bluewatersail

Has this hotel been renovated recently? 3 years ago service was great but rooms were tired.

vuittonsofstyle

Major renovation was finished last year and the hotel looks wonderful - all public areas and rooms/suites completely re-done. No spa, of course, as they have no room. Otherwise it is a terrific hotel.

RichardInSF

Best in town. Don't think anything else is even close.

Have had a few arguments with the front desk, though, that should have been unnecessary. I know it's FHR, and I guess it's probably also Virtuoso.

bluewatersail

What kinds of arguments did you have with the front desk?

It's a great hotel, but what I'll always remember about the hotel is that the locals who dined there seemed to be quite haughty. One day there was a rather heavy 60ish man wearing a fur coat and clutching a tiny rat dog, this man had the nerve to look down his nose at us lol

RichardInSF

(a) They gave me an argument when I asked to have the checkout time extended by one hour.

(b) The mini-bar in the room is included in the rate. I asked them to substitute diet coke for the regular, they said they'd take care of it. Never happened, no apology when I asked again, still didn't happen.

(c) I know I am not that regular, typically only there once a year, but shouldn't my preferences be in a computer somewhere and honored without asking?

(d) They tell me I am getting a "great room" when the door map shows it clearly is the smallest on the floor.

(e) It is weird in the 21st century to still have lifts that don't go to the top floor.

But again, this is genuinely the best hotel in town. Although right next to the Hofbrauhaus, I have never had a room noise problem, for example.

globetraveler

I also agree that the MO Munich is one of the best properties in the city. For those who enjoy luxury on a boutique scale, this is the place to stay. The Sofitel Munich Bayerpost is also very nice, although not quite as 5 star in service and accommodations.
www.TripKick.com is a great site for telling travelers which room numbers to request (leaving you not so disappointed when you look at the floor map on the back of the door) but Munich and other Intl. destinations won't be loaded until next month.

robyng

Here's a link to my report about the hotel after our stay there in 2007. Note that renovations were almost complete at the time of our stay. I thought the hotel was great:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...l-germany.html

P.S. My report is near the end of the thread.

NYCbustravelguy

Any thoughts on the new Rocco Forte Munich Hotel? I suspect this will be the new "it" hotel in the city.

vuittonsofstyle

The Charles Munich is probably one of Rocco Forte's best hotels. It is very well built and finished, has a superb restaurant (Italian rustic), very good small spa and great service. Its only negative is that it is a bit removed from the centre, overlooking the botanical gardens, so you cannot walk around the corner and find the good shops etc. It does have a really leafy feel to it in the summer, as all the corridors are windowed and overlook internal Japanese style gardens. Rooms and suites are very comfortable - the corner suites particularly nice.

The Charles has not proved to be the new 'it' hotel in the city, purely because of its location, but then Mandarin Munich is a hard act to follow - it is a splendid hotel, especially since its refurb (just wish it had a spa).

NYCbustravelguy

Thanks! My choice is between the MO or Charles. It is only 1 night. I love the Rocco Forte chain however.

RichardInSF

Today, although I am staying at the MO from where I am making this entry, I went over and looked at a few rooms at the Charles. Depending on rates, I'd say it's definitely worth considering. I looked at a deluxe room at about 40 sqmt (one class above the minimum room) and an executive suite somewhere in the range of 60-80 sq mt.

Of course I could not judge service levels but the rooms were quite decent and appeared to be well-designed.

Location: the Charles is a few minutes walk from the Hauptbahnhof, the MO about 7 minutes walk from Marienplatz. If you are using the train, the Charles is very convenient but the neighborhood is definitely not as interesting and diverse as the Marienplatz area. From the airport, there is not much time difference to either.

Style: the MO is more "old world," the Charles more modern. The Charles has only been open 2 1/2 years.

Consortia: Both are Virtuoso but I believe only the MO is FHR.

Internet: Both charge an arm and a leg. The MO is E25 a day, the Charles E20.

For me it would be tempting to try the Charles next time. The executive suite I saw looked worth paying extra for, quite nice.

Also I did have the lunch included with Virtuoso (which the desk clerk said might be changing to a dinner, that would be cool) here at the MO and it was very good -- the hotel restaurant has a Michelin star.

Kagehitokiri

vuittonsofstyle

When I stayed at The Charles, I was really impressed with the service and the rustic Italian food in the Davvero restaurant, which is a beautiful restaurant that changes in atmosphere from day to evening, so feels quite different. Breakfast was excellent, too, as was the little spa (including indoor pool), which has The Organic Pharmacy products.

I like the fact that all the corridors have windows that look onto the internal courtyard, which is like a Japanese garden.

Bathrooms work very well indeed, beds are comfortable, too. The Executive Suites, like #717, are very light, with great views, and I also quite like the Junior Suites, which have those swivel TVs that you can see from the bed or the sitting room area.

The Presidential - Montforte Suite, #806, is one of the nicest of its ilk and with a big balcony that has the best views of the city.

Unlike The MO (which I love), The Charles has a spa, although its location is obviously not as good as the MO.

stimpy

Regarding the spa, doesn't the MO still give you a pass to a super nice (for Germany) health club down the street. It's been a couple years since I was last there, but I recall using the club and thought it was excellent.

RichardInSF

Spa's ain't me usually so I didn't even think to ask, sorry.

The service I get at the MO is always good but NEVER leaves me with the sense that they would go the extra mile if necessary to ensure me a happy visit. For example, on this last stay, I was entitled to a space-available Virtuoso one-class upgrade. They didn't mention it on check-in. Only when I looked at the room they gave me did I realize that it wasn't an upgrade. Then I had to request one (the hotel had lots of empty rooms), they had to check, and I had to move rooms.