Review: Pullman Zamzam Madina 2-bedroom executive suite

The Pullman Zamzam Madina is probably the best value hotel in Medina. While other hotels were charging $400+ per night for standard rooms, the Pullman had rates of just $200 for standard rooms and $450 for a 914 sqft 2-Bedroom Executive Suite.

Since I was an Accor Le Club Silver member at the time of check-in, they upgraded our second room to a 2-Bedroom Executive Suite. I found this odd and surprising, since the guys checking us in couldn’t have been less bored with their jobs and didn’t so much as greet us.

They kept showing each other Youtube clips and disappearing behind a door before someone else wordlessly took over. It was like going to Walmart: Six people at the desk but only two of them were working.


Even at check-out, the guy seemed to be really forcing himself to ask (in perfectly good English, I might add), “Did you…uh…did you all…have a good time?…Yes?…Will you be back?” It was like he really didn’t want to ask but was trying to painstakingly meet the last of his minimum word requirement for the day. It was tough to reconcile this level of service with a room upgrade, but I guess that’s par for the course in this corner of the world.

Pullman ZamZam MadinahHotel Lobby
The lobby of the Pullman ZamZam Madina

2-bedroom Executive Suite at Pullman Zamzam Madina

The 2-bedroom Executive Suite was displayed as open and airy on the Pullman Zamzam Madina website, with large floor-to-ceiling windows. In reality, the windows were tiny and the rooms lacked natural light.

Pullman Madina Hotel 2-bedroom Executive Suite Living Room
2-Bedroom Executive Suite Living Room at Pullman ZamZam Madina

The 2-bedroom Executive Suite featured a living room, kitchenette, two bedrooms, and two bathrooms. The kitchenette had no utensils, plates, or anything else in the kitchenette…which defeated the purpose of having a kitchenette in the first place. 

Pullman ZamZam Madina 2-Bedroom Executive Suite Kitchenette
Kitchenette of the 2-bedroom Executive Suite at Pullman ZamZam Madina

Next to the entry was a bathroom with a shower and toilet. The bathroom was well-stocked with plenty of towels and C.O. Bigelow amenities.

My pet peeve was the half-glass shower door, which was completely ineffective in preventing the entire bathroom from flooding after a shower. There was also quite a bit of wear and tear on the tiles – like they hadn’t been cleaned properly over the years.

Pullman Madina 2-Bedroom Executive Suite Bathroom
Bathroom of the 2-bedroom Executive Suite at Pullman ZamZam Madina

The master bedroom was massive and consisted of a King bed, a small seating area with two chairs, a desk, and a large closet.

Pullman ZamZam Madinah 2-Bedroom Suite Master Bedroom
Master Bedroom of the 2-bedroom suite
Pullman ZamZam Madina 2-Bedroom Suite
The 2-bedroom suite

The master bathroom was the same as the one by the entry.

Pullman ZamZam Madinah 2-Bedroom Suite Master Bathroom
Master Bedroom in the 2-Bedroom Suite

The second bedroom featured two Twin beds and massive closet unit. 

Pullman ZamZam Madina 2-Bedroom Executive Suite
The smaller bedroom of the Executive Suite at Pullman Zamzam Madina

Both bedrooms had flatscreen TV’s, USB cables by the desk area, and the smallest windows ever. The foam pillows felt like lumpy rocks in pillowcases, though the mattress was comfortable.

Wifi at Pullman Zamzam Madina

To say the Wi-Fi at Pullman Zamzam Madina was limited would be an understatement. When I tried to connect, I got a message stating that each guest was entitled to just 1 MB of Wi-Fi.

I had no idea how much web usage 1 MB would get me, but it was slow and ran out fairly quickly. I was pretty grateful for my T-Mobile unlimited data plan, which helped tide me over. 

Breakfast at Pullman Zamzam Madina

Breakfast at Pullman Zamzam Madina was served at the Acacia restaurant. Most guests didn’t realize the restaurant had two floors until the staff instructed them to go up when they ran out of seating.

Being on the top floor guaranteed better views as well as fewer crowds.

