The client I was working with had booked my stay at The Kanzler on my behalf. I was a little despondent as I was hoping to cash in on a Hilton Hhonors promo.
I arrived at the hotel around 11:30am having arrived back into the UK only the night before from a stay in the US. It was cold in Bonn and I may have been just a touch on the grumpy side but was trying hard not to show it.
Check in did not go well. The staff member was bordering on grumpy (although perhaps this is a German thing), and throughout the very lengthy check-in process I helped myself to a chocolate from the bowl at reception. As I reached for another chocolate the staff member moved the plate to the other side of the counter. Seriously.
This is a ‘Living Hotel’ which I think means that they offer deals for long stay guests – later during my stay while sat in the ‘lobby’ I did observe a guest pay some €3000 for a four – week stay. Rooms for this purpose have a small kitchen and a dining table, which I guess, does make things better when you stay for a while.
Anyway – with my keys (but no chocolate) in hand I made my way up the rather grand spiral staircase with many pictures of German politicians, to my room. The room was pretty big although the first thing I noticed was that the beds (yes, two singles) were really low down. Think didn’t bother me as a lone business traveller but I wouldn’t have been very amused if I had Mrs Travel Freak with me. A nicer touch was the small packet of Haribos that were on the pillow; they didn’t last long.
The room had a desk, floor to celling windows (with automatic curtains) and a mini-fridge stocked with water, Becks and a Weissbeir. I was however, most excited by the price-list; the contents of the fridge were refreshed daily and were complimentary.
Bathroom was very white and didn’t have much in the way of ‘stuff’. Make sure you bring your own shampoo, shower gel etc. if you are here for any length of time. Interestingly enough the bar of soap in the bathroom (that was used for my hands only) got smaller and smaller as my stay progