ibis Styles Arnsberg Sauerland

We slept well and were in no rush since checkout was at noon. After waking to a peaceful snowy morning, though, a staff member, I think the cleaning lady, knocked around 10 and asked when we were leaving and whether we could check out early so she could leave early. We couldn't tell if the weather had anything to do with it, and there wasn't a clear answer. Maybe it was a language barrier, since we don't speak German. I was so taken aback that I couldn't decide what to do, and felt put off, so I started packing. When I handed in the keycard, I asked reception what was going on. We were also worried about the trip home in case it was weather related, but the receptionist didn't know about it and confirmed checkout was noon. She said she'd speak to the cleaning lady. I hope she did, since that small incident rather spoiled what could have been a nice end to the trip. Before that, we'd enjoyed a tasty dinner at the restaurant beside the hotel. We also appreciated the welcome drink vouchers, which they exchanged for vending machine tokens because there wasn't a bar. The coffee machine was available until 9 pm, and I had a nice cup of tea before bed.

The rooms have plenty of space, and so do the beds, though the pillows were a little too soft for me. The hotel seems to have had a bit of a tidy up. In the large bathroom, the window has blinding foil but no blind, so you'd best not stand too close to it naked. My room got warm, so I slept with the window open. The breakfast room was spacious with plenty to choose from, but reception and breakfast are in separate buildings, so you have to cross the road between them. The lobby by reception has free coffee and tea; the other one doesn't. It's a decent stay at a very competitive price in the Sauerland region. The name Arnsberg is a little misleading: the hotel is in former Neheim, now a borough of Arnsberg. Arnsberg proper is a 15 minute drive, 30 minutes by public transport or a 2.5 hour walk away, so having a car is almost a must.

I found an empty soap bottle in the shower, the only real downside. The rooms were clean and the staff very friendly. Breakfast was fine but nothing special, while the attached restaurant was excellent. I had one of the best steaks of my life there.

I wouldn't recommend this room. It was in terrible shape, unclean and smelled unpleasant.