Hotel Egon, Hamburg **
08-02-20 Country: Hotel
Stayed: February, 2020
The hotel is right at the end of the Reeperbahn. If you‘re planing a visit to that section of town, the location is quite good as the exit of the subway is right next to the hotel.
This brings with it a certain clientele on the streets surrounding the hotel that you may not be that happy with - day or night. The uncanny feeling I had was confirmed by a locked, separate security door set up so that smokers can stand outside the hotel without being molested.
The room (161) was pretty small and had a diagonal wall (behind which lay the bathroom) on one side, adding to the constricted feeling. The room was towards the oddly constructed internal courtyard, which means that other room windows are about 3m across from you. Luckily, you can draw a black curtain across the window.
The bed was surprisingly wide - but for two people probably a little too small. It was comfortable. Unfortunately, there were frequent sounds from other rooms and from the hallway to be clearly heard.
The bathroom was clean and the shower had a thermostat, but unfortunately it was blocked off by a shower curtain (which I hate). The bathroom is tiny - don‘t even think about being in here with two people!
The hotel does have a restaurant, but I didn‘t test it, nor did I have breakfast the next day. What really annoyed me, however, was the price tag of €4,50 for a simple bottle of water in the room.
You do get free Wifi that is relatively speedy.
Considering a Motel One room - if it isn‘t booked solid - is usually about the same cost (and much better quality), I would certainly prefer that next time.
The hotel is right at the end of the Reeperbahn. If you‘re planing a visit to that section of town, the location is quite good as the exit of the subway is right next to the hotel.
This brings with it a certain clientele on the streets surrounding the hotel that you may not be that happy with - day or night. The uncanny feeling I had was confirmed by a locked, separate security door set up so that smokers can stand outside the hotel without being molested.
The room (161) was pretty small and had a diagonal wall (behind which lay the bathroom) on one side, adding to the constricted feeling. The room was towards the oddly constructed internal courtyard, which means that other room windows are about 3m across from you. Luckily, you can draw a black curtain across the window.
The bed was surprisingly wide - but for two people probably a little too small. It was comfortable. Unfortunately, there were frequent sounds from other rooms and from the hallway to be clearly heard.
The bathroom was clean and the shower had a thermostat, but unfortunately it was blocked off by a shower curtain (which I hate). The bathroom is tiny - don‘t even think about being in here with two people!
The hotel does have a restaurant, but I didn‘t test it, nor did I have breakfast the next day. What really annoyed me, however, was the price tag of €4,50 for a simple bottle of water in the room.
You do get free Wifi that is relatively speedy.
Considering a Motel One room - if it isn‘t booked solid - is usually about the same cost (and much better quality), I would certainly prefer that next time.
Comments
Leonardo Hotel Hamburg City Nord *
10-08-19 Country: Hotel
Stayed: August, 2019
We held our sales meeting at this hotel, so not only did we stay here two nights but also used the conference facilities.
The hotel has all the charme of the post-war rebuild. While it borders the Stadtpark, the remaining surroundings are gruesome highrises with zero flair (matches the hotel).
Besides the modern LED Tv, the room (201) had nothing going for it. There was a nearly constant gurgling sound from the sink, only silenceable by plugging the drain. The ceiling in the bathroom
was oddly low, combined with a very high bathtub, this left me about 15cm from head to ceiling, and I‘m only standard hight.
The AC was not connected - apparently it was only just installed - didn‘t help much in August to have an AC that wasn‘t working! The
windows don’t tip open - you can only open them the regular way, and since they are very long that doesn’t help much. They were also quite old and didn’t abate the constant noise from the 6-lane city highway I looked on very much.
To put the finishing touches on my experience, I had constant elevator sounds in the room - something mechanical apparently transmitted them via the ceiling.
The people at the front desk all seem to be quite affected by the general state of the hotel and let you know with every interaction that they would rather be working elsewhere.
All in all, not a hotel I would recommend to anyone and I very much hope we never have a sales meeting there again.
We held our sales meeting at this hotel, so not only did we stay here two nights but also used the conference facilities.
The hotel has all the charme of the post-war rebuild. While it borders the Stadtpark, the remaining surroundings are gruesome highrises with zero flair (matches the hotel).
