Staying at the Arnika is like visiting a haunted house in a theme park: you'll pay good money to feel disgust, alienation, discomfort, and then relief when it’s over.

If you're going to Oberammergau on NATO business, then you'll probably have to consider this place. The Arnika is a textbook bad hotel. Book elsewhere if you still can.

Service

The owners (i.e. the only people manning the reception) are truly horrible to deal with. In person they were worse than on the phone. Patronizing, hostile, self-serving. Their demeanor goes beyond any normal tolerance for "some people are just naturally warmer than others" - instead it seems like pure contempt for guests. You can say ‘good morning’ to them, but they just walk blankly past. They run a hotel but seem to hate dealing with guests. The Arnika's owners are a classic example of managers with no interest in quality or hospitality, just in exploitation. I speak fluent German and live in the region, so this perception is not down to any language barrier or culture shock.

The booking process is very dodgy. I booked via Hotels.com as normal, but then a few days later the hotel contacted me directly and asked me to send my credit card by e-mail. After first confirming with Hotels.com that the hotel can legitimately do that, I phoned to give my card details and was treated like a bratty child for the three-day delay between their request and my response. Then they refused to issue a receipt. That level of contempt before even paying should have been a red flag, but I needed the room and the Arnika was the last option available.

Covid-19 prevention rules which hotels have to follow were partly in evidence, but the strikingly low cleanliness level in the rooms and many missing requirements during breakfast were concerning.

Room

But what about the rooms? That depends how much you enjoy cold showers and finding pubes in your bed. Please enjoy the attached photos illustrating how filthy the rooms were:

There was so much gunk on the floor in the bathroom that it actually caught my eye. This is one wipe immediately after check-in. They clearly don't even vacuum between guests.

Not my pubes.

You get the idea, but there's more.

The booking was for two single rooms, and that is what we got. Sort of. One room was exactly as pictured online, so no problem there. The second room, however, was down the road, in the basement of the owners' house. So there was no daylight, but at least there was hot water for the shower. The other room (back in the main hotel) was bright, but, despite my best efforts, the shower remained as icy as the hospitality.

View from room FW2, which is down the road in the basement of the owners' house.

Sleep quality was terrible: worn-out mattress, creaking bed frame, thin curtains, no sound insulation. It is hard to cool the room: noise from the car park, road, stream and pigeons precludes leaving the window open when you're hoping to sleep. So this hotel is a no-go if you have to go to work the next day.

Dining

To be fair, the breakfast was very good. The team there was warm and attentive. The selection and the quality were above average. For example, the fruit salad was mostly fresh (rather than canned) and the coffee machine made a great cappuccino. Eggs are cooked to order and skillfully garnished.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, breakfast was the only meal served during my stay.

Location

On a quiet residential street on the outskirts of the town of Oberammergau: the town centre in 15 minutes on foot in one direction, and NATO is equidistant in the opposite direction. There is more than enough parking around the hotel. 

There are no footpaths for most of the route and the roads are surprisingly busy, so getting around on foot is not the easiest option after dark or in a group.

Overall

All a small, provincial hotel has to do is provide a clean bed, warm shower and breakfast. A personable welcome is a bonus. The Arnika serves a solid breakfast, but was truly unpleasant in all other ways.