My wife and I had the good fortune to vacation in Germany this June and I want to share my thoughts on the experience. We stayed at three Marriott properties: Cologne Marriott, Dusseldorf Renaissance, and Heidelberg Marriott. All three stays were on points/e-certs from before the 2014 re-categorization and I am currently classified as a platinum member of MR.

First, in Cologne, we booked two rooms at the Cologne Marriott so that our 18 YO daughter wouldn't have to endure a room with her parents. We stayed two nights (Tuesday and Wednesday). Upon check-in we were informed that the hotel had some nice upgrades for us. Indeed they did! Both king standard rooms were upgraded to executive studio suites -- very nice! We were offered our choice of a snack plus drink amenity or the 500 points. Our daughter picked the mixed nuts which left me to take the Kolsch beer. The rooms were very comfortable and were hard to leave when it was time to check out.

We used the executive lounge extensively and were very impressed. The staff was very helpful, the food selections were good (especially breakfast) and the drink selections were very nice. If only the US lounges were so good...

The location is great for visiting the Dom and old town so worked great for us on our vacation. I appreciate the easy walk from the train station to the hotel -- made travel simple. I would go out of my way to stay at the Marriott Cologne -- they made our stay very special.

We stayed one night at the Dusseldorf Renaissance after dropping our daughter at the airport. It happened to be the night of the Germany-USA world cup match and the hotel had closed the regular restaurant in favor of a world cup event. They played the game on big screens in the bar, the restaurant, and outdoor in the garden. It was fun to watch the people watching the game. Everyone was cordial and it made for a fun evening at the hotel.

At check-in, they had the status recorded and I received the 500 point check-in amenity (no choice offered). We received the room we booked, which was clean and sufficient to our expectations. The breakfast was very good. The negative to the hotel room is the use of an old CRT television complete with scrolling white bands through the picture. This could use an upgrade!

This was a quick overnight and we were on our way to the Mosel valley the next morning. I would not go out of my way to stay here again unless it were on points.

After our time in the Mosel valley, we spent two nights at the Heidelberg Marriott. We were upgraded to a river view room on the top floor. At check-in, we were again offered the snack/drink or points amenity. We selected a cheese plate and a beer. The cheese plate was very nice and was delivered promptly.

The manager came out to greet us and welcome us to the hotel. A very nice touch that made us feel welcome. The front desk staff was very helpful explaining the public transit options and suggested several local sites to visit.

We used the executive lounge extensively here as well. It is smaller than Cologne but has a larger outdoor area overlooking the river. It is a perfect spot for an appertif in the late afternoon while watching the local rowing club conduct their lessons on the Neckar river immediately below the hotel.

Again, breakfasts were better suited to our tastes but the evening snacks were enough that you could make a meal out of them (and many did!). Would definitely stay here again if we return to Heidelberg.

Hope this helps someone!

Regards,
Mike