Besides the modern LED Tv, the room (201) had nothing going for it. There was a nearly constant gurgling sound from the sink, only silenceable by plugging the drain. The ceiling in the bathroom
was oddly low, combined with a very high bathtub, this left me about 15cm from head to ceiling, and I‘m only standard hight.
The AC was not connected - apparently it was only just installed - didn‘t help much in August to have an AC that wasn‘t working! The
windows don’t tip open - you can only open them the regular way, and since they are very long that doesn’t help much. They were also quite old and didn’t abate the constant noise from the 6-lane city highway I looked on very much.
To put the finishing touches on my experience, I had constant elevator sounds in the room - something mechanical apparently transmitted them via the ceiling.
The people at the front desk all seem to be quite affected by the general state of the hotel and let you know with every interaction that they would rather be working elsewhere.
All in all, not a hotel I would recommend to anyone and I very much hope we never have a sales meeting there again.
STAY! Hotel Boardinghouse, Hamburg ****
Kreuzweg 12, 20099 Hamburg
Stayed: April 12
The hotel is in the middle of the St. Georg district - this is a very lively and mixed neighborhood, though I have to say that I had no issues walking around even at night. It is also very close to the central train station.
Reception was very friendly and the check-in process was very quick. After a quick ride to the 2nd floor in the only elevator (it was tagged as built in 2014), my room 203 was quickly found.
The room was large and very modern. It looked like it had very recently been renovated, though I‘m presuming it was done at the same time as the elevator. Everything was clean. The bathroom was functional with a large, floor-level shower that had no splash protection whatsoever, so the floor in front of it did get quite wet.
Very surprising was the noise level in the room - despite the two large windows looking over a very busy street, you heard almost no noise from it. Light was effectively blocked by two drapes.
The double bed was ok, maybe a bit hard for my tastes but still acceptable - matter of taste, of course. Closet space was plenty and the room even had a small kitchenette with sink.
I didn‘t opt for breakfast, so I can‘t say anything about it. The rate I paid was ok, especially because hotels were pretty booked in Hamburg at the time due to a major trade fair.
All in all this is a hotel I recommend and certainly would stay at again.
Stayed: April 12
The hotel is in the middle of the St. Georg district - this is a very lively and mixed neighborhood, though I have to say that I had no issues walking around even at night. It is also very close to the central train station.
Reception was very friendly and the check-in process was very quick. After a quick ride to the 2nd floor in the only elevator (it was tagged as built in 2014), my room 203 was quickly found.
The room was large and very modern. It looked like it had very recently been renovated, though I‘m presuming it was done at the same time as the elevator. Everything was clean. The bathroom was functional with a large, floor-level shower that had no splash protection whatsoever, so the floor in front of it did get quite wet.
Very surprising was the noise level in the room - despite the two large windows looking over a very busy street, you heard almost no noise from it. Light was effectively blocked by two drapes.
The double bed was ok, maybe a bit hard for my tastes but still acceptable - matter of taste, of course. Closet space was plenty and the room even had a small kitchenette with sink.
I didn‘t opt for breakfast, so I can‘t say anything about it. The rate I paid was ok, especially because hotels were pretty booked in Hamburg at the time due to a major trade fair.
All in all this is a hotel I recommend and certainly would stay at again.
relexa hotel Bellevue, Hamburg ***
Stayed: June 2018
This is a very rustic and historic hotel on the Alster not too far from the Kennedy bridge and with the bar and restaurant section of St. Georg just behind it. It is about 15 minutes walk from the central train station, but there is no public transport (at least none I could see) very near it.
My room seemed ancient. I have no idea when the building was constructed (1800‘s?) but the floor seemed original. It creaked with every step and I felt very sorry for the people below me, especially after getting in quite late one night.
The room looked over the Alster (well mostly over trees in front of the Alster) and the windows were really well soundproofed - the street between the hotel and the Alster is very busy, but it wasn‘t a problem. What was a problem was the lack of A/C, so unless the room service shut the drapes against the afternoon sun (they didn‘t!) it was baking. The windows had insect screening, so getting fresh air in wasn’t a problem - just not over night.
