Hotel Review: Tirana Marriott
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Tirana Marriot’s impressive building, lit up at night.
Towering over Tirana’s surrounding mountains and metropolitan buildings, the Tirana Marriott Hotel has become a new icon of Albania’s capital. With its striking red colour and iconic location connected to the Air Albania Stadium, the Tirana Marriott impresses both locals and tourists alike. One of Tirana’s most luxurious five-star hotels, we had the opportunity to check out this luxurious establishment to answer the question – should you stay at the Tirana Marriott?
My room at the Tirana Marriott.
Exclusive lounge area at Tirana Marriott.
Getting to the Tirana Marriott
Asher hanging out at the lobby of the Tirana Marriott.
You will most likely be finding your way either from the Tirana International Bus Terminal or the Tirana International Airport. Since we were traveling the Balkan area by bus, we arrived at the bus terminal.
From: Tirana International Bus Terminal
The easiest way to get from the Tirana International Bus Terminal to the Tirana Marriott is by taxi. Although Tirana does have a few taxi-calling apps available, I found that they didn’t work all that well and it was honestly just easier getting into a taxi off the street. But please, insist on the driver using a meter and make sure that they know where they’re going. Some taxi’s accept card, but some only accept cash – so have some cash in hand ready.
What we did is walk from the bus station to the Tirana Ring Center shopping mall, which is located right next to the bus terminal. On the ground level of the shopping centre, there are some ATMs where you can take out some cash to pay for your taxi ride. Your fare will vary depending on traffic, but I would recommend taking out at least 2,000 Albanian Lek. Your ride is likely to cost less than 600LEK, but you should have some additional cash just in case you need to buy anything else in cash while in Tirana.
From the International Bus Terminal, the Tirana Marriott is only a 10-minute taxi ride away.
From: Tirana International Airport
By Bus
If you’re arriving from the airport, you can either take a bus or a taxi. If you’ve decided to take the bus, look for the LU-NA Airport bus which goes from Tirana Airport Bus Stop to Tirana Central Bus Stop, close to the central Toptani Shopping Mall. The journey is about 20-minutes, non-stop. From the Tirana Central Bus Stop, the hotel is another 18-minute walk away. The total cost of this journey is about 4EUR (around 420LEK), and although affordable, I would say that it’s not very convenient and would advise you to take the taxi instead.
By Taxi
The journey from the airport to the Tirana Marriott takes about 25-minutes in light traffic and costs about 20-25EUR. However, Tirana is quite infamous for its traffic during peak hour and these times may vary. This is still the most convenient option, in my opinion.
My room at Tirana Marriott
Enjoying this stunning room at the Tirana Marriott.
Everything about my room at the Tirana Marriott lived up to, and even exceeded expectations. The room was extremely clean, spacious, stylish and modern.
Looking out at the views overlooking the city of Tirana.
Sunrise view, straight out of the window of my room at the Tirana Marriott.
My favourite part about my room was the overlooking view of Tirana’s mountains and cityscape. I loved watching the sun go down every night and seeing the beautiful sunset go down over the city. I loved the stylishly designed bathroom as well - super comfortable and convenient.
Bathroom at Tirana Marriott.
Food and Beverage at the Tirana Marriott
Lost in all this deliciousness served at breakfast.
The breakfast at the Tirana Marriott was a feast! Located next to the lobby on the ground floor, I was treated to a yummy selection of pastries, donuts, eggs, fruits, vegetables and more. Moreover, I got to enjoy barista-made coffee which kickstarted every day for me.
Selection of pastries and other baked goods.
So much choice!
Beyond breakfast, I had the opportunity to enjoy the Marriott Tirana lounge due to my room category. This was my favourite part of my whole stay here! Open 24 hours for you to enjoy the space and just chill out, the lounge also serves delicious food every night. The lounge was the perfect venue to unwind after a long day, do some reading or catch up on some emails.
Barista-made coffee at breakfast – yum!
Food served at the Tirana Marriott lounge.
This lounge looks so elite.
Facilities, Hotel Grounds & Other Activities
Utilising the treadmills overlooking Mother Theresa Square.
One of the facilities I really enjoyed using at the Tirana Marriott was the fitness centre. This gym pretty much had all the facilities I would use at my regular gym back home, with the added benefit of a view over Mother Theresa Square (conveniently, the treadmills face towards the view, which made doing cardio so much less boring than usual)!
Immaculate details at the lobby of the hotel.
The lobby - perfect place to chill out.
The lobby was also a fantastic place to chill out and take some photos. I enjoyed the use of Scandinavian-style interior design elements, such as the intricate rugs and rounded corners on the sofas.
More shots of the fantastic lobby area.
Staff
Corridors of the floors with hotel rooms.
The staff at the Tirana Marriott were nothing short of exceptional. Right from check in, straight through to the staff at the lounge. What really sticks out about my stay is how lovely the staff were. There was one staff member in particular who served me at the lounge every night that was so friendly and helpful, the service that she provided will honestly stick out in my mind for a long time. Even after visiting 100 countries, it’s people like this that make traveling all the more memorable and worth it.
Final Verdict – Should I stay at the Tirana Marriott?
How was staying at the Tirana Marriott overall?
The Marriott chain is famous for its high-quality hotels featuring the most stylish of properties, and the Tirana Marriott upholds this reputation. Among other things, this is why I would recommend staying here:
Fantastic, convenient location. In walking distance of top attractions such as Skanderberg Square, Pyramid of Tirana, Tirana Park, The Cloud and more.
Modern, clean interior design all throughout the property.
Amazing dining experience and selection at breakfast.
Uber-friendly and helpful staff at all times.
You can take a closer look at the Tirana Marriott by clicking here.
For more information about the hotel, check out their Official Website.
Are you visiting Tirana and looking for a place to stay? Let me know in the comments below!
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