The David Kempinski Tel Aviv

We happened to be staying at the Kempinski on June 13 when the Israel/Iran war began. I cannot say enough nice things about how the hotel handled the situation. As tourists, we were terrified to find ourselves in the middle of a war, targets of frequent missile attacks. The hotel manager himself, as well as many staff members, really stepped up and made themselves available to us--answering our many questions and assuring us that we were safe. The hotel is new and is built to meet the latest and best engineering safety standards. We spent hours over our stay in the hotel bomb shelters (especially the one on the minus 4 level) and the hotel staff did all they could to make it a safe and comfortable experience. One boy was upset because his phone battery was low, and a few minutes later maintenance arrived with an extension cord so he could charge his phone. During one particularly long shelter visit, the staff rolled in a red popcorn cart with freshly popped corn and another cart of wine and beer on ice. The 2 staff members assigned to our shelter were always passing out waters and attuned to the crowd in the shelter: I saw them comfort a woman who was agitated and find a quieter shelter for an older couple who were overstimulated. The experience was surreal, like we were in a movie. We would spend an hour in the underground shelter and then come back to the beautiful, bright lobby to hear the music playing, the bartenders mixing drinks, the cheery, warm woman making omelettes at breakfast, and the gorgeous views of the ocean and volleyball crowd on the beach. The staff's positive, calm, and friendly manner helped us almost forget at times what was going on around us and enjoy the beautiful Tel Aviv beachfront. This hotel has to be one of the best we've ever stayed in. Under the most trying of circumstances, they excelled. I remain forever grateful for their compassion and care. p.s. The coffee slushies are the best ever!