gaugeguy
Jan 1, 05, 5:46 pm
Mrs. Gaugeguy and I went to Germany a week before Christmas for a little shopping and sightseeing. I thought that I would share my comments about several Hilton properties and a Scandic.
Sat. Dec 18th. Scandic Hotel Frankfurt-Offenbach
The Hotel itself is located near downtown Offenbach not far from Frankfurt or the Airport for that matter. It is close to the Autobahn and signs on the street make it very easy to find. There is a parking garage located very close to the entrance making it easy to park and get you bags in quickly. Iirc, parking was approx 8 Euro. For the night. Check in was simple and painless. I presented my Diamond card and my reward certificate and was quickly handed a room key for a room overlooking the Main River. I didn't enquire about an upgrade as I was very tired from traveling (SEA-MEM-AMS-FRA.) When we arrived in the room, the TV was on with a note on the screen welcoming me to the hotel. There was also a large bowl of fruit and a large bottle of sparkling water (which Mrs. Gaugeguy didn't really care for.) The room was a little dated but very clean and comfortable. We had a nice balcony and a great view of the river and downtown. In the morning, we went downstairs to the restaurant and had breakfast. Breakfast was the typical European fair with many American traditional items such as Bacon, Fried Eggs and the like. It was quite a buffet and we left very full.
Checkout was a breeze with nothing to pay for except parking and a quick phone call to the US.
Sunday Dec. 19th
(Stayed in Freiburg at a little bed and breakfast.)
Monday Dec. 20th Hilton Munich Park
For whatever reason, I forgot to print out the directions so finding the Hotel was a little difficult. There is a ring road the circles Munich and I got quite lost driving around without a suitable map. After an hour or so, we finally made it. There is a large parking garage right in front of the hotel so driving in and parking was very easy. Parking iirc was approx 18 Euro. We hopped the elevator up to lobby and went over to the Hilton Honors Check in line. This was a paid stay with a prepaid rate of 108.00 Euro. At check in, there was no recognition of status or offer of an upgrade. We were given a room on the Executive floor with a nice view of the Park nearby. I guess that I was expecting a suite upgrade as they have many of them but no such luck. I was also expecting a welcome note and some kind of amenity because others had reported but, there was nothing in the room. The executive lounge was closed for the holidays so there was a portion of the bar downstairs cordoned off for Executive level guests. The area that was used was a cigar bar which didn't bother me because I enjoyed a nice Cohiba from their very extensive collection in the walk-in humidor. It was however, very smoky and I think I would have been very upset if I was a non-smoker. There were nice snacks available and the drinks were free flowing. I enjoyed some of Hilton's private label Sekt (sparking wine) which was very good. After an hour or so and 4 or 5 glasses of bubbly, we decided to retire to the room. I made an 8 min phone call to the US which I would find out later would cost dearly. In the morning, we got our bags to the car and headed to the restaurant for a large buffet breakfast (complimentary because the executive lounge was closed.) Breakfast again was wonderful. After we ate, we went to the front counter to check out. When they presented the bill, I was horrified to see that my 8 min call was going to cost me 34 Euros. (46 USD!!!) I argued that this was ridiculous and that they had nothing posted in the room of the phone rates. There was no offer to change the bill and the manager was conveniently missing. Oh well... I didn’t have time to argue. Not very impressed with the Hotel staff here but the free drinks and snacks were nice. I would probably try the other Hilton in Munich next time.
Tuesday Dec. 21st Hilton Nuremberg
This hotel is a former Scandic Hotel which has been remodeled (at least the lobby area) and has no suites as far as I could tell. This was a reward stay for 10,000 HH points. The hotel it self is located not far from the Autobahn but on the outskirts of town. I didn't have too much trouble finding it as I finally figured out how to use the navigation feature in our Mercedes E Class rental car. (It was all in German.) Anyway, the parking was right in front of the hotel and the best thing was, FREE. Check in went smooth but no recognition of Diamond status was giving and there were no upgrades. The room was very small and plain. No welcome note or fruit bowls. Not very impressive but for 10,000 points, I guess that I can't complain. Breakfast was downstairs in the restaurant and was again a very large buffet. Check out was painless and there were no charges on the bill. I would probably stay here again as the price was right.
Wednesday Dec. 22nd Hilton Mainz
The Hilton Mainz is located downtown along the scenic Rhein River. They have a large parking garage underground that offers a lot of parking out of the cold, wet weather. Parking was 12 Euro iirc. We got our bags and got on the Elevator up to the lobby. This was a paid stay at a pre-paid 88 Euro rate. There was no line at check in which was nice because there are a lot of airline crews that stay here. Check in went very smooth and we offered a room on the business level. No suite upgrades were available or so they said. The guy at the front desk did not want to give us two coupons for breakfast but after a little arguing, he obliged. We took our keys and headed up to the room. We were very surprised upon entering our room that the Manager had left a welcome note and a bottle of Hilton's private label Sekt, a box of chocolates, a bowl of fruit and a rose on the bed. Very nice touch. We were impressed. The room itself was not as nice as the Munich Hilton Park but offered a nice view of the Rhein River. The Hilton Mainz does not offer an Executive Lounge so no free drinks or snacks. The hotel does have a small casino with card games and slots on the street level. We ended up not eating breakfast at the hotel in the morning because we were in a rush to get to the airport in Frankfurt. Overall, I was happy with the amenities in the room and I would definitely stay here again.
In conclusion, I was expecting a little better service and recognition from the Hilton properties in Germany. It seems that having Diamond status will get you a decent room and breakfast. Lounge access when they have to provide it and nothing more as far as upgrades. The Hilton Mainz and the Scandic Offenbach went above and beyond as far a room amenities and that was really appreciated. Perhaps I got my hopes up as this was the first time we have stayed at Hilton properties out of the US and I had heard of all the great treatment that others have had. I guess that is why I was disappointed overall.
