This was the first time I had stayed at a Le Meridian for a couple of years. My previous stay was also in Germany (Hamburg) and was perfectly acceptable but my stay at Stuttgart last week was a disappointing in several respects.

Arrival: Smart exterior appearance and lobby area. Concierge and doorman made the place feel reasonably safe. However, it didn't look to be an especially nice area to approach on foot from the U-bahn after dark. No key needed for lifts.

Check-in: Very efficient and I was made to feel welcome. I was given a Gold key holder but there was no mention of any Gold amenity choice (Internet or drink option), though I have received the bonus points in my account. No idea if my room was upgraded or not.

Room: Modern and attractive appearance with plenty of storage space. However, the workspace left a lot to be desired, as although main room lights were easily accessible from the door and bedside, the desk lights were difficult to access and fairly ineffective, the desk was very small and the desk chair most uncomfortable. The bathroom was also very small with very little room to even turn around and barely any space to lay out toiletries even for one person - thankfully I wasn't sharing the room with anyone. The shaver socket was well hidden under a flap and was a standard continental power socket and not a proper shaver socket. Because the flap didn't lift to a full 90 degrees it was impossible to plug in a shaver when using a UK socket adapter. The air conditioning had two settings, off and noisy; as it supplied heat too, presumably in the winter it would be freeze or noisy! Worst of all was the dirty brown stains around the base of the shower. When it was last given a good scrub I wouldn't like to hazard a guess.

Amenities: Hair drier and iron/ironing board were provided. Bathrobes and slippers were present in the bathroom with standard Le Meridien mix of cosmetics. There was a generously sized bottle of still water. TV had a choice of about 30 channels (only a couple of these were English). The remote had no alarm function and there was no bedside clock (in fact no clock at all visible when lying in bed), though the reception were happy to provide two wake up calls with a choice of snooze time between them, a rather interesting feature (both were on time).

Bed: Can't say I got a good nights sleep. The bed was lumpy and the two unequally sized pillows were very difficult to use in combination and inadequate on their own. The duvet cover was too small for the bed and I spent most of the night with either my feet or body uncovered (and I kept waking up a s a result).

Breakfast: This was the most disappointing thing of all. The selection was average and the layout was terrible, so you couldn't find half the things that were there. Water, freshly squeezed orange juice, other juices and hot drinks were in four different corners of the breakfast area. The same with jam, bread/rolls and butter, which were on three completely separate tables in two different rooms. Actually, that's not quite true. I never found any jam, only marmalade. The cornflakes were the typical German style called "best" cornflakes. Not sure if "best" in Deutsch translates to tiny, tasteless, soggy or all three. So then to the hot items. Well not only was the choice poor but they were kept warm or rather no by ineffective overhead infra-red lamps. Every single item was almost stone cold except for the scrambled egg and that was baked to death. There was an area where you could get an egg fried or an omelette made but it was unmanned for the entire time I spent in the breakfast room. For €25 this was exceptionally bad value and I am so pleased I didn't try out the hotel restaurant the night before for dinner based on this experience.

Business Centre: There were only three computer spaces and there wasn't much privacy either. The Internet didn't work with room/name login as it was supposed to and it appeared someone else was having problems with the printers too.

Checkout: Bill was all correct and the checkout experience was again efficient and friendly, just like check in.

Summary: Actually all the staff were very welcoming throughout the stay and this compensated for a few things that were below par but the uncomfortable bed, bathroom grime and cold breakfast items are unforgivable in a hotel of this classification and price bracket. I would rate it as generally poor value for money and my recommendation would be to look elsewhere for accommodation in this area of Stuttgart. I've had a lot of respect for Le Meridien having joined SPG as a result of being an original member of Le Meridien Moments, but based on this experience alone, I would not be returning. Fortunately, my pleasant memories of stays elsewhere will probably persuade me to try again but it won't be in Stuttgart.