Petul Hotel An der Zeche

It’s a confusing place in a neighborhood that felt questionable to someone from out of town. Ever dreamed of staying at a Lidl? Here’s your chance. Reception is at one address, while the room is at another, inside a Lidl. After 8, nobody is at reception, and getting a key turns into a bit of a mess over the phone while driving between the reception and the Lidl. The rooms are on the Lidl’s second floor, reached by stairs that are steep, long, slippery, and feel unsafe. At a minimum, you could break a leg, or a neck as the jackpot, especially around the windows and railings. The second-floor hallway is balcony style, at the height of a third floor, with no protection from things falling down from the height of the Lidl. On the plus side, every two rooms share a sweet little kitchenette, which could help for a longer stay. The rooms are spacious and clean; the bathrooms are old but have a bath and a shower. The view is of the Lidl’s grassed roof. Housekeeping comes once every three days for stays longer than one night. There’s street parking, but almost nowhere nearby to get an evening bite, the places are more than 2 km away, and it’s not suitable for wheelchairs. We won’t be back. Those Lidl stairs are now permanently in my nightmares. And did I mention it’s in a Lidl?

I’d look elsewhere if you’re considering this hotel. The manager treated us badly, gave us dirty looks, and ruined a job interview for me. She accused us of taking food from breakfast by putting up a sign in Spanish, even though we were the only Spaniards there. We also saw other German guests being allowed to take food to their rooms. The internet was terrible, and the treatment was rude throughout. The woman didn’t seem to want to work or make guests comfortable. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a bad experience.

For what it costs, this is good value, and the breakfast, cleanliness, staff, and parking were all good. But I had three serious problems. The street-facing rooms are extremely noisy: cars and trams run all night, and the windows barely block any sound. We checked three times on our first night to make sure they were shut and locked. It felt like sleeping right on the pavement. There was also no phone signal on the first floor for either my wife or me, despite having different providers. That may be down to the building itself. The Wi-Fi, though, was very slow and disconnected around 30-40% of the time, which should be fixable.

More like a small hostel than a hotel. The rooms are tiny, and the bathroom door is glass, which is odd. There’s no restaurant, just breakfast. Nearby, you’ll find a Lidl, McDonald's, a couple of pubs, kebab places, and some Italian food. Parking is good.