Sat. Dec 18th. Scandic Hotel Frankfurt-Offenbach
The Hotel itself is located near downtown Offenbach not far from Frankfurt or the Airport for that matter. It is close to the Autobahn and signs on the street make it very easy to find. There is a parking garage located very close to the entrance making it easy to park and get you bags in quickly. Iirc, parking was approx 8 Euro. For the night. Check in was simple and painless. I presented my Diamond card and my reward certificate and was quickly handed a room key for a room overlooking the Main River. I didn't enquire about an upgrade as I was very tired from traveling (SEA-MEM-AMS-FRA.) When we arrived in the room, the TV was on with a note on the screen welcoming me to the hotel. There was also a large bowl of fruit and a large bottle of sparkling water (which Mrs. Gaugeguy didn't really care for.) The room was a little dated but very clean and comfortable. We had a nice balcony and a great view of the river and downtown. In the morning, we went downstairs to the restaurant and had breakfast. Breakfast was the typical European fair with many American traditional items such as Bacon, Fried Eggs and the like. It was quite a buffet and we left very full.
Checkout was a breeze with nothing to pay for except parking and a quick phone call to the US.
Sunday Dec. 19th
(Stayed in Freiburg at a little bed and breakfast.)
Monday Dec. 20th Hilton Munich Park
For whatever reason, I forgot to print out the directions so finding the Hotel was a little difficult. There is a ring road the circles Munich and I got quite lost driving around without a suitable map. After an hour or so, we finally made it. There is a large parking garage right in front of the hotel so driving in and parking was very easy. Parking iirc was approx 18 Euro. We hopped the elevator up to lobby and went over to the Hilton Honors Check in line. This was a paid stay with a prepaid rate of 108.00 Euro. At check in, there was no recognition of status or offer of an upgrade. We were given a room on the Executive floor with a nice view of the Park nearby. I guess that I was expecting a suite upgrade as they have many of them but no such luck. I was also expecting a welcome note and some kind of amenity because others had reported but, there was nothing in the room. The executive lounge was closed for the holidays so there was a portion of the bar downstairs cordoned off for Executive level guests. The area that was used was a cigar bar which didn't bother me because I enjoyed a nice Cohiba from their very extensive collection in the walk-in humidor. It was however, very smoky and I think I would have been very upset if I was a non-smoker. There were nice snacks available and the drinks were free flowing. I enjoyed some of Hilton's private label Sekt (sparking wine) which was very good. After an hour or so and 4 or 5 glasses of bubbly, we decided to retire to the room. I made an 8 min phone call to the US which I would find out later would cost dearly. In the morning, we got our bags to the car and headed to the restaurant for a large buffet breakfast (complimentary because the executive lounge was closed.) Breakfast again was wonderful. After we ate, we went to the front counter to check out. When they presented the bill, I was horrified to see that my 8 min call was going to cost me 34 Euros. (46 USD!!!) I argued that this was ridiculous and that they had nothing posted in the room of the phone rates. There was no offer to change the bill and the manager was conveniently missing. Oh well... I didn’t have time to argue. Not very impressed with the Hotel staff here but the free drinks and snacks were nice. I would probably try the other Hilton in Munich next time.
Tuesday Dec. 21st Hilton Nuremberg
This hotel is a former Scandic Hotel which has been remodeled (at least the lobby area) and has no suites as far as I could tell. This was a reward stay for 10,000 HH points. The hotel it self is located not far from the Autobahn but on the outskirts of town. I didn't have too much trouble finding it as I finally figured out how to use the navigation feature in our Mercedes E Class rental car. (It was all in German.) Anyway, the parking was right in front of the hotel and the best thing was, FREE. Check in went smooth but no recognition of Diamond status was giving and there were no upgrades. The room was very small and plain. No welcome note or fruit bowls. Not very impressive but for 10,000 points, I guess that I can't complain. Breakfast was downstairs in the restaurant and was again a very large buffet. Check out was painless and there were no charges on the bill. I would probably stay here again as the price was right.
Wednesday Dec. 22nd Hilton Mainz
The Hilton Mainz is located downtown along the scenic Rhein River. They have a large parking garage underground that offers a lot of parking out of the cold, wet weather. Parking was 12 Euro iirc. We got our bags and got on the Elevator up to the lobby. This was a paid stay at a pre-paid 88 Euro rate. There was no line at check in which was nice because there are a lot of airline crews that stay here. Check in went very smooth and we offered a room on the business level. No suite upgrades were available or so they said. The guy at the front desk did not want to give us two coupons for breakfast but after a little arguing, he obliged. We took our keys and headed up to the room. We were very surprised upon entering our room that the Manager had left a welcome note and a bottle of Hilton's private label Sekt, a box of chocolates, a bowl of fruit and a rose on the bed. Very nice touch. We were impressed. The room itself was not as nice as the Munich Hilton Park but offered a nice view of the Rhein River. The Hilton Mainz does not offer an Executive Lounge so no free drinks or snacks. The hotel does have a small casino with card games and slots on the street level. We ended up not eating breakfast at the hotel in the morning because we were in a rush to get to the airport in Frankfurt. Overall, I was happy with the amenities in the room and I would definitely stay here again.
In conclusion, I was expecting a little better service and recognition from the Hilton properties in Germany. It seems that having Diamond status will get you a decent room and breakfast. Lounge access when they have to provide it and nothing more as far as upgrades. The Hilton Mainz and the Scandic Offenbach went above and beyond as far a room amenities and that was really appreciated. Perhaps I got my hopes up as this was the first time we have stayed at Hilton properties out of the US and I had heard of all the great treatment that others have had. I guess that is why I was disappointed overall.