eXo Boutique Hotel Mannheim

The room was stuffy and musty, the whole hotel smelled strongly of cigarette smoke, and there was no air conditioning, only a fan. Housekeeping came in despite our Do Not Disturb sign, then turned off the fan and lights we had left on because the air was so unbearable. The hotel was also loud, overpriced for what it offered, and had no reception staff overnight, from 10:30 pm to 6 am. Our booking was two back-to-back reservations for four days total, two nights each, paid through our credit card. We arrived a day early, paid for that first night, and asked to keep the same room for five nights altogether. The receptionist struggled with the booking, said we had double booked, and claimed he could not see our second reservation even after I showed the confirmation email. He also said the hotel had no King beds, although they were advertised on booking sites. After some back and forth, he took payment for the first night and assured us we were set for all five nights in the same room. On day three, we found a note asking us to see reception, but it was after 11 pm and nobody was there. At noon the next day, the same receptionist asked for €4 in taxes. We paid and specifically checked that the reservation was in place for the rest of our stay. He said it was. That evening, just five hours before we were due to leave for FRA airport, we came back and found all our luggage gone. We called and were told we had to drive 30 minutes to their other hotel in Heidelberg and pay for two nights before they would give our belongings back. Their explanation was that Expedia had cancelled the reservation and had not paid them. I tried to show proof of payment, but they would not acknowledge it. After several calls and getting Capital One involved, a manager who was not on site finally told us we could collect our bags. They had been put in a room by reception. The whole thing felt like a scam and was stressful, dishonest, and unprofessional from beginning to end. I would never recommend staying here in Mannheim.

There’s a garage close by if you arrive by car, and it was inexpensive. The hotel itself scored 10/10 for cleanliness, breakfast, hospitality, and location. One of the best places I’ve stayed.

Really great.