stuub karlsruhe

I was very happy with the stay. The room was comfortable, and automated check-in made arriving late easy.

Modern furnishings, but they weren’t very practical. On the first night someone had to go without a blanket because one had been forgotten. There was rubbish in the bin, dirty dish brushes, and no dish soap. The garbage room can only be reached through the emergency exit, and there’s no Wi-Fi or cell signal in the basement. The washing machines are expensive. Entry and exit depend entirely on a mobile phone, so without signal you can’t get in, and this place won’t suit anyone uneasy with phones. Service was mediocre too: the website says everyone gets a Black Forest Card after check-in, but when we asked, they said they don’t provide one, even after we pointed out the information. I can’t recommend it.

The rooms were modern and fairly comfortable, and the location was convenient, with supermarkets, a commuter train station, and a little park nearby. But the week with our family was full of access problems. The door cards weren’t available because there was an issue programming them, and a screen note said it would be fixed as soon as possible. I don’t know how long it had been there, but nobody did anything about it for the whole week. We had to use our phones for every door, and when the Wi-Fi failed we spent half a day stuck outside locked doors. We also had to collect our grandmother daily and take her around, since older people may not carry phones or be comfortable with the technology. The sink and drawers beside the bins were dirty, and the previous guest’s toilet paper was still on the roll. We’d requested two blankets when booking but only one was there on arrival. Online requests were sometimes answered quickly and sometimes ignored. Having no staff on site may suit the business, but guests could use someone there at times. The modern entry system itself is fine if the cards actually work and guests don’t have to rely on phones for everything.

The place looks new and stylish, but it has little charm or flair, and it feels disconnected from people who aren’t constantly on their phones. I saw many older people struggling. Anyone who knew the Stuub in Staufen may be especially disappointed, since this has nothing to do with the traditional Stube. A few specifics: there’s no regular TV for a quick look at the news. The lighting in rooms and studios feels like a gym, all LED spots with no table or floor lamps, and there aren’t even reading lights by the bed in the apartment. The room keys couldn’t be programmed because they weren’t there, and the note about it seems to have been hanging around forever. Taking out rubbish is awkward because you can’t get back into the hotel afterwards. Wi-Fi is unstable, which causes serious trouble unlocking doors. Some changes could make the place much better, but we won’t book Stuub again.