Hotel Am Viktualienmarkt

I hate leaving a bad review after barely experiencing a place, but this was an expensive, unpleasant stay and I think that should be recorded. I was there for just 90 minutes, so I can’t fairly judge the whole hotel. Still, my first impression was so poor that I can only imagine what the five days I’d booked and paid for might have been like. They charged for the full stay, which is fair, though unfortunate, and I feel that entitles me to share my experience. The lobby was fine. The elevator felt coffin-sized, and the hallway was narrow, dim and ugly. My room was like a large closet, which was my own fault for booking a double room for single occupancy. If you’re considering that room type, expect a closet and all its charm. I’ve rarely felt so underwhelmed walking into a room. I’d stayed in a similar one in London, and my heart sank as soon as I entered. Maybe I just react badly to rooms like that, but that was my experience. I didn’t see any other rooms, so perhaps they’re nice. I couldn’t get the internet working on either of my devices. It may have been a problem with my devices rather than the hotel’s connection, but I wasn’t willing to troubleshoot at a place I already wanted to leave. Even if the internet had worked, it would only have put off that decision. I don’t know how this hotel ended up in guidebooks. I can’t remember whether I saw it in Rick Steves or Lonely Planet, but I’ll keep questioning whichever source recommended it. Perhaps there’s charm here, but I didn’t find it.

We had to leave our previous accommodation after a bad experience, so we booked this place on the same day. The street is lovely and quiet, yet close to all the main sights. It felt a little expensive for a fairly basic three-star hotel, though Munich is pricey, especially over Easter. Breakfast was good, with fresh bread, and the staff were friendly.

My son-in-law was especially taken with the beer vending machine in the lobby. We spent Christmas week at Hotel am Viktualienmarkt with our daughters and their spouses and had a great time. Breakfast was great each morning, and the staff were friendly and accommodating.

The service and location were great, but the dated hotel had some real downsides. Our rooms got extremely hot while it was in the high 80s Fahrenheit outside. Fans were available, but sleep was still hard. We couldn’t leave the windows open at night because of the noise from the restaurants downstairs and the strong cigarette smell. Wi-Fi was out for most of our stay, which was frustrating for nearly everyone since only one of us had mobile service in Europe. There also wasn’t anywhere to sit and chat or play games: the breakfast room was closed after breakfast, leaving our rooms as the only place to go. Breakfast itself was a standard European spread, and the staff worked hard to clear and reset the tables.