Hilton HHonors - Hilton Dortmund, a few words

I am through a 2 week stay at the Hilton Dortmund in Germany. When I was planning this trip, I noticed that there was a relative dearth of information about this property on the FT Hilton forum. Therefore for posterity I am going to write a little about my stay at this hotel.

Having just come off of a long stay at the Prague Hilton, I must say that this hotel is a letdown. But then again, most any other Hilton property in Europe (and especially Germany) would. So that is not a fair bar against which to judge Hilton Dortmund. Regardless, there are some obvious things the hotel needs to fix.

The reception desk is falling apart - it looks a little beaten up, and one of the four world clock on the wall is not only broken but has its arms missing. If you're going to try and act "global" by putting up clocks for the times on the different continents, at least do a decent job of it.

Breakfast - The girls that run the breakfast show every morning are very cordial and do a good job bringing coffee to your table and chatting up guys like me who are staying at the hotel. However two issues here - the tiles in the food area have been sticky since I arrived. Somebody needs to grab a mop and clean that floor - after breakfast as I am walking out the door, the bottoms of my shoes make that awful sound of me ungluing the sloes off the floor with every step. Also, the containers that hold the dry fruits and nuts at the cereal bar have not been cleaned in a long time and are stained and marked for it.

There are NO HHonors perks. When I checked in I asked and I got a typical German "Nooo" - the kind that makes you wonder whether you were crazy for asking the question in the first place. They should at least stock a couple of free bottles of water in the rooms and a welcome card would be nice. They really aren't trying to give HHonors members something extra.

The location is decent. If you've rented a car then it won't matter much and you'll have easy freeway access. If you're without a car, then the Florianpark Stadtbahn station is a short 5 minute walk away. Tickets into the city center are EUR 1.10 each way and the ride is 4 stops or 8 minutes away. The city center of Dortmund is visually pleasing and has lots of open squares but there is a serious shortage of restaurants serving anything other than German food. But then again, that isn't the hotels fault.

The hotel Restaurant (L'Oliva) and the bar (Harmony Bar) are decent but after two trips to the restaurant and one to the bar, I'd have to say I had my fill of both.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for that. It is very true. The Hilton in Dortmund used to be a Scandic and was rebranded when Hilton took over. It is for sure not one of the best ones. On the other hand, Dortmund is not really a center well known for five star hotels.

But I do not really understand what you want to say with

Having just come off of a long stay at the Prague Hilton, I must say that this hotel is a letdown. But then again, most any other Hilton property in Europe (and especially Germany) would.
Most of the German Hiltons are by far better than any property in the US or the UK. Places like Munich, Frankfurt or Berlin are really great and I love them. Compared to any UK Hilton, the German (and the Austrian) Hiltons are at least two-stars up. Prague and Budapest are different since they still sell comparably expensive rooms in countries with comparably cheap labor force.

Hi Flying Lawyer

I must say, I ought to retract or restate my previous comments. My work in Germany takes me to the B-list cities more than the A-list ones. This has unfortunate consequences for the redemption of HHonors Diamond status, which I earned this past month.

I think of the Hilton Dortmund as more of a Hilton Garden Inn quality hotel than a true Hilton. But I was just looking at the Hilton Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich guides, and these hotels look fabulous. Looking forward to staying at one of these ITNF.

I think of the Hilton Dortmund as more of a Hilton Garden Inn quality hotel than a true Hilton. But I was just looking at the Hilton Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich guides, and these hotels look fabulous. Looking forward to staying at one of these ITNF.


I have stayed at the Munich City Centre in January 2006.Much better than many NA hotels.Was upgraded to exec floor(gold then) and the lounge was one of the better ones I have been at.

Hope you enjoy a chance at the 'A' city Hiltons soon.

Edited to add that the Barcelona Hilton was also good and had a better than average exec lounge as well. ^

I have been there, too, and I wrote a report on my homepage (www.hotels-and-travel.de/hotel_dtm_hn_dortmund.htm), but I am not sure, if I posted it here also.

The property is not the best, that is true, but they have a nice pool area, the reason why I stay there sometimes.

In the US, I have stayed in some upscale hotels, which were worse than the Hilton Dortmund. But also had some good experiences, so it remains a bit of a game if you have no rating about a hotel if you decide to book it. You can win or loose

The Hilton Dortmund is ok as far as I'm concerned. Yes the hotel is somewhat dated. I stayed recently and my room was clean. Breakfast was excellent (and free for Diamond members). There is a small gym which could use some additional equipment & weights. The pool looked very nice though.

I received a voucher for a free drink and a percentage off all drinks at the bar (didn't use either). And there was water in my room. Parking was free and its easy to get to the hotel.

The Hilton DUS is quite nice on the other hand. I have so far always gotten an upgrade to the exec floor even on €69 rates !

The Hilton Dortmund is ok as far as I'm concerned. Yes the hotel is somewhat dated. I stayed recently and my room was clean. Breakfast was excellent (and free for Diamond members). There is a small gym which could use some additional equipment & weights. The pool looked very nice though.

