Radisson Blu Gewandhaus Hotel, Dresden (Germany)
May 20, 2012, 5:02 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: MUC (home), DUS (office), XXX (customer)
Programs: LH, AB, SPG, CC, Sixt, EC
Posts: 6,334
Radisson Blu Gewandhaus Hotel, Dresden (Germany)
Dresden has a few Club Carlson properties, incl. 2 Radisson Blus, an art’otel by park plaza and a Park Inn by Radisson.
This post is about the Radisson Blu Gewandhaus Hotel which is located right in the city center next to the Dresden town hall (Rathaus).
The hotel:
The building is a very historic building that was mostly destroyed in World War II but rebuilt on the old ruins. It features 94 rooms (mix of standard and business class rooms), 2 junior suits and what they have named the “Kronprinz – Philippe” Suite.
The hotel comes with a restaurant (breakfast, lunch and dinner) as well as a bar, a very nice open chimney lobby sitting area and a recreating area (large pool, a couple of saunas and a work-out room)
Free wifi-internet is provided throughout the hotel, as a guest you need to login every 24hours with your last name and room number (up to 4 devices for those who want to max it out)
The rooms:
Standard:
They are all about 30 sqm large and come with a double bed. The bathroom is of course separate with plenty of marble, a big bathtub (bubble tub), one sink and one toilet.
The room itself also features a desk, separate chair and night stands. All rooms are air-conditioned which work really well. Until now(May 2012), they have the oldstyle 90s TVs that are rather large but with a tiny and horrible screen (Pay-TV can be booked) I was told by hotel management though that by the end of May 2012, all rooms should come with 2012 flat screen TVs.
Additional towels, slippers and a bathrobe (2 sets of all) are provided for the wellness area.
Business Class room:
Same as standard just larger and with more amenities. (about 45 sqm in size) Most rooms come with two bathrooms, one as described above, one that only comes with a toilet and sink.
Those rooms also come with a separate sitting area (couch, chair, table) and a Nespresso coffee machine. (6 capsules are provided)
Whenever I enter these rooms, I also get a free bottle of water and some fruits / chocolate. The bottle is part of my corporate rate, I assume the fruits / chocolate is a mixture of welcome attitude and elite perks.
Standard and business class rooms come on all floors. Standard rooms on the third floor seem to be a little smaller due to roof limitations but they feel a little more exclusive.
Junior Suite:
No experience
Kronprinze-Philippe Suite:
No experience
The restaurant:
Breakfast is with a nice variation of stuff but I had better ones in other hotels. They have all the typical British stuff (eggs, sausages, bacon, you name it), some fruits, some cereals, plenty of German bread, cheese, meat, jam, honey, some salmon, etc.
Staff will come around to ask you for your choice of hot drinks (all kinds of standard and fancy coffee as well as tea). If you want an omelet, just ask for it, they will customize it for you.
A couple of times when I was too lazy I had dinner there and my review is so and so. Most of the times, I only have a salad and everything from the appetizer menu is very good (but also rather pricy). Two times I had items from the main course menu and I didn’t like them very much. The wine there is excellent though; they have one of my favorite Rieslings ☺
Room service:
Food quality is excellent: if you want an honest burger or sandwich or something, just go for the room service. Waiting time differs a lot though, make sure when you call the “one touch service” to tell them what your expectancy is.
Wellness area:
It is great and crappy at the same time; it really depends on what you want to do.
The pool is very nice, the water has a nice temperature (not too cold, not too hot to actually swim) and the entire area is just very beautiful. It also comes with a spring. Drinking water and plenty of towels are provided.
The sauna area is also very nice. They have two to three saunas with different themes and temperatures; I tried them a few times. Usually, they are not very busy, I never met more then two there.
Americans, be aware this is Europe, people do get naked there and you are kind of expected to stay textile free as well
Bring a towel and wear it around your wrist if you care but on the other hand does it really matter if somebody sees you naked?
