Hotel & Restaurant Merfelder Hof

We spent a night there with the kids while travelling back from Belgium to Sweden. I wouldn’t recommend it. It seems more focused on running the restaurant than on the hotel’s reputation. The service was poor from booking through to managing the room, even though the renovation was good. 😏

The check-in was a struggle after a long day of driving. I’d started at 4:00 AM for a business trip and arrived exhausted in the evening, expecting to get in quickly and rest. Since I’d booked and paid through Booking.com, I thought it would be straightforward, but the entrance was locked and the self-service terminal didn’t recognize me. I entered my full reservation number and my name in the right fields, with my surname last, just as on Booking.com. After nearly 30 minutes of trying and another 10-15 minutes on the phone, the manager came down. He explained that I needed only the first four digits of the reservation number and had to put my first name after my surname. There were no instructions saying this. How was I meant to guess that? I told him I didn’t have the energy for technical problems after such a long day. Instead of understanding, he suggested the fault was mine. I felt he was trying to make me look stupid instead of acknowledging that the system was poorly designed and unclear. The hotel looks modern, but after 5 PM there’s no staff on site, so if something goes wrong you’re left to work it out alone. For the price, I expected a working check-in or at least basic customer service. It left a very poor impression, and this was honestly one of the worst hotel stays I’ve had.

The worst part was the bed and pillow, which felt as hard as rock. My wife and I barely slept, and in all our travels we’ve never had such an uncomfortable night. When reception asked how our stay had been, we explained, but she basically said we must be wrong because nobody else had complained. That response is why we’ll never stay at the Merfelder Hof again. The place looked worn and in need of repairs. The stair carpet up to the first floor was badly worn, with carpet treads patched over it that were worn too. Our room also hadn’t been dusted in a while, and nearly every surface had a thick layer of dust. We were only there for one night, so we’d hoped at least to get some sleep. No such luck.

The rooms were clean and stood out, and the housekeeping team and owners were great and friendly. I loved the unusual furnishings in the lobby and restaurant. The newer wing could use an elevator, but we had a wonderful stay overall. 🥰👌🏽