Just returned from a trip including all Starwood properties in eastern Germany with the exception of the Westin Leipzig where I (only) saw the entrance hall and the business centre.

As there are not too many reviews of these properties on FT, I thought I'd share my experiences.

Hotel Elephant, Weimar (Luxury Collection)

Very nice property, has been a hotel for over 300 years with guests like Goethe or Bach. Hotel is right in the heart of Weimar on the market place. Stylish rooms and public spaces in the Bauhaus style which Weimar is famous for. This hotel has a beautiful library!

Was upgraded to a junior suite that looked suspiciously like the grand deluxe room I originally reserved. On the other hand, I found a very nice porcelain elephant in the room, so they certainly recogniced my status. Asked for a room facing the market place, but was told all were sold. Hotel voluntarily offered to move me on my second day, but then I had to depart early for Dresden.

Staff was friendly and efficient with the exception of the night clerk with whom getting 50 euros in cash for the taxi driver was like pulling teeth.

Westin Bellevue, Dresden

Nice property including an 18th century architecture old wing. Property was badly damaged during the Elbe flooding in 2001 and has not completely recovered by now, especially the gardens. On the plus side, public spaces and some of the rooms are now better than they were before. Biggest plus of the Bellevue is, as the name implies, it's location right on the river bank with great views of the historic city skyline. You can leave the hotel through the garden, cross a bridge and will be right in the centre of everything.

Was upgraded to a nice two room suite with a so-so view of the Elbe. Got pralines and a nice red bath towel. One great thing about this hotel is that it has SPG written all over the place. They really seem to care for the program and it's members. This was the only hotel during my trip where platinum status and type of room upgrade was mentioned during the check-in process. Staff was - with no exceptions - very friendly and efficient.

Hotel Fuerstenhof, Leipzig (Luxury Collection)

Beautiful property dating back to the 18th century. Classy public spaces with marble and antiquities all over the place. Hotel faces a very heavy traffic road, on the plus side it's only a five minutes walk from the main train station and there's a bridge crossing the street right in front of the hotel. After that it's a two minute walk to the city centre. Interestingly, the new Westin Leipzig (former Interconti) is only a three minute walk away, too.

Was upgraded to a nice and huge room, a junior suite, I suppose. Everything was as I expected from a Luxury Collection property except for the TV which had bad reception and a sound error. Called front desk about it and someone came up but basically said they are aware of the problem and could do nothing about it. I found that unsatisfactory at best.

Another problem I had was that I had to go online but didn't have my laptop with me. So I paid 10 euro for a prepaid-card to use the hotels "business centre" which really was a very tiny former telephone box. The internet station was operated by a third party and the web browser was obviously a) non-standard and b) couldn't even handle spg.com. So I had to walk the the Westin and use their business centre - and pay for it in addition to the 10 euro I just paid at the Fuerstenhof and didn't get back. I found the whole process quite irritating. Front desk staff wasn't very helpful either. That came as a bit of a surprise as the other shift was exceptionally friendly and efficient.

On the other hand, I got to see the Westin Leipzig which I don't think I can really recommend. I knew it when it was an Interconti but always thought that it had quite ugly rooms. It is one of the few German Starwoods with a club lounge, though.

Westin Grand, Berlin

Charming property, used to house the old DDR elite cadres. Impressive public spaces, very friendly and attentive staff. Rooms tend to be on the small side, though. Location is okay, i.e. on Friedrichstrasse near Unter den Linden and the Brandenburger Gate as well as the Museum Isle, Checkpoint Charly, the Jewish Museum et cetera.

Was upgraded to a junior suite on the third floor, thankfully facing the inner courtyard meaning I could sleep with the windows open. The junior suite at this hotel is basically two standard rooms joined by an archway. That does make for a decent sized room with a small bathroom. I do think, though, that standard rooms have to be very cramped. It has supposedly butler service but as that wasn't mentioned at check-in (though the upgrade was) I took it that they don't provide this service for upgraded guests. I might be wrong, though, I probably just should have called the butler.

The pool was closed which I only found out after going there. Luckily I could use the excellent health club at the nearby Hotel Adlon courtesy of the Kempinski Private Concierge programme. Obviously the Adlon is the more impressive property, but to be fair rooms there start at 245 instead of 139 euro at the Westin.

All in all I was pleased with each and every hotel on this trip. Platinum recognition was surprisingly good considering that ArabellaSheraton as a company has a less than golden reputation in that regard. Especially the Westin Bellevue really went the extra mile.

[This message has been edited by MoritzK (edited 07-17-2003).]