My first trip to Stuttgart this year was supposed to be at a luxury hotel, the Graf Zeppelin, but it truly fell short of all expectations in every imaginable way (from service to breakfast in particular).
So I wanted to find a true luxury hotel in Stuttgart for my second trip and a GM at one of the Kempinski hotels in the Frankfurt/Rhein region recommended Der Zauberlehrling. I immediately liked it because of the name (for non-German speakers, it's The Sorcerer's Apprentice so think either Fantasia or Goethe) and the hotel signed e-mails with the closing "Mit Zaubergrüßen" ("with magical greetings")
From the greeting upon checkin to the escort to the room to the food (the owner runs a cooking school) to the breakfast, everything was exactly it should have been.
I wrote a review for Executive Road Warrior magazine, which is online here and an excerpt and a few photos are below.
Der Zauberlehrling, Stuttgart, Germany – Hotel Review
The magic of the Zauberlehrling hotel in Stuttgart became apparent to me when I first e-mailed about a possible reservation. The e-mail reply closed with the phrase “Mit Zaubergrüßen” (With Magical Greetings“).
I had grown up with the tale of the Zauberlehrling or Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Goethe both in terms of the story itself as well as its prominent appearance in Walt Disney’s Fantasia. As a result, as we drove up to the hotel, I heard the music of Paul Dukas’ symphonic poem (used in the movie) in my head.
Upon arrival, I was not to be disappointed. “Let us spoil you with magic” is the closing line in the welcome letter each guest receives, chock full of information about the hotel and what it has to offer. I looked around, expecting to see brooms sweeping by themselves.
THE ROOM
My room was the Media Suite, which consisted of a bedroom and a living room with a day bed that was turned into a bed for my travel partner, our European Editor Christian Stampfer. Above the quite comfortable bed in the master bedroom was a projector and an illy Francis Francis espresso maker was conveniently placed on a shelf.
<SNIP>
Article continues
here
