Hotel am Augustinerplatz

The beds were comfortable and the hotel's in a good location. The rooms were generally clean, although the way to the toilet felt quite narrow. When I asked, they brought us a kettle and glass, which was a nice gesture. We knew early check-in would cost an extra 30 euros, so we arrived at 15:06. The receptionist said the room wasn't ready for the third person, even though our reservation had included them from the start. It was extremely hot inside, hard to breathe normally. I think they'd simply forgotten we were coming, even though we'd stopped by earlier with our luggage and reminded them we'd be back at 3.

A small, comfortable room. There wasn't TV service, and although the bathroom was spacious, it only had a large tub and a shower wand, no proper shower. Bring an adapter if you're using USA plugs.

After I got home, I found out the hotel had tried to get Google to remove this review. I gave Google evidence of what happened, and it was reinstated. One night I returned late from dinner and my key card wouldn't work. There was nobody at reception and no phone number to call. I waited half an hour before someone who worked there showed up. I travel 70-90 days a year, and this was honestly the lowest hotel standard I've come across. They seem to have lost control of the operation, and I don't feel safe there. Choose another hotel. They also once walked into my room without knocking, saying it wasn't booked in the system. That left me worried about my privacy and the security of my belongings. The hotel had confirmed that, as requested, the room booking was changed from my coworker's name to mine. But when I arrived, they'd cancelled it. They found me another room at the same price, but it was much smaller than the rooms my two coworkers had, even though all three were booked together. Making that cancellation mistake and charging the same for a smaller, more basic room was a bad look. On top of all that, the pillows were awful, there was dust on the shelves and in the wardrobe, and the iron they provided was terrible. There wasn't one in the room. I wouldn't recommend this place to business travelers.

Cologne is easy to explore from here, and the hotel worked perfectly for a trip with my dog. Shops, places to eat, the metro, trams, buses, and the Central Station are all within easy reach. The room was warm and comfortable, with a great TV and a really good hot shower that was simple to use. The staff were friendly and cooperative. Receptionist Ismena and the rest of the team did their jobs very well, and housekeeping was good too. I'll definitely be back.