Doesn't sound too bad, does it?

I'll be staying at the Hilton Dortmund next Friday. Seems like not many FT stayed at this hotel. Any recent experiences?

Thank you

I'll be staying at the Hilton Dortmund next Friday. Seems like not many FT stayed at this hotel. Any recent experiences?

Thank you

I staid two times in 2008 and also in 2007 at Hilton Dortmund.

- My room was always clean
- The breakfast was good, lot of choices, warm, what should be warm
- The Hilton team is nice with the guests, each stay I nominated another girl for Hilton Moments and gave my stay report to the team
- I was always upgraded to a higher category
- I was one time upgraded to a two room suite
- Got always two bottles of water and fruits
- The hotel is a little dated that is true, and has no ex lounge
- Pianoplayer in the lobby and bar from around 10 pm
- It has an excellent fitness studio
- Both restaurants are over average for 4 star hotel standards
- The restaurant staff is very nice to the guests
- Dortmund is a 600.000 inhabitants industrial town in the "Ruhrgebiet" which is the former coal and steel mining region
- This is not Munich, Dusseldorf or Vienna, its maybe more like a small US city, nothing special, honest and hard working people, no glamour or celebrities can be seen
- I will not tell anything bad about UK Hilton hotels (as I am German ;)), but the Hilton girls are nice in UK, too :)
- If you want to have 5 star Hilton feeling go to Munich, it is one of the most properous regions in Germany with lot of the big (inter)national companies having their headquarters there, many actors in the cafes, lot of film and tv companies
- Consider Dortmund is part of a region in Germany that has seen its best times, all the heavy industry almost closed down, no more coal in the ground or too expensive to digg, high unemployment rate
- Or go to Dresden, you will have an extraordinary "noble" feeling there at Hilton hotel, sitting in the Rossini restaurant opposite the "Frauenkirche", best location in town, baroque scenery unlike any other city in Germany
- Or go to Berlin, Hilton located at the most beautiful place "Gendarmenmarkt" opposite "Deutscher Dom", a historical feeling in the former divided city, in the Eastern part, which has become more than an insiders tip, it is one of the most recommended areas for exclusive shopping and dining

I have not been at Hilton Dortmund the last 6 months, but as this topic came up and I have some people to meet there I will book a stay for end of February and let you know my fresh experience.

Thank you submonte for your nice report. I'm aware that Dortmund isn't Berlin oder Munich. However, after gaining so much information and help from this board in the past, I would like to give something back. Now that I'll be able to travel much more often than within the last two / three years I'll post several trip reports about Hilton Hotels throughout Europe. As I mentioned yesterday, I'll be in Dortmund next Friday, so I'll post my experiences as soon as I'm back.

Thank you submonte for your nice report. I'm aware that Dortmund isn't Berlin oder Munich. However, after gaining so much information and help from this board in the past, I would like to give something back. Now that I'll be able to travel much more often than within the last two / three years I'll post several trip reports about Hilton Hotels throughout Europe. As I mentioned yesterday, I'll be in Dortmund next Friday, so I'll post my experiences as soon as I'm back.

Pleasure, servus! Let´s share our European Hilton experiences with the FT community. Looking forward reading your Dortmund report. Have a safe trip! Gute Fahrt!

I just returned from the Hilton Dortmund, An der Buschmuehle 1, 44139 Dortmund, Tel: +49-231-1086-0, Fax: +49-231-1086-777, email: info.dortmund@hilton.com

Getting to the hotel by car was very easy. Valet parking was n/a. Covered parking is 8 € per day. Bellman was n/a.

Check-in was friendly and efficient. All my room-preferences set in my profile were honored. Received an upgraded room on their HHonors Floor (4th and 5th) without asking, even as a current Silver VIP. The old broken clocks behind the front desk have been replaced. In addition to this the public areas look like they have been refurbished within the last months. The pictures on Hilton.com aren't accurate.

There were four different complimentary newspapers available (incl. USA Today) on the HHonors Floor. In my room I found a personal welcome note form the GR-Manager, one complimentary bottle of Apollinaris sparkling water (regular 5.50 €) and a nice wooden box with six different truffles "Golddublonen". My room was very clean, bright and had the normal Hilton deco, with A/C, WiFi, flat screen-TV, bathrobes and slippers, iron, ironing-board and a separate trouser press. The minibar was stocked with: orange juice, apple juice 3.10 €, Perrier 3.60 €, Evian 2.50 €, Coke, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Tonic Water, Bitter Lemon 3.00 €, Red Bull 4.60 €, Becks, Becks Gold 3.20 €, Heineken 3.90 €, Mineral water (1 l) 5.50 €, Sparkling Wine (0,2 l) 9,20 €, red wine, white wine (0,25 l) 7.00 €. The bathroom had a tub, was very clean, bright and with the usual amenities.

