Description: While surfing the web searching for a nice hotel at a reasonable price, I relived bad memories of a trip to Italy where the quality of the hotels’ websites were in direct contrast to the quality of the physical establishments. In the end I settled for the recently opened Cologne Hilton, which at a special weekend rate of Euro 141 including breakfast was only marginally more expensive than lesser hotels of unproven reputation.
The Hilton did not disappoint. It is conveniently located two blocks from the Cathedral and the Main Station. We drove, however, and ample parking was available in the basement, albeit at Euro 16 per day – which seems to be the standard rate for hotel parking in major German cities. You can probably knock of a few Euro by parking in a garage nearby, but we couldn’t be bothered.
The hotel opened during 2002 and is thoroughly modern. Stark, straight lines dominate. The rooms are comfortable rather than large with good-looking wooden floors and modern furniture. There was enough closet space for a short stay. Each room has a room safe, bar fridge, coffee making facilities, and an iron – the latter two rarities in German hotels. For the first time I could describe the mattress of a bed in a German hotel more accurately with the adjective firm rather than marshmallowy.
The bathroom was rather small and the bathtub pretty narrow for an American owned hotel chain. The fittings were modern shiny stainless steel offset by white tiles. The corner wall of the bathroom consists of glass bricks, which looks very good although it is a bit of a daft idea as it lights up the whole of the sleeping area as well as if someone uses the bathroom at night.
The buffet breakfast was a nice spread, including real freshly pressed orange juice – also hard to find in the average German buffet. Further the usual selection of yogurts, cereals, breads, cheese, cold cuts, eggs, sausages, potatoes, waffles, and fruits. I didn’t see any champagne but there were some evil looking "energy" drinks or pick me uppers after a good night out. Breakfast items are also color coded according to dietary criteria such as low fat, high energy, or power breakfasts. We left dieting for the week after.
The hotel bar facing the street is called the "Ice Bar" as the counter top is made of ice. I’m not sure that it actually serves much of a purpose but it does make a nice conversation piece. Vodka is the specialty of the house but almost any drink is available including coffee and tea.
We enjoyed or stay at the Hilton and it will probably be our hotel of choice on future visits. The location is hard to beat – we didn’t use our car or any other mode of transportation but our feet for the weekend – and the understated low-key class and luxury made for a very pleasant stay.
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