tahrir Square – A Night Out of Necessity
City Star Hotel is centrally located near Tahrir Square, but don’t assume that seeing a metro sign nearby means easy access. Several metro entrances in the area are gated or closed, including ones right outside the hotel, which can be confusing if you’re unfamiliar with Cairo.
The hotel is good value for money, and you can pay by card, although you’ll likely feel the exchange rate. The staff were friendly and generally helpful, as long as you weren’t dealing with them in the middle of the night. English was spoken at a borderline adequate level, enough to get by but not much more.
The building itself houses multiple businesses, which adds to the confusion. The elevator operator initially took us to the wrong floor, and only thanks to another tenant did we find the reception — which, unexpectedly, is on the first floor. Our room was on the second floor, where the elevator door was literally wired shut.
The room was extremely small, roughly only about 50% larger than the beds themselves. The bathroom was tiny, with the toilet touching the shower curtain. That said, considering we had missed the last bus to Luxor, I was simply grateful to have found a room for the night.
Everything in the room was very old. I genuinely laughed when I realized the paintings on the wall were glued on — possibly as an anti-theft measure. Noise from the street is intense, and earplugs are essential. Noise-canceling headphones, exhaustion, and even chamomile tea help too.
At first glance, the room looked clean. However, when I tried to rotate the bed to get some distance from my snoring brother, I discovered a very thick layer of dust underneath, along with used cotton swabs and bits of plastic or rubber that I’d rather not identify.
Soundproofing is almost nonexistent. Our room was at the end of the corridor, and I could hear my brother snoring from the staircase. Even with the door closed, there was such a large gap that you could see directly into the room.
Breakfast matched other guests’ reviews: you get what you pay for. Thankfully, the area is full of nearby options if you want something better.
Wi-Fi comes with unique credentials printed on a piece of paper and works on only one device. If you need it on a second phone or a laptop, you’ll have to ask reception for more logins.
As for water temperature, I didn’t understand the complaints — the heater in our bathroom was set to what felt like 90°C. But that’s what the indicator said.
This isn’t a hotel you stay at for comfort. It’s a place you stay because you need a roof over your head, close to everything, and at a reasonable price — and for one night, that was enough.

The location is great but it is by far the worst hotel we have ever stayed in. Extremely unresponsive staff. No water in the bathrooms. Broken tiles, age old bathroom fittings, no bath towels provided, no drinking water bottles in the room. My kids had heat burns due to their faulty geyser and no cold water mixing in the bathroom. The lifts dont work from the 2nd floor and it is an age old lift system. Pathetic experience overall. Reception Staff are in their own world smoking their cigarettes in the reception area. Their breakfast place is an open area, filled with pigeon shit everywhere, on the tables, chairs. It was extremely cold today and there was no.option of indoor seating or room delivery of breakfast.
Would not wish such a stay for my worst enemy.