Brenners Park - Hotel & Spa, Oetker Hotels

The hotel’s location is legendary, the rooms are comfortable, and the staff are dedicated. I’ve edited this review because although there were some shortcomings at first, the hotel corrected them quickly. Wishing them all the best.

The spa experience was disastrous. The front desk didn’t explain the treatment properly, so we had to switch therapists halfway through. I ended up standing there in a bathrobe, half-naked, trying to sort out a situation that should never have happened. The therapists’ English wasn’t the problem, and I don’t blame them. The spa receptionist, who was the only English-speaking staff member, seemed completely indifferent, as if it had nothing to do with her. Even with the Do Not Disturb sign clearly on, someone opened our door and walked in. Room service was no better: the phone rang and rang without an answer. We had booked a table at the restaurant but never got a confirmation call. Simple requests took nearly an hour, if anyone responded at all. We also asked for a morning newspaper, which never arrived. At this point I’m not sure they can handle any task properly. This is the first review I’ve ever written, and I’m shocked it has to be about a hotel calling itself a “grand institution.” Our stay at Brenners Park-Hotel was appallingly bad, and staying quiet would feel dishonest. It’s astonishing that a place so focused on its “heritage” can’t provide the service you’d expect from a basic four-star hotel. They simply don’t think about their guests. If they carry on this way, they’ll be left behind. We certainly won’t return.

The people here made this feel like a real five-star stay. We were traveling with our 16 month old, so we probably asked a lot, but room service and the concierge handled everything quickly and got our requests right. The staff in the childcare program were lovely too, and our kid was thrilled with the AWESOME BALL PIT. My wife and I also enjoyed the spa, including a massage and a mani pedi for her. The spa desk was helpful throughout, and the front desk concierge listened well and helped us plan activities. The valet and door staff were great, and the valet guys were fun to chat with while accommodating my particular parking needs. One snag: Google Maps sends you one street away, so that should be corrected. Once we found the place, though, everyone was incredibly helpful. Brenner really works hard to get things right. Best five-star hotel I’ve stayed at for service and staff helpfulness. Tchuss!

We were looking forward to this vacation, but the hotel managed to mess things up more than 50 times, not just five or ten. I can’t understand how this much chaos is possible. Brenners Park Hotel has redefined rock bottom for hospitality for me, and I’ve never experienced anywhere close to this level of dysfunction. The room problems alone made it hard to rest. The ventilation in one of our four booked rooms, an extremely expensive suite, started making an unbelievable noise at random. We reported it in the morning before going out for most of the day. Six hours later it was worse. When we returned hoping to relax, maintenance spent two hours in the suite while we wanted to rest and only partly fixed it. Getting settled was a mess too. We checked in for two rooms but were given just one key for four people. Our bags arrived an hour later, after three phone calls, and we were still waiting for a second room key 24 hours afterward. The housekeeping was dreadful. Dust covered every corner, light switch, cupboard top, and wall picture. There were spiderwebs in the breakfast room, and the windows were filthy, as shown in the photos. Around the pool and spa, all the desks were unattended, and several loungers were left covered with towels that seemed to have been there for hours. The whole area felt unmanaged. Since check-in, we asked about six times to speak with the general manager, but never found out what he looked like. Each time, he was said to be in a meeting, or staff didn’t know where he was or how to contact him. We had told management about our awful experiences and expected proper care on arrival. Somehow, it got worse.