Trip report: Vier Jahreszeiten Hamburg
Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Hamburg
Neuer Jungfernstieg 9-14 Hamburg, DE 20354
Trip report: Vier Jahreszeiten Hamburg (19 Photos)
Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Hamburg
I was in Hamburg 2 times this year and both times stayed at the Vier Jahreszeiten, which I know from few other stays before. The 2 main reasons for my decision were the location and the good value with Virtuoso or FHR. With both programs you get a dinner for 2 with softdrinks at Jahreszeiten Grill or Doc Chengs.
Check In
The door at the VJ is not the best in the world, this time we had to wait a few minutes before the older doorman had handeled his other duties and was ready to take care of our car and luggage. At check-in the guy in front of me got an upgrade from a Courtyard Junior Suite to an Alster Junior Suite as I got at my last stay. The check-in was fast, but no upgrade for me this time. But the suite was supposed to be renovated.
We also got a welcome letter which was a no go for me. The address was: "Sehr geehrte(r) Herr..." which means, that it`s both for men and women. From a luxury hotel I expect that the letter is personalized and is titled correctly.
Room
Our Courtyard Junior Suite was on the 3rd floor which smelled fresh and was indeed just renovated. The room itself was not too big with a sitting area and a nice bed seperated by a column. The bathroom was nice enough with 2 sinks, shower, bidet and tub. We also had a walk in closet.
Over all the room was OK for a one night stay and with 335 € fairly priced. For a longer stay I think it`s too small. The view to the "gardened courtyard" was ugly, they might as well have bricked up the windows. It woudn`t have been a loss.
An issue was the cleanness. We found a hair in the tub and on the heated towel rail was dust.
Pictures (sorry forgot my camera):
Last time we had an Alster Junior Suite which was slightly bigger:
Considering the Alster Junior Suite is priced double (660,00 €) I don`t think it`s worth it. The view is not bad and the suite slightly better, but not worth 325,00 € more.
Service
The service is over all friendly. What I didn`t liked was that they store the room-service-trays on the foor.
Dining
We never ate at their 2 michelin star restaurant Haerlin, as the free Virtuoso-dinner is not valid at Haerlin and you don`t get a credit. We always only stay one night.
At our first Virtuoso stay we ate at the Jahreszeiten Grill. I found it terrible. Mediocre food and an awful atmosphere. A group of 15 people between 50 and 70 had an etiquette course, so they got lessons how to eat etc. Laughable! We got a fixed menu and they didn`t really tell us in advance what they would serve.
Much better is the Doc Chengs, an euro-asiatic restaurant. With the Virtuoso-voucher you may choose 3 courses from the menu without limitation. All softdrinks including non-alcoholic cocktails and coffee are complimentary. The service was good and the food nice. Perhaps a little bit overpriced, but since I didn`t have to pay I can`t complain. The dinner would have cost about 130,00 €.
The breakfast is nothing to write home about. The selection of food in mediocre as is the food itself. They have some really cheap mozzarella. Considering they charge 35,00 € for the breakfast I would advice eating somewhere else if it`s not included.
Location
It`s situated at the Binnenalster, only a very short walk from the main shopping district as well as many tourist sights. I thinks it`s perfect.
Overall
For me the value with the free dinner is unbeatable in Hamburg. Also I think it`s still the number one in Hamburg.
The Park Hyatt is a recent discovery (maybe two years ago). I don't really like the Mnckebergstrae side of the Alster too much. You can find that stuff anywhere. But the PH is a good hotel, with very Hanseatic rooms, in a good location, if you want/need to be in that part of HH. I'm interested to try the long stay/budget concept of Jost Dietmar, the MD of the LCJ, also on Bugenhagenstrae (I forget the name).