Hotel Schmidt

The location is the strongest point, right across from the metro in a posh part of hamburg. It's quiet and convenient, with a little shopping area close by and a direct ride to the airport, stadium and city center. The hotel occupies three separate buildings, and the rooms vary a lot, apparently depending on when each building was renovated. My first room smelled damp and had serious humidity damage. After a discussion with the manager, we were moved to a much nicer room.

It's close to a train station, which is why I gave it one star :). The hotel isn't all that bad, but the pillows are really uncomfortable, and there wasn't a single English-language TV channel. Maybe that's normal throughout Germany. The dealbreaker for me was having no vegan breakfast option.

We left the car parked and used the train instead. It got us to central Hamburg in 15 minutes and saved both time and money. The hotel was a very good value, with free Wi-Fi, breakfast and parking. The chief portier spoke English fluently and was very helpful, while the other staff knew less English, so I used the German I'd learned at school. Our spacious room had a lovely bathroom and had been recently renovated. Housekeeping was very good. The train station and a very good Block House restaurant are both across the street, but we weren't bothered by the trains in our room. The location was just right, and we were pleasantly surprised. Check what room you're booking, though, since not all of them have been renovated yet.

Breakfast was tasty and had a good selection, and there's private parking. The rooms were clean, though a little small and definitely cold. Quite a few are in a separate building from the breakfast room, which gets a bit annoying.