Hotel Mannheimer Hof - Leonardo Limited Edition

This felt like a missed opportunity. The building has a rich history, but the interior comes across as cheap, with lots of inexpensive materials, plastic plants and very few amenities. There’s no room service, for example. The trip was booked for me, and I wouldn’t have stayed had I known about the owners’ strong support for groups accused of human rights violations. Do your own research.

Parking was easy to access and cost €10 per day. The spaces are a bit tight if you have lots of luggage, but compared with other hotels it seemed good value. At the exit, I was first asked to pay. The second ticket, which I’d picked up at reception, covered the charge to be paid through the hotel. The hotel itself looks stunning in the lobby and elsewhere, though my room felt older and dated. Its bathroom needed attention, with some mould on the walls and a yellowish showerhead that needed a thorough clean. I’d read that some rooms have been renovated, so it seems to vary.

The location worked really well, right by the Wasserturm, with restaurants and cafes close by. It took about 12 minutes to walk from the train station, and 5-10 minutes to reach the main Mannheim area. There was also a cafe just 3 minutes away where we picked up breakfast. We slept well even with the windows open, and the always-staffed front desk was helpful. They caught that I’d been charged twice and refunded the extra payment straight away. Of all the places we stayed on our Germany trip, this was our favorite. It felt fancier than the other hotels we used, a bit like a US hotel with a European feel, and it wasn’t as expensive as we expected. The rooms, beds and bathrooms were larger than in a typical European hotel, while the pillows, comforter, shower, toilet, sink and windows had the usual European style. The elevator also felt very European and old, with a small cabin and a door you have to pull or push fully before it moves. We’d definitely stay here again.

This place was sooo bad. The room was tiny and disgusting. They first put us in one without AC, then moved us after we complained, but that room was bad too. The bathroom was gross, the sheets smelled, and the mattress was stiff as a rock. We barely slept. The elevator hardly worked, so we had to drag our suitcase down five flights of stairs. The hotel’s really old, and the elevator looks like it’s from the 60s.