The workout area (fitness room) is really a disgrace. It’s mostly humid due to the nearby pool and you have to switch on the air conditioning to cool it down. The facilities are hundred years old and some don’t work no more. There is one “pre-war” TV in there… I don’t go back…..
The pool, the sauna and the workout area are within the part of the building (basement) and share several very nice showers. Wifi internet works well down there ;-)
Parking situation:
There is a lot in front of the hotel which costs though (15 Euros a night, if get a contract with them, negotiate it away) Also, there is a public parking spot right behind it, it is something like 5-7 Euro / night.
Club Carlson elite:
Guests without a membership get encouraged to sign up (have heard it myself) They credit the points within days and they know about the benefits. When I was about to turn Gold, I got my first upgrade to Business Class room and never moved into a standard room since then. Once in a while, they have a little handwritten note in your checkin documentation with your current account balance.
Each time, I find a little welcome gift in my room, usually it’s chocolates after I told them that I like them better then the fruits. Many times, the General Manager adds a little hand-signed card with some information about the hotel and Dresden (always the same, nice gesture though since it comes with the current date)
Let me summarize. It is not the fanciest place ever but it is well above standards for a German city / business hotel. It is a very nice accommodating place for a fair price and good value. Staff there is outstanding, they all come with a smile and they are always very helpful. The hotel certainly knows about Club Carlson and elite benefits, when I turned Gold and Concierge, I was welcomed and told so.
The area in Dresden is outstanding; there are a dozen restaurants within 2 minutes of walk (Italian, Indian, Mexican, Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish, South African, Cuban, Dutch, Regular German, Bavarian, you name it)
SIXT is just across the street.
Frauenkirche, Semperoper and all the main sites of the inner city are within 5-10 minutes by foot. There is a big mall (almost American style including Apple Store, Holister, etc.) within 5 minutes and it is called “Altmarkt – Galerie” They are open until 9 pm and have everything you need (clothes, several supermarkets, very good and fast dry cleaner (99 Cents a shirt)), just ask at the hotel
I stay at this hotel on a weekly base currently (2-3 nights) and I would certainly go elsewhere if I didn’t like it. After only two stays, most of the staff always greeted me by name. The hotel holds my stuff until I come back for the next time (toiletries, etc.).
This post is about the Radisson Blu Gewandhaus Hotel which is located right in the city center next to the Dresden town hall (Rathaus).
The hotel:
The building is a very historic building that was mostly destroyed in World War II but rebuilt on the old ruins. It features 94 rooms (mix of standard and business class rooms), 2 junior suits and what they have named the “Kronprinz – Philippe” Suite.
The hotel comes with a restaurant (breakfast, lunch and dinner) as well as a bar, a very nice open chimney lobby sitting area and a recreating area (large pool, a couple of saunas and a work-out room)
Free wifi-internet is provided throughout the hotel, as a guest you need to login every 24hours with your last name and room number (up to 4 devices for those who want to max it out)
The rooms:
Standard:
They are all about 30 sqm large and come with a double bed. The bathroom is of course separate with plenty of marble, a big bathtub (bubble tub), one sink and one toilet.
The room itself also features a desk, separate chair and night stands. All rooms are air-conditioned which work really well. Until now(May 2012), they have the oldstyle 90s TVs that are rather large but with a tiny and horrible screen (Pay-TV can be booked) I was told by hotel management though that by the end of May 2012, all rooms should come with 2012 flat screen TVs.
Additional towels, slippers and a bathrobe (2 sets of all) are provided for the wellness area.
Business Class room:
Same as standard just larger and with more amenities. (about 45 sqm in size) Most rooms come with two bathrooms, one as described above, one that only comes with a toilet and sink.
Those rooms also come with a separate sitting area (couch, chair, table) and a Nespresso coffee machine. (6 capsules are provided)
Whenever I enter these rooms, I also get a free bottle of water and some fruits / chocolate. The bottle is part of my corporate rate, I assume the fruits / chocolate is a mixture of welcome attitude and elite perks.
