It is only about an hour additional drive time each way if you are based in Karlsruhe. However, if based in Basel, then there is a significant difference.

I only mentioned the CY Basel because it is closer to the Schwarzwald. However, it is at a disadvantage since an elite gets nothing extra for free except perhaps an upgrade. Although your information about free parking is great to know -- and I very much appreciate it -- if circumstances have changed since you were last there, that is truly one hefty parking fee and from a C/Y no less!

It depends on what your needs are. At CY Basel - we got 2 connecting rooms as Gold upgrade - which is the most generous upgrade we have ever got in ANY Marriott hotel (we stayed there 3 times when LX had direct flight ex CPH to BSL).

The reception staffs remembered us and even comment on our kids - most hotels we stayed at more regularly ask 'are you here for the first time'.

The downside of the hotel is what you mention: you don't get free breakfast (Mr Nacho thinks the breakfast there is one of the best he had - he said the quality of food is superb - beat most Marriotts in Germany except Munich Airport Marriott) and the parking cost is insane considering you are in the middle of somewhere of nowhere (thanks to the water world right next to the hotel).

However I'd recommend the hotel if you don't drive because you can reach cities close to Schwarzwald/France/Switzerland by train easily. We went to Freiburg, Lorrach, Mulhouse, Colmar and even Belfort from there, plus some Swiss cities and up to the Alps as daytrips. If you can't live with the parking cost, rent a car for the day. Travelling by train in Switzerland is not that bad at all and we hardly experience any train delays in Switzerland, also the 0 tolerance in speeding in Switzerland make driving less fun :D.

Nacho,

Thanks that is good to know about transport connections.

Now, do you mean that you booked 1 room and as a Gold upgrade they gave you TWO (2) rooms instead??? And, to boot, they were connecting?

If so, I think the OP would like that option since he said he would have a party of 5 and who wouldn't mind paying for 1 room but getting 2???

Yes, 2 rooms, 1 with 1 king and another connecting room with 2 doubles. The first time was with a cheap LNF (so that it's not because we paid so much that we 'deserved' to have a nice room - most hotels we stayed at we think they upgrade people based on how much they paid).

My kids were so happy and so were we :D They still remember the hotel and 'aqua basilea' (the water world next door that they have never been but they got a bath duck each from the FD), and it's their favourite hotel even without lounge and breakfast (since we got a hold of some french croissant and berliners from Germany/France :D).

We contacted the GM directly to ask about Gold upgrades - first when she offered it we thought, 'how much would this going to cost us', but then when she said it was complimentary we were shocked :eek: She said that's no problem since it's not during busy period then there is no problem in giving us 2 rooms instead of one of the huge corner rooms/suite - this is what I see as 'spirit to serve' and nice elite treatments.

We haven't been there since LX closed the CPH-BSL route and I'm not an easyjet person. If the route is going to be re-open again we'll definitely go there again - there are still tons of cities we haven't been to.

The Ren in Karlsruhe has small rooms - we had 2 kids when we were there last time (the oldest one was in her grandparents' home in Denmark). They love 'camping' on the floor so there was no problem. Parking is free if you are willing to walk 5-10 minutes (circling for up to 15 mins to find a spot) - we did get a spot one right behind the hotel free but only for one of the days.

Wow, that is an important consideration for people travelling with families. However, if one is going to hope this is the case, then one should definitely contact the hotel that this will be the upgrade, as the manager you may have been dealing with has moved on, as well as the times you visited the property!

Agree w/ NJ. I wouldn't go in expecting it as that's not the norm & the GM also said it was due to them not being busy. But cool if one is with a family & it did work out.

Cheers.

The GM is called Tanja. As we only travel for leisure, we only go there during weekends and holiday. That CY is mostly a business hotel, so they are pretty free during the time we visited.