Acacia restaurant at Pullman Madina Hotel
Acacia restaurant at Pullman Zamzam Madina

The breakfast buffet was extensive, but the quality wasn’t up to the level of the Conrad Makkah breakfast buffet at Al Mearaj. For starters, they served that artificial egg mix, which was watery and terrible all around.

Pullman Madina Breakfast at Acacia Restaurant
Pullman Zamzam Madina breakfast buffet at Acacia Restaurant

The baked beans were undercooked (or underbaked) and a lot of the selection was always cold. They did have an omelet and crepe station but most of the time there was one guy stressfully manning both.

As a result, he often burnt the omelettes…to a point where the fire alarm went off twice on the same day. That said, the restaurant did have great views of The Prophet’s Mosque.

Pullman ZamZam Madinah's Acacia Restaurant Coffee and Juice
Coffee and juice station at Acacia restaurant

Service at the Pullman Zamzam Madina

The service at the Pullman Zamzam Madina was excruciatingly slow all around. At one point we went to the restaurant in the lobby to order some coffee and tea. It took nearly 15 minutes before our waiter took our order. He wasn’t particularly busy either – there were just two other tables occupied.

Getting the check was another Waiting for Gadot moment. Coffee at this hotel cost something ridiculous like $10, but as an Accor Silver member I was entitled to 25% off on-site dining.

At one point, I tweeted at Accor (not the hotel itself) about the discrepancy between the way the 2-bedroom suite was portrayed on the website versus how it looked in reality. One of the reasons I booked this hotel was because the rooms looked airy and featured floor-to-ceiling windows. So it was bizarre to walk into both suites and find nothing but tiny half-windows in all of the bedrooms. 

The hotel’s digital media manager called me shortly after, insisting I meet her for dinner at the hotel restaurant. It was totally unnecessary since my complaint wasn’t  that big. I observed something that they could improve upon, provided feedback, and that was all there was to it. 

When I returned that evening, she had sent up a large dessert spread. It was totally unnecessary and not my intention for her to do that all.

Pullman Madina Hotel Dessert Tray
Dessert tray at the Pullman Zamzam Madina

Maybe it’s from my days as a mystery shopper, but I tend to look at everything with a critical eye. My personal standards aren’t super high when it comes to travel, but when I stay at a hotel that has a great deal of potential, I consider it my job to provide feedback on how they can improve.

Final thoughts

That’s my take on the Pullman Zamzam Madina. It’s one of the newer, more modern hotels in Medina and has a convenient location steps from the Prophet’s Mosque.

However, if I return to Medina I will probably stay someplace else. I’m a stickler for open, airy rooms and the Pullman didn’t really deliver on that end. If you’re traveling as part of a large group and need multiple rooms, the 2-bedroom Executive Suite at Pullman Zamzam Madina is a great choice at a great price.

Prophet's Mosque View from Pullman Madina restaurant
View of the Prophet’s Mosque from the Acacia Restaurant at Pullman Zamzam Madina

Have you stayed at the Pullman Zamzam Madina? If there are any other hotels you would recommend in the city, I’d love your feedback in the comment section.

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3 thoughts on “Review: Pullman Zamzam Madina 2-bedroom executive suite”

  1. Thanks for the Trip report. Never been there but like to visit someday.
    Does any of the Hotels there have any sauna, pool or any entertainment facilities (pool etc.)?
    Did you visit any other place outside Medina’s Mosques and how did you like it?

    1. I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they did have hammams (i.e. turkish bath houses). Outside of The Prophet’s Mosque, I also shopped in the area. Medina is fairly small, but I have to say it was my favorite place on this trip. There’s such a peaceful vibe, I would have loved to stay longer.

  2. Ayyaz Qureshi

    Stayed here in 2018.
    WiFi had improved. View from the restaurant magnificent. Can concur ref the staff demeanour, but they were efficient enough during our stay.
    About to check-in again tomorrow, into a 2 bedroom exec suite so will compare notes later. Hopefully there would have been an improvement since your stay.
    But tbh, I love this city too much to be affected by the shortcomings around me.

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