Hotel Austria Stuttgart-City

This felt more like an unexpectedly expensive youth hostel than a hotel. There was no reception, just a check-in machine by the entrance, and our cramped room had a broken shower. We called the contact numbers for help and got no answer. We left a voicemail and never heard back. Breakfast wasn’t great either. The food quality was poor, and guests had to clear up after themselves.

The continental breakfast was great, and it made the stay worthwhile for us. The room was clean enough and we slept fine, though it smelled strongly of sweat. We only needed a place for one night to shower and rest, arriving around 10 pm, and the 24-hour self-service check-in worked perfectly. Four stars for what we needed, but I probably wouldn’t want to stay longer than a couple of nights.

The railway and tram stations are only 200 metres away, which was the one good thing for me. The rooms were very small and not soundproof at all. There was noise all night from people coming and going who didn’t seem to know how to keep quiet. The lack of hotel staff probably makes that disrespect worse. Check-in is through a machine at the entrance, with no staff there. The bathroom also had two leaks.

We had a double bed but were given two single blankets, and the pillows were so uncomfortable it felt like there was nothing under my head. The room was hot, with the window as the only way to cool it down. Unfortunately it faced the main road, so there was a lot of noise. The carpet felt sticky, as if it hadn’t been washed in ten years. I’ve stayed in much better hotels for half the price.