Hey Lou Hotel Karlsruhe Messe

There’s a giant supermarket right across from the hotel, which was handy. We were only stopping for one night on our holiday, but if our daughters hadn’t fallen asleep while we were still several hundred kilometers from home, we would have left. Parking was a struggle. There are very few private spots onsite, and the large lot belongs to the nearby supermarket. Every other space was taken or private, so we ended up parking on the street two blocks away. Check-in is through a high-tech self-service kiosk. It’s an innovative idea, but we’d booked two rooms and it only gave us a key for one. Luckily, the staff member from the bar was kind enough to sort out the second key, since the system didn’t seem to allow it. The rooms are modern and have walk-in showers, but we found several hairs in both the bathroom and bedroom that weren’t ours. There’s a water dispenser in the hallway with free cold water, except the water was warm. The chiller wasn’t plugged in because there’s no power outlet where the dispenser is placed. Hey Lou, quickly became bye Lou!

I’d arranged an early check-in, but found an empty soap dispenser and tissue box in my room. Then the fire alarm went off throughout the hotel at 6:50 a.m. A great wake-up call after a party.

The hotel used to be an IBIS Styles and has since been renamed. The staff were friendly, spoke fluent English, and were very helpful. Breakfast was good. As another reviewer mentioned, the coffee wasn’t good, though I suppose that depends on what you’re used to. I’d definitely stay again. It’s a nice little hotel and very convenient for the Karlsruhe Messe, with a Rewe grocery store next door. But our weeklong stay exposed a major problem with the maid service. Since most guests only stay a night or two, service seemed very poor for us: we wanted fresh towels and the trash emptied, among other things. When we asked for the floor to be swept and the linens changed, the maid service manager rolled her eyes. That was irritating, especially since the thick dust under the couch and beds suggested it hadn’t been swept for months. The floor still had crumbs and little bits of tissue afterward. There’s no fridge or tea-making setup in the room, either. I’ve gotten used to having those in the US and at slightly higher-end hotels.

I don’t recommend this hotel. Checking out was frustrating and disrespectful, and I felt I was treated unfairly because of my race. I just needed to pay for the coffee I’d had that morning and for parking. The staff member helping me stopped in the middle of my checkout to give another guest a bag of ice. After I paid for the coffee, she served a white guest a cup of coffee before completing my transaction. I waited nearly 20 minutes for what should have been a simple payment. It was unacceptable, and I felt that other guests who appeared to be white were being put ahead of me. Illustrative AI-generated image, not an actual photo of the hotel staff.