Breakfast was quite good but extremely full on both days - on the first day my colleague and I actually had to request for a second dining room to be opened, as the regular one was overfilled with guests.
All in all, I felt the price of the room was too high for what you get (around 160€ per night).
This is a very rustic and historic hotel on the Alster not too far from the Kennedy bridge and with the bar and restaurant section of St. Georg just behind it. It is about 15 minutes walk from the central train station, but there is no public transport (at least none I could see) very near it.
My room seemed ancient. I have no idea when the building was constructed (1800‘s?) but the floor seemed original. It creaked with every step and I felt very sorry for the people below me, especially after getting in quite late one night.
The room looked over the Alster (well mostly over trees in front of the Alster) and the windows were really well soundproofed - the street between the hotel and the Alster is very busy, but it wasn‘t a problem. What was a problem was the lack of A/C, so unless the room service shut the drapes against the afternoon sun (they didn‘t!) it was baking. The windows had insect screening, so getting fresh air in wasn’t a problem - just not over night.
Breakfast was quite good but extremely full on both days - on the first day my colleague and I actually had to request for a second dining room to be opened, as the regular one was overfilled with guests.
All in all, I felt the price of the room was too high for what you get (around 160€ per night).
Hotel Alsterblick, Hamburg **
Stayed: June 2018
The room was booked via HRS for two nights - about 1/2 hour after booking, I received an email from the hotel (in German) to the effect that „as I had been informed on the booking platform, there was some construction going on at the hotel, but only between 7AM and 5PM“. Surprised, I re-checked HRS and was able to confirm that no such notice had been posted in hotel entry there.
The entire hotel is encased in scaffolding - both on the street side as well as in the back. The front is so closed up you feel like you‘re walking into a cave.
My room, No. 6, was on the „ground“ floor (this is several steps up from the street) in the back. It was a very small room, with a tiny closet and an even tinier bathroom. The bed was comfortable, so I slept well, but luckily I spent most of my time outside the room.
The bathroom was a tiny thing off the side, with no door to keep any smells out of the sleeping area. No A/C was available, by the way, but this wasn‘t much of a problem despite high temperatures outside during the day.
The sink in the bathroom was likely the smallest sink I have seen in my life, even smaller than the tiny thing we have in the guest toilet in our house. Using it was a bit of a challenge. Even more of a challenge was the toilet, as the TP holder had been positioned (unnecessarily) exactly in knee height, which made straight sitting on it impossible. The ultimately rediculous instrument was the shower. It was a corner thing (see picture) flattened at the front, which left a triangle of about 70x70cm to stand in. The rather large mixing battery stuck straight in my back, so „adjusting“ the handle both in water quantity and temperature was unavoidable. To make matters worse, the soap dispenser had - for whatever bizarre reason - been mounted exactly in head height… anyone with more than 20kg too much on their ribs will not be taking a shower here.
Also, while the entire back of the room was taken up by ceiling-high windows, with a nice view into the rather large park behind the building (and the not-so-nice scaffolding attached to it) it also meant that you absolutely needed to let down the inside window covering to prevent prying eyes from watching you.
Enough complaining about the room, especially because I was told that it would be completely rebuilt, taking a part of the hallway leading to it to create a larger double room.
Breakfast was quite nice with yoghurt, fruit, cereal, rolls, meats/cheese, some hot foods, etc. Nothing missing there, except for spoons which I had to request on both mornings.
The hotel is not located close to anything relevant, unless you‘re willing to do some walking. „Downtown“ is quite some distance away - even St. Georg is a trek. I didn‘t have my car in Hamburg, so I don‘t know if they offer parking somewhere, but likely not. You‘ll probably be taking a lot of taxis if you stay here.
I‘m unable to comment on the other - probably quite a bit bigger - rooms, but they are likely as ancient looking as the one I stayed in. The door to my room was probably as old as the house (1800‘s?) - optically nice, of course, but just not very practical. I did notice while re-checking for the supposed construction warning that regular rooms were quite expensive (around 140€ per night), which I find to be too much for what you get. Yes, you are right across the (busy) street from the Alster, but so what?
