Hotel Friesenhof

The shade was a problem.

The main road seems to be making the place much noisier than it was a few years back. We used to stay here a lot, but the hotel has gone downhill considerably, and the rooms badly need a full overhaul. On my last visit, breakfast wasn't ready until I woke the staff up.

The building and decor feel dated, though whether that's your style is up to you. Rooms are decent and clean, and the breakfast buffet covers what you need. The staff are friendly, the location is good, and the Wi-Fi is mostly steady and fast. Noise comes through easily from the hall and other rooms because the walls and entrance door don't block much. For what's offered, the price feels a little high. Still, I don't think you'd go wrong staying here.

After checking out, I realized I'd left my electric toothbrush in the room. The hotel confirmed by phone that it had been found, but said they couldn't return it. I offered to email a fully prepaid shipping label so there'd be no cost to them, but they refused and would only let me collect it locally, despite my living over 350 km away. Several emails about it went unanswered, which felt rather unfriendly to guests. During my several-night business stay, I also found the public areas very dark. In the lobby, it seemed only reception was lit, and the bar listed on the website didn't appear to be open. The stairwell and corridors were dark too, often lit only by the emergency exit signs. There were cleanliness and maintenance problems in the room. The armchair had obvious stains I couldn't identify, cobwebs were on the ceiling, and a silverfish came out of the hotel information folder. The tiles beside the toilet stayed visibly dirty for about three days. Towels I'd put on the floor to be changed were hung back up instead. On two breakfast mornings, I was given a dirty cup, and a used teapot was among the clean ones. The toilet water was brown-stained when I arrived and on later days, especially in the morning or after it hadn't been flushed for a while. Other guests said they'd had the same issue. The hotel felt quite dated overall, and the lack of upkeep and cleanliness showed in several places. I left with the impression of a run-down building that needs a lot of improvement in cleanliness, organization, and guest service.