Went downstairs to have dinner at the L'Oliva restaurant. Restaurant was almost empty. We were greeted very friendly by L. and offered a table where we were able to overlook the lobby. Unfortunately the piano-player wasn't there that night. As soon as L. recognized that Mrs.Servus had a bad cold, she offered a hot tea on the house. They have a great menu inclusive a weekly menu. The wine selection is also very good (average price per bottle between 25-35 €). The quality of the food was way above average and the prices for a restaurant in a 4* plus hotel more than moderate (e.g. Mixed Salad with fried calamari-rings and garlic-dip = 9.90 €, Spaghetti with shrimp = 9.80 €, Medallion of pork fillet with mushrooms and croquettes 14.90 €, Chicken Yakatori style on grilled pineapple with basmati rice = 12.50 €, Fillet of pangasius pan fried with cocos-crumb, served with broccoli and curry-rice = 12.50 €, Hilton Burger 12.90 €).

Afterwards we went over to the Harmony Bar and had a couple of different cocktails. The bartender was very friendly and very attentive. Even when I tried to extend my stay at the bar by ordering another cocktail after their regular closing hour (1 a.m.) he continued to serve me my drinks without looking on the clock. The cocktails were very good with always the double of buzz!

During our conversation we found out that the Hilton Dortmund runs special events once and a while. The next day they had a Valentines Special. Unfortunately we weren't able to extend our stay but due to the extraordinary treatment I've received at this property I'll skip my future stays at Cologne and Dusseldorf and move over to Dortmund. Even if there is not much to do within the hotel area (except you are going to Westphalenpark) this is an awesome property. If you are on a mileage run, stay there! If you are from the Dortmund or northern German area, write them an email and ask to be added to their guest file, so they can send you flyers about their upcoming events.

Next morning we had breakfast. The selection was above average... at least 8 different cereals, fresh fruits, yoghurt, toast, bread, French Rolls, cheese, meat, salmon, butter, margarine, honey, marmalade, Nutella, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, sausages, potato wedges, baked beans, mushrooms, baked tomatoes, water, fresh squeezed orange juice, milk, low-fat milk and coffee, just to name a few things.

After having breakfast we checked out the hotels other facilities. Their Active Club opening hours: heated indoor swimming pool: 06:00 am - 10:30 p.m., sauna / tanning salon: 06:00 a.m. - 10:30 p.m., gym: 24hrs. There's another bar (Active Club Bar) right next to the swimming-pool. Also there is a beauty salon, offering all different kind of massages etc.

On my way back to the room I asked for a late-check out which was granted right away. Check-out was very friendly, accurate and fast.

One day after checking out, I received an email from the GM thanking me for my stay and my positive feedback.

Final notes: The hotel has a new GM since 08/2008. This might be the reason for the significant changes. After reading the posts about the Dortmund Hilton here on Flyertalk I didn't expect very much. Maybe a moderate stay but certainly not more. Well, I must say, this was one of my best Hilton stays ever, even as a low Silver VIP. Every single staff member seems extremely friendly, attentive and passioned. Thank you! Top notch! Unfortunately no Ex. Floor / Ex. Lounge but I do highly recommend this property.

***pictures available upon request***

The only problem I have is to state what is better, the hotel or your report? ;)

Anyway, I am glad to hear that the quality of Hilon Dortmund even improved.

Thanks for the excellent report! I will stay there end of the month/beginning of next month and will report, too.

Some informations for car travellers, who plan a tour visiting customers or suppliers in that region (DO=Dortmund):

1h distance (incl. typical traffic jam in the "Ruhrgebiet" region)
DO-Dusseldorf
DO-Cologne

2h distance
Frankfurt-DO (i.e. by plane from US to FRA, major German hub, rent a car, stay in Hilton DO, relax, next day continue)
DO-Hannover
DO-Bremen

3h distance
DO-Hamburg

4h distance
DO-Leipzig
DO-Berlin

Just returned from my second trip to the Hilton Dortmund. For a detailed trip report please see my trip report from February 2009. Here's a short summary:

As a HHonors GoldVIP I received a room upgrade, a voucher for two comp. drinks and a fruit plate (banana, apples, orange, kiwi) with a personal welcome note from Guest Relation Manager. When we left our room the next (Easter Sunday) morning, we found some eggs, chocolate eggs and Easter bunnys in front of our door!

check-in: perfect
room: perfect (upgrade to the same room I stayed in in February)
food: perfect
service: perfect+
check-out: perfect

The onliest changes I noticed is a new wine-card. Smaller selection, higher prices (average price per bottle is now: 27 - 39 €). Also valet parking is now available. After reading "olisch's" post, I checked my folio and recognized the 8 € parking fee was waived. (So parking is free of charge for Gold and Diamond VIPs).

Getting to the hotel by car was very easy. Valet parking was n/a. Covered parking is 8 € per day.

Gold and Diamond member are free of charge for parking ...