The room was booked via HRS for two nights - about 1/2 hour after booking, I received an email from the hotel (in German) to the effect that „as I had been informed on the booking platform, there was some construction going on at the hotel, but only between 7AM and 5PM“. Surprised, I re-checked HRS and was able to confirm that no such notice had been posted in hotel entry there.
The entire hotel is encased in scaffolding - both on the street side as well as in the back. The front is so closed up you feel like you‘re walking into a cave.
My room, No. 6, was on the „ground“ floor (this is several steps up from the street) in the back. It was a very small room, with a tiny closet and an even tinier bathroom. The bed was comfortable, so I slept well, but luckily I spent most of my time outside the room.
The bathroom was a tiny thing off the side, with no door to keep any smells out of the sleeping area. No A/C was available, by the way, but this wasn‘t much of a problem despite high temperatures outside during the day.
The sink in the bathroom was likely the smallest sink I have seen in my life, even smaller than the tiny thing we have in the guest toilet in our house. Using it was a bit of a challenge. Even more of a challenge was the toilet, as the TP holder had been positioned (unnecessarily) exactly in knee height, which made straight sitting on it impossible. The ultimately rediculous instrument was the shower. It was a corner thing (see picture) flattened at the front, which left a triangle of about 70x70cm to stand in. The rather large mixing battery stuck straight in my back, so „adjusting“ the handle both in water quantity and temperature was unavoidable. To make matters worse, the soap dispenser had - for whatever bizarre reason - been mounted exactly in head height… anyone with more than 20kg too much on their ribs will not be taking a shower here.
Also, while the entire back of the room was taken up by ceiling-high windows, with a nice view into the rather large park behind the building (and the not-so-nice scaffolding attached to it) it also meant that you absolutely needed to let down the inside window covering to prevent prying eyes from watching you.
Enough complaining about the room, especially because I was told that it would be completely rebuilt, taking a part of the hallway leading to it to create a larger double room.
Breakfast was quite nice with yoghurt, fruit, cereal, rolls, meats/cheese, some hot foods, etc. Nothing missing there, except for spoons which I had to request on both mornings.
The hotel is not located close to anything relevant, unless you‘re willing to do some walking. „Downtown“ is quite some distance away - even St. Georg is a trek. I didn‘t have my car in Hamburg, so I don‘t know if they offer parking somewhere, but likely not. You‘ll probably be taking a lot of taxis if you stay here.
I‘m unable to comment on the other - probably quite a bit bigger - rooms, but they are likely as ancient looking as the one I stayed in. The door to my room was probably as old as the house (1800‘s?) - optically nice, of course, but just not very practical. I did notice while re-checking for the supposed construction warning that regular rooms were quite expensive (around 140€ per night), which I find to be too much for what you get. Yes, you are right across the (busy) street from the Alster, but so what?
Intercity Hotel Hamburg Altona ***
Stayed: September 2018
I don‘t have a lot of experience with Intercity Hotels, having only stayed in two before (one was in Augsburg, not sure where the other was). So far, my experience has been all good. I chose the hotel in Altona because it was just three stops away from the office I had meetings at and was centrally located right at the Altona train station.
I had a room to the street side (apparently quieter than to the train station side, which makes sense). Unfortunately, this Intercity hotel was built quite differently from the ones I‘d been in before, with the wall thickness comparable to cheapo mediterranean hotels - it sounded like they were very thin.
Having stayed in a variety of Motel One hotels with nearly soundproof windows, I can also say that soundproofing can be done better than here.
The room size was as expected (I think the rooms are all the same in this hotel chain) and it was very clean. The mattresses, however, were hard as a board - I tend to like my mattress harder rather than softer, but this was rediculous. Sure, hard mattresses last longer than soft ones, but if you don‘t sleep well, then someone in purchasing made a bad decision!
Also, despite being fitted with a thermostat control (set your temperature and it should hold it), the shower temperature had frequent hot or cold „swings“ that were so quick that you didn‘t have time to get out from under the spray.
I didn‘t have breakfast, so I can‘t judge that.
You do get a free pass for riding the local public transit (including ferries), so that is a plus.
All in all, if you don‘t mind sleeping on logs and have to take an S-Bahn to somewhere else in Hamburg, the location is great (Altona is a really nice borough). If you have an issue with hard mattresses, look elsewhere!
