A dozen or so guests were loitering in the small lobby of the Dom Hotel as I strode into the entrance. Several guests were already awaiting service at the front desk and I could find no evidence of a "Starwood Preferred Guest" queue or, if there was one, it was certainly well hidden. Once it was my turn to check in, I presented my reservation details and platinum credentials to the friendly desk clerk, who then asked me to select my amenity and then sent me on my way.

As a Starwood platinum member of many years tenure, I have been very spoiled by the great treatment I have received at the vast majority of Starwood properties, especially international locales. Unfortunately, that was not the case at this hotel. Instead of receiving an upgrade to a suite or the best available room, I was assigned one of the smallest rooms I had ever seen, situated in some grungy, hidden inner recess towards the back of the hotel with a spectacular view of a blank wall. The fact that the bedroom and the bathroom were both of equivalent size left me profoundly disappointed. Inside the bathroom, I discovered a cache of coarse, flimsy towels that might have been composed of paper had they been any thinner.

I found an ice bucket housing a full bottle of Champagne, accompanied by some candy, positioned in front of the room's small and only window. I initially figured that was probably a thoughtful gesture by the hotel to make up for assigning me such a substandard room. Besides, the Hiltons I had visited the prior two nights had both thoughtfully provided me with wine, Champagne, chocolates and fruit. However, within a few minutes, I heard a knock on the door and a staff member walked in and apologized, explaining that the Champagne was meant for someone else. And off she went, taking everything with her so, as a platinum guest, this hotel did even see fit to provide me a complimentary bottle of water.



As I passed through the lobby on my way to see the sights of Cologne, I told a front desk clerk how disappointed I was with the room but she explained that nothing else was available. No matter, I could certainly endure one night in this pretentious hovel and could look forward to better accommodations for my remaining two nights, which I had already booked elsewhere.