Hotel Motodrom

Breakfast was great, and the room was very clean. You can look out at the start/finish line from the breakfast room, and the hotel is right on the track. Perfect location. I’d stay here again.

The room and bed were a bit small, but we were only sleeping there anyway. It was clean, had airco, and there’s a forest around the corner for walks. The staff were wonderful. I needed a bed my child couldn’t fall out of, and they gave me a room with the bed against the wall, perfect! We ordered dinner at the bar, and breakfast was included in the morning, with lots of tasty options. We also got to watch a car race for free over breakfast. We had a lovely stay.

The track seems to be the only thing keeping this hotel going. Maybe it would even get some improvements if that changed. Parking is free, as it should be. Wi-Fi is free too, but never works. The mini bar looks like it was ripped out. The carpet feels like the underlay you put beneath a carpet, basically straight textile. There’s a tablet in the room, slower than my first laptop from 2006. The bathroom is okay, nothing noteworthy. The freeway runs right outside, so you can’t sleep with the window open. There is AC, which is great. It’s a bit noisy, but should cool the room enough. The walls aren’t very thick, so you might hear your neighbor. We couldn’t access the stands or the balcony during our stay, and it didn’t feel like we were at the track apart from in the breakfast area. I expected more theming. The staff made us feel like aliens. They weren’t especially nice or flexible, and they close up shop pretty early. Unless you’re at the track very late and have been drinking, I wouldn’t recommend this hotel. It’s a short drive into town or to Heidelberg, where hotels might meet a higher standard. Two regular coffees cost 15 euro. Absolute greed pricing.

It was a perfect stop after a long drive, though I imagine things are livelier on race weekends. We were on our way to Munich, and I used to follow F1, though my interest has faded over the last few years. I was still curious to see the track. Without satnav, we had to find the circuit, and the signs weren’t terrible, but it felt like we went round and round. The place was nearly empty that night, but we got a warm welcome. Our room was fine for two. The restaurant was closed that Sunday evening, and after getting lost trying to find the local food area, we ended up at an autobahn service area as a last resort. Breakfast was hand-prepared and tasty. The coffee machine could use a cleaning and more frequent use to improve the taste. All the staff were excellent and helpful, and spoke good English, which helped since our German is limited.