Standard and business class rooms come on all floors. Standard rooms on the third floor seem to be a little smaller due to roof limitations but they feel a little more exclusive.
Junior Suite:
No experience
Kronprinze-Philippe Suite:
No experience
The restaurant:
Breakfast is with a nice variation of stuff but I had better ones in other hotels. They have all the typical British stuff (eggs, sausages, bacon, you name it), some fruits, some cereals, plenty of German bread, cheese, meat, jam, honey, some salmon, etc.
Staff will come around to ask you for your choice of hot drinks (all kinds of standard and fancy coffee as well as tea). If you want an omelet, just ask for it, they will customize it for you.
A couple of times when I was too lazy I had dinner there and my review is so and so. Most of the times, I only have a salad and everything from the appetizer menu is very good (but also rather pricy). Two times I had items from the main course menu and I didn’t like them very much. The wine there is excellent though; they have one of my favorite Rieslings ☺
Room service:
Food quality is excellent: if you want an honest burger or sandwich or something, just go for the room service. Waiting time differs a lot though, make sure when you call the “one touch service” to tell them what your expectancy is.
Wellness area:
It is great and crappy at the same time; it really depends on what you want to do.
The pool is very nice, the water has a nice temperature (not too cold, not too hot to actually swim) and the entire area is just very beautiful. It also comes with a spring. Drinking water and plenty of towels are provided.
The sauna area is also very nice. They have two to three saunas with different themes and temperatures; I tried them a few times. Usually, they are not very busy, I never met more then two there.
Americans, be aware this is Europe, people do get naked there and you are kind of expected to stay textile free as well
Bring a towel and wear it around your wrist if you care but on the other hand does it really matter if somebody sees you naked? The workout area (fitness room) is really a disgrace. It’s mostly humid due to the nearby pool and you have to switch on the air conditioning to cool it down. The facilities are hundred years old and some don’t work no more. There is one “pre-war” TV in there… I don’t go back…..
The pool, the sauna and the workout area are within the part of the building (basement) and share several very nice showers. Wifi internet works well down there ;-)
Parking situation:
There is a lot in front of the hotel which costs though (15 Euros a night, if get a contract with them, negotiate it away) Also, there is a public parking spot right behind it, it is something like 5-7 Euro / night.
Club Carlson elite:
Guests without a membership get encouraged to sign up (have heard it myself) They credit the points within days and they know about the benefits. When I was about to turn Gold, I got my first upgrade to Business Class room and never moved into a standard room since then. Once in a while, they have a little handwritten note in your checkin documentation with your current account balance.
Each time, I find a little welcome gift in my room, usually it’s chocolates after I told them that I like them better then the fruits. Many times, the General Manager adds a little hand-signed card with some information about the hotel and Dresden (always the same, nice gesture though since it comes with the current date)
Let me summarize. It is not the fanciest place ever but it is well above standards for a German city / business hotel. It is a very nice accommodating place for a fair price and good value. Staff there is outstanding, they all come with a smile and they are always very helpful. The hotel certainly knows about Club Carlson and elite benefits, when I turned Gold and Concierge, I was welcomed and told so.
The area in Dresden is outstanding; there are a dozen restaurants within 2 minutes of walk (Italian, Indian, Mexican, Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish, South African, Cuban, Dutch, Regular German, Bavarian, you name it)
SIXT is just across the street.
Frauenkirche, Semperoper and all the main sites of the inner city are within 5-10 minutes by foot. There is a big mall (almost American style including Apple Store, Holister, etc.) within 5 minutes and it is called “Altmarkt – Galerie” They are open until 9 pm and have everything you need (clothes, several supermarkets, very good and fast dry cleaner (99 Cents a shirt)), just ask at the hotel
I stay at this hotel on a weekly base currently (2-3 nights) and I would certainly go elsewhere if I didn’t like it. After only two stays, most of the staff always greeted me by name. The hotel holds my stuff until I come back for the next time (toiletries, etc.).
