SMARTY Cologne Dom Hotel - Boardinghouse

A big shame. DO NOT BOOK with them. I arrived at 10 PM on December 21st, 2025, for the one-night flat I'd booked, only to find someone else already inside. I'd completed the arrival form a week earlier to confirm the Booking.com reservation. There was no one on site, so I called the online staff. They said they couldn't help and hung up. I had to find another flat in Koln at that hour. I'd also paid a 20€ late checkout fee, which Smarty never refunded. A big shame. DO NOT BOOK with them.

Avoid this place!! The room wasn't clean when I arrived, and someone was sleeping right in front of the entrance, so getting into the building was difficult. The staff were rude and didn't help. I'd booked through Booking.com and noticed within ten minutes that I'd chosen the wrong date. I tried calling the hotel straight away, but they didn't answer at first. When someone finally picked up, they said cancellations weren't their responsibility and refused to assist. The hotel then told Booking.com customer service they'd reply within ten minutes, but never did. Two hours before check-in on the reservation date, they finally said it was too late to cancel because it was “last minute,” even though I'd tried to sort it out immediately. Very disappointing. Poor service and unacceptable conditions.

Check-in is self-service, so there's no reception to leave your bags after checkout. There was a luggage storage place nearby, though. The room was cute and had its own bathroom, and it stayed quiet overnight. There's a Delongi coffee machine with pods included. It's about a five-minute walk from the station and cathedral.

The location is right in the center, but check-in deserves maybe two stars at most. The room I got was the smallest I've ever stayed in. Most of the rooms seem renovated, but both TVs were set to Türkey language and didn't work at all. There's no breakfast on site.