Hotel Santo Karlsruhe

The breakfast had a really broad range of options, and it was very well managed. The bathroom was especially nice too. The hotel is clean and attractive, with professional, kind and helpful receptionists. They explained the parking choices at check-in: a paid garage that’s quite narrow, or free rooftop parking. For the rooftop, the receptionist opens the car entrance, and you reach the parking area from the hotel’s second floor. The doorway from the roof back into the hotel isn’t marked very clearly, and is roughly in the middle of the parking area, not at either side. We also tried the hotel bar with the 50% off your first drink voucher that comes with each booking per person. It’s nicely furnished, and the staff seemed to know their drinks; service was good. The nearby streets have lovely architecture, and the hotel made a good starting point for our walk around Karlsruhe’s sights.

We spent a week here as a group of four while working at a nearby venue. The rooms were great and the reception staff were lovely, but in the bar we felt like outsiders. The bar staff didn’t make us feel fully welcome, almost as if our euros mattered less because we weren’t hotel guests. We behaved ourselves the whole time, but that feeling was disappointing in an otherwise lovely hotel.

The bar was still a quiet, relaxing place most days, with plenty of seating, friendly staff and great service. I really liked the Banana no Monkey and Pisco Summer drinks. One night, though, there was loud piano music. I also stayed in a room for four nights: it was spacious and had a safe, A/C, refrigerator and bottled water each day. I liked the lotion, body wash, shampoo and conditioner, and the bathroom was roomy but had no bathtub. The front desk was professional, the restaurant staff were great, and the breakfast buffet was substantial. The bed sagged a bit and wasn’t very comfortable, and the blackout curtain didn’t keep out all the outside light.

The staff were excellent and helpful, especially when I was arranging travel to the office I was visiting. The hotel is within walking distance of the city centre, and the walk from the train station is pleasant, along a tree-covered street. Check-in was easy, the WiFi was strong enough for work, and the room had a comfortable bed, lots of light and a useful workstation with a comfortable chair. I’d just come from another hotel without air conditioning, so the good AC and comfortable room were welcome. The rooms were nice enough. It had over 1,000 reviews and was over four stars.