That huge construction has been going on for 2+ years now. It's a total disaster and given my experiences navigating around it when I was there last month, I would avoid this property until the construction is complete -who knows when that will be.

- T

According to the schedule: July 2007.

Regards,
Stefan

I have friends who recommended the breakfast buffet in the Four Points Koln; they were not staying there as guests. Buffets are not common and the food spread is remarkable.

Wow. I was checking this forum prepared to do a search for this specific hotel and was shocked to find this thread on Page 1.

Sounds like 77 Euro for next week is a good deal for a good hotel, despite the reports of constuction. I'll proceed with booking!

I stayed at the Four Points 2 years ago on a overnight visit. I was only able to book a non smoking single online from the states. When I arrived at the front desk and asked if they had a bigger bed, the attendant told me that I have already been upgraded.

The room was...WOW! A living room, separate kitchen, treadmill, walkin closet, and a bathtub that I could fit into. The breakfast buffet was ok and you are very close to the Dom and the shopping area.

I would definitely stay there again!

77 EUR is the regular rate for a weekend (or sometimes during a week with less demand) in this hotel. It is from my point of view a good value for money.

my price went up 20E when i added a second person in the room.

you are correct, this happens. It's a bit annoying, but well known from several Hiltons, Holiday-Inns, etc. As I am the most time in a single room, I do not notice this that often.

Sorry, for my statement, I should have written 77 EUR / single person ....

Not much seems to be going on at the construction site over there. I'm not staying at the four points but at the mariott just down the road. Everytime I walk past there a couple times a day not much is going on so I don't think it would be much of an issue. Maybe it's all underground really since it is for the subway.

I ended up staying here for 2 nights. The 77E rate increased to 99E for the second night, but still reasonable.

The staff here all spoke excellent English. At checkin the very nice girl noted my lowly Gold status and assigned me a "quiet room at the back." It was a very unusual corner room. The "bed", while very comfortable, was no more than 3 feet wide and was along the wall with the head of the bed no more than 3 feet from the door into the room. The room was long and narrow with a very large bathroom off to the side forming an L. The bathroom had 3 windows, that while fogged, were quasi see-through.

The guests at the hotel seemed to consist of a large delegation of British couples. I overheard many of them in the restaurant complaining about the noise from the construction and complimenting the staff for providing disposable ear plugs.

The breakfast was good. In the evening, the bar is very boring. I had one beer and had to leave because I couldn't stand being the only customer - though the bartender practicing his English with me was amusing. There are many other places within an easy 10 minute walk.

The location is great for the Dom and the train station - I was checked in literally 5 minutes after getting off the ICE train from Berlin. On a cheapskate budget, the train station, containing many quick meal options including McDonalds, Burger King, Starbucks, etc, provided fast and cheap food options.

The train to the airport was, IIRC 2.20E and takes about 10-12minutes.

Cologne (Koln) is a nice city to visit and I'm glad I did, but, to me anyway, it's a place to visit once - not particularly memorable.

Airport
 

How far is this property from Cologne (CGN) airport? Do they have some free shuttle? How do you get to this property from airport the cheapest way?

Also, can anyone suggest any daytrips from Cologne using trains or bus?

Thanks

No shuttle and not need for a shuttle. 15 minutes by train and the Fourpoints is directly next to Cologne Central station. Take a S-Bahn from CGN.

Daytrips:

- Go on a daycruise on the Rhine river down to Koblenz,
- take a local train to Bonn (former capital of Germany),
- take a local train to Aachen (the cradle of the European History and seat of Charlemagne),
- 90 minutes by highspeed train to Frankfurt,
- plenty of industrial history in the Ruhr area, 40 minutes by train,
- state capital Düsseldorf is 20 minutes by train.
- take a tain to the Ahr - Fairytail wine growing area...
- utilize the search function on FT!!!

it all depends what you want to see.

Sheraton 4 Points in Koln
 

Has anyone stayed at the Four Points in Cologne (Koln), Germany before?

How is it, and is it near to the DOM and city centre?

Thank you !

Five to 10 minutes, depends how fast you walk. It is on the other side of Cologne central station. You might wish to check the Dom Hotel too which is by far nicer and depending of the time of the year competitive. I booked a 98 Euros AAA rate there shortly before Christmas.

Thank you!

Just booked it for 140 Euros.