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Old Feb 6, 2007, 6:44 am
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MegatopLover
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: ATL
Programs: DL SkyMiles PM/2MM, AA Plat, IC Diam. Amb., Peninsula regular, amanjunkie
Posts: 5,844
I can't claim complete knowledge, but I might be able to help out.

Stuttgart sits in a valley, with a line of hillsides to the west and a lot of curving hillsides to the east, both sides covered in residential housing and, I imagine, restaurants, shops, etc. The main train station (Hauptbanhof), one of the few remaining dead-head rail hubs in Germany, sits in the middle of the valley at the north edge of the "downtown" district, with the trains going in and out to the north along a lengthy necklace of small parks. The Hotel Steigenberger Stuttgart is directly across the main street from the Hauptbanhof. Judging strictly from the outside, I would classify it, perhaps generously, as four stars. Le Meridien Hotel is on the opposite side of the parks alongside the Hauptbanhof, backing up to the bottom of the hillside. I've stayed there and found it quite nice-- modern European design, nice clean finishes, decent enough service: 4.5 stars, not luxury but not altogether far from it. I've heard but cannot confirm that there is, on the opposite hillside (to the west), a decent-sized one-off hotel that may qualify as luxury. Don't even know the name, so can't help. The rest of the central parts of Stuttgart don't have any hotels of note, as far as I know; and, frankly, it's not the prettiest city in the downtown area because so much of it was destroyed during the war. Outside of the central areas, likely on the hillsides to the east, there may well be a luxury hotel or some other fine establishment worth staying in, again likely a one-off owned or managed locally, but I can't direct you to it.

Once you crest the hillside onto a plateau to the east, you'll go through some very modern developments and office parks housing international business, the most famous of which is known locally as "bull$hit castle," i.e. Daimler Benz headquarters. There's a Millenium Hotel out in this neck of the woods (not real woods, but you get the idea); no idea how it sizes up. Finally, out at the airport further east, there's a Movenpick Hotel. I'd say it's roughly equivalent to a niceish Best Western, though the service is fairly good. As the massive Expo Europe (or whatever it's called) development progresses, the Movenpick will move into a modern mid-rise building, no doubt improving the quality of the facilities.

Unless you've got a lead on one of these small places, hidden gems, and since you're posting here I'd imagine you don't, I'd say that Le Meridien is the best option in town, assuming you need to be downtown. If you're dealing with businesses on the outside of town, I'd give the Millennium a shot. A cab from the airport to Le Meridien will run about 30 euros; it's walkable from the train station, of course.
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