Welcome Hotel Wesel

The staff were very friendly and helpful, and Maria at the bar was especially nice. She mixed a great gin and tonic, and burger night on Tuesday was good too. I had a great stay here five years ago, but this visit wasn't as good. Work was being done on the roof above my room to install solar panels. I changed rooms, but the crane still started early in the morning and woke me up.

The sauna costs an extra €5, which I thought was fair since it included slippers, a bathrobe, and a bottle of water. We had a good stay and would happily return. Our room on the third floor was spacious, modern, newly furnished, clean, and comfortable, just right for our needs. The dinner staff were friendly, and the hotel gave us a safe indoor place to store our bicycles.

The room arrangement worked well for our family: two en suite bedrooms plus a kitchen and living area gave us plenty of flexibility. We stayed four nights in an 'executive suite'. There are plenty of nearby activities, including a playground, a beach, and the Roman ruins in Xanten. The restaurant food was good and breakfast had a good range of choices. The lobby downstairs has been nicely renovated, but the rooms themselves are in poor condition. The carpets and blinds were stained, curtains were torn, and some furniture looked like it belonged in a charity shop. Part of the kitchen unit was falling apart, probably because it's about 20 years old, and the decor looks very dated. I didn't get the sense that the staff were very service orientated. We have 2 year old twins, and restaurant staff usually ask if we need high chairs and bring them over. Here I had to walk around collecting chairs for the kids every morning. On our first day, maintenance staff showed up without being asked, saying they were there to unclog the drain. It seemed the hotel had put us in a room with a known issue without telling us, and acted like regular drain unclogging was normal. After they finished, they said housekeeping might clean up that day, but they weren't sure, otherwise it would be tomorrow, and that we had two bathrooms so it was fine. Housekeeping never came. It's also strange that you have to ask reception for housekeeping. I think it should be opt out, since one reason to stay at a hotel is to have someone clean every day. I expected staying on the Rhine to be more peaceful. Watching the barges is interesting for a while, but they're not beautiful and they make constant background noise. The €8 parking fee is kind of BS. Most people staying here must arrive by car unless they're on a cycling tour, so it's basically an €8 supplement on every room. I don't know the exact pricing, but I can imagine that adds 10% for many guests. They also charge for extra coffee pods, which should be replenished daily for free on a 4-5 night stay, and charge extra for cutlery in a room with a kitchen. It all feels a bit like a budget airline. The hotel isn't expensive, but I'm not convinced it offers good value.

The location is good. From the balcony, huge oil and chemical tanker barges pass just 100 meters away every 10 minutes, so if that's what you want to see, this is the place for you. Breakfast is fair for the price, but reception is awful. I had trouble getting my invoice. Keep in mind that parking is NOT free for hotel guests, it's €8 per day. I definitely won't go there again.