When it opened in 1979, Hotel Marjan was a grand hotel. Unfortuneately, nothing has been updated since opening day. The once fine front entrance is smashed and borded up (you use a side door now), one of the two elevators is marked "luggage only"...I guess it's condemned...

The rooms are classic Soviet era. Oranges and Browns...(at least ours was, some had blue carpeting) Lighting was dim.

Some pipes were leaking in the hallway; there were wet spots in the carpet and a musty odour lingering.

The highlight was on the morning of check-out. I was taking a shower and the shower head broke off (not unscrewed, but broke). I told the front desk but they just acknowledged it...no apology.

The only good things about the Marjan are the location and the food.

The dinner and breakfast were excellent. while eating the spectacular fare, i almost forgot the depressing ambience of the room!

Another thing, we seemed to be the only guests there ( I wonder why?) :)

Although Hotel Marjan has a great location, just 10 minute walk to Diocletian's Palace, the overall experience lacked the warmth and customer service we experienced elsewhere in Croatia. Our room faced a back street. When we inquired about switching to a water-view room, the response was "Impossible" -- no explanation, no effort to check and see if something was available. When I asked the cashier about converting Croatian kuna to US dollars, her response was an emphatic, "Impossible!" Finally she grudgingly said I could try a bank. No one here seems to have ever had customer service training.
The broken lock on our window gave some concern, since a short ladder would give anyone access to our room. The shower curtain stopped 10inches short of the surround, ensuring that water would flood the bathroom floor. The AC worked -- noisily. The TV set only had two channels that worked - the rest turned to snow after 20 seconds. The room was adequate in size, if eerie in its white and blue stark decor. Buffet breakfast was decent though not remarkable, with a very small variety of cold meats and cheese, breads, pastries, and fruit, though the fried eggs were cold. The hotel appears to cater to foreign visitor groups, especially from Japan. Staff seemed unable to keep the buffet offerings replenished. The kitchen must have been vented to the third floor -- everytime we came up to our room, we could smell the mixed aromas of the food in preparation.
During our final dinner at the hotel (only beef offered, with rice and potatoes, minimal salad, forlorn strudel, surly wait staff), someone broke into the room of two of our party, tossing their luggage contents, stealing their cameras, and leaving debris from the door destruction. Although notified as soon as the break-in was discovered, the hotel didn't send someone to guard the room and its remaining contents until the police could arrive. When it was pointed out that the two ladies needed a new room, the reception staff couldn't seem to understand, until finally they got the picture that the door wouldn't lock anymore. Two doors accessing the stairs and elevators were positioned out of direct line of sight of the reception staff, so anyone could have entered without scrutiny. I will say that the housekeeping staff did a great job, We scouted out a couple of other nearby hotels with more charm and friendlier staff. Hotel Marjan's main feature seems to be AC.

Just stayed in Hotel Marjan for my final night in Croatia, before flying home out of the Split airport on my 2nd trip to this country. My experience was better than what others on this site apparently experienced. Positives: the hotel apparently had been recently renovated, everything was clean, the bathrooms were nicely furnished, room was huge (bigger than most US hotel rooms), there was no cigarette smell (all too common in Croatia lodging), and quiet with little road noise. Downsides: tiny (13") TV, scratchy bedsheets, tiny beds, cheap but serviceable furniture, marginally friendly staff. Room included a balcony overlooking the bay, and a couch, which was a surprise. As I left at 3:45am, I can't judge the breakfast quality.

It is a 10-15 minute walk to the Croatia Airlines bus pick up location (pickup 90 minutes before the flight), on the waterfront. I did not experience bad smells from the gas station. Much of this is par for the course in Croatia lodging, such as tiny beds, and less than friendly service.

Value for money is hard to judge. I find ALL hotels in Croatia to be overpriced. I paid 650 Kuna for this room (about $140 US) for accomodations equivalent to a Days Inn in the US. In most places, private accomodations are the way to go. You get the same quality for 1/3 to 1/4 the cost.

A friend booked this hotel for us and we were checked in mid-afternoon by surly staff who, when the elevator tried to kill me, paid no attention to my scream. Upon climbing the stairs to the rooms, we found lighting so dim that we couldn't even figure out where to place our baggage. Since our friend was waiting downstairs, we dropped and ran. When we returned later that evening, the lobby was deserted. It felt totally unsafe for women. Upon arrival at the room, I discovered the lighting was impossibly dim and the pillows were down. Being allergic to feathers, I finally located a desk clerk who said he had no other kinds of pillows. My colleague and I were not happy with the unhelpfulness, the old, scratched furniture (even though this low-rise part of the hotel was supposed to have been refurbished not too long ago), and we decided to leave. The desk clerk argued with us about payment and giving us back our passports. We argued back and he insisted on checking our rooms to make sure we hadn't done anything to them. Since we seemed to be the only people there, it was a bizarre and unsettling experience. We then found accommodations at the Hotel Park, which I can highly recommend. With so many other choices of hotels in Split, I can't imagine why anyone would stay at this hotel.