HELIOPARK Bad Hotel zum Hirsch

This is where I’ll stay whenever I’m back in this lovely little town. It has everything you’d hope for from a great hotel: excellent rooms, exquisite staff, a delicious breakfast, and a beautiful cigar room. I only wish our hotels in Strasbourg were this nice. Freiherr G.

I’d take the warning from the other reviews seriously and avoid booking this hotel. It doesn’t deserve a four star rating. The rooms were very dusty and the equipment was broken. Staff seemed highly bothered whenever we asked anything and showed little tact with guests. We saw it when we asked why the bath wasn’t working, and in how they treated other customers too. It’s shameful for a place that charges so much and proudly puts a four star sign out front.

The thermal spa water wasn’t available because of a plumbing problem. Things like that can happen, but the way reception dealt with it was unacceptable. The issue hadn’t been mentioned when booking, and when I asked, I got no basic apology. Instead, they told me I would have known it was broken if I’d paid attention to the sign in the elevator. Service and amenities felt more like a budget hotel, and the staff lacked tact and decorum. I was also surprised to have to ask at the lobby for shampoo because they don’t provide it in the rooms, even though this is a four-star hotel.

I was here by myself in early September while traveling around Germany, and this ended up being my favorite booking. The location was excellent, close to the major baths and shopping, and the area was easy to get around on foot. From the hilltop balcony at night I heard people and church bells, but no cars. I also really liked having a full bath with thermal water and the good service and breakfast. The carpet was quite faded, the only downside I could think of, but the room was very clean and well looked after, with none of the old smell I might have expected.