Hotel Engelhorn

I like staying here. It's clean and comfortable, and although it's outside the city, you can get there fairly quickly. The restaurant on site is comfortable, and the food has never let me down. The staff are always excellent and happy to help with whatever I need.

Hospitality can make a huge difference. My first rating was two stars, but I changed it because of how the staff treated me afterward. The bed was comfortable, the shower pressure was good, and the rooms were quiet, even though the stay itself was rough. I hadn't expected self check-in, and I wasn't a fan, though they did provide detailed instructions. I arrived in the evening and got the keys without much trouble, then found my room smelled horribly of sewage. I couldn't even sit in it while trying to get help. The hotel didn't respond to my emails or Booking.com messages. Only after I escalated the issue with booking.com did they move me to another room. The new room didn't smell, so I stayed there, but the shower flooded the floor and there was no heat, even though it was 2C outside. It was too late to go through booking again for help. In the morning, the hotel staff apologized profusely and asked how they could better let guests know about other ways to get in touch when nobody was on duty. They showed they cared, which meant a lot after the frustration and lack of sleep. They said they'd found the source of the smell and could fix it for future guests. They gave me breakfast and treated me like family at Christmas. The manager spoke to me with respect, consideration, and empathy. That went a long way.

I slept really well on a great mattress during my business trip this week. The location also worked perfectly for getting to Walldorf and Heidelberg. The customer service was excellent, with all the little things that make you feel at home, and I even received a nice Christmas present. I highly recommend the Engelhorn and look forward to coming back.

Later note: The hotel accused me of defamation. I only gave it 3 out of 5, so it's not a bad review. This is how they end up with such a high rating. The room is large and spacious, but there's no blind to block the sunrise. If you can't sleep with the light coming in, you'll wake very early in summer. Breakfast was just okay and very minimal. We chose the hotel because of the good breakfast reviews, but didn't enjoy it. We were there on a Sunday, and breakfast started at 8am. Guests who'd been awake since 5am because of the light all rushed in at once, and it was a mess. Fried eggs were gone by 8:05, and so on. The breakfast room is cramped and felt crowded, with only a small table for all the food. The croissant was the lowest quality. There was no seafood or cake. It was nothing like the relaxing, generous breakfast we'd expected, just rushing around and bumping into other guests.