I don‘t have a lot of experience with Intercity Hotels, having only stayed in two before (one was in Augsburg, not sure where the other was). So far, my experience has been all good. I chose the hotel in Altona because it was just three stops away from the office I had meetings at and was centrally located right at the Altona train station.
I had a room to the street side (apparently quieter than to the train station side, which makes sense). Unfortunately, this Intercity hotel was built quite differently from the ones I‘d been in before, with the wall thickness comparable to cheapo mediterranean hotels - it sounded like they were very thin.
Having stayed in a variety of Motel One hotels with nearly soundproof windows, I can also say that soundproofing can be done better than here.
The room size was as expected (I think the rooms are all the same in this hotel chain) and it was very clean. The mattresses, however, were hard as a board - I tend to like my mattress harder rather than softer, but this was rediculous. Sure, hard mattresses last longer than soft ones, but if you don‘t sleep well, then someone in purchasing made a bad decision!
Also, despite being fitted with a thermostat control (set your temperature and it should hold it), the shower temperature had frequent hot or cold „swings“ that were so quick that you didn‘t have time to get out from under the spray.
I didn‘t have breakfast, so I can‘t judge that.
You do get a free pass for riding the local public transit (including ferries), so that is a plus.
All in all, if you don‘t mind sleeping on logs and have to take an S-Bahn to somewhere else in Hamburg, the location is great (Altona is a really nice borough). If you have an issue with hard mattresses, look elsewhere!
Superbude Hamburg St. Georg **
Stayed: June 2017
This has got to be the most flippant hotel (hostel?) I've ever stayed in. The decoration is, well, different, though interesting.
The hotel is located on the edge of the St. Georg district in Hamburg, on the super-busy Spaldingstraße. I had a room to the inside courtyard - luckily, as I would probably have had issues sleeping with a window to the street. Not only is there a lot of traffic (which you still hear in the courtyard), but also very busy train tracks just behind the street.
My room (202) was tiny and very cramped. It lacked a desk, which was annoying as I did have some work to do before my evening appointment. I ended up lying on the bed with the laptop on my lap - not super comfortable. The hotel provides free Wifi which seems fast enough but filters out certain protocols, such as Dropbox - annoying if part of your work is making files available externally using that service.
The window can be tilted but is locked so it cannot be opened completely. According to the note on the bed, they're keeping the window locked to keep pollen out, but that's ridiculous, especially if you can tilt the window. You can get the key to the window at reception, but I didn't bother.
The window is the only way to get fresh air into the room, by the way - there is no A/C. The bathroom has a vent in the ceiling, but I never heard a fan going, so I expect that all the nasty smells coming from the toilet only exit through the window if it is open. I ended up opening and closing the window multiple times throughout the night, as people seem to go a little crazy in the evening (close) and at 5AM (on the dot!), loud cleaning noises start from below (close). I ended up sweating a lot.
This has got to be the most flippant hotel (hostel?) I've ever stayed in. The decoration is, well, different, though interesting.
The hotel is located on the edge of the St. Georg district in Hamburg, on the super-busy Spaldingstraße. I had a room to the inside courtyard - luckily, as I would probably have had issues sleeping with a window to the street. Not only is there a lot of traffic (which you still hear in the courtyard), but also very busy train tracks just behind the street.
My room (202) was tiny and very cramped. It lacked a desk, which was annoying as I did have some work to do before my evening appointment. I ended up lying on the bed with the laptop on my lap - not super comfortable. The hotel provides free Wifi which seems fast enough but filters out certain protocols, such as Dropbox - annoying if part of your work is making files available externally using that service.
The window can be tilted but is locked so it cannot be opened completely. According to the note on the bed, they're keeping the window locked to keep pollen out, but that's ridiculous, especially if you can tilt the window. You can get the key to the window at reception, but I didn't bother.
The window is the only way to get fresh air into the room, by the way - there is no A/C. The bathroom has a vent in the ceiling, but I never heard a fan going, so I expect that all the nasty smells coming from the toilet only exit through the window if it is open. I ended up opening and closing the window multiple times throughout the night, as people seem to go a little crazy in the evening (close) and at 5AM (on the dot!), loud cleaning noises start from below (close). I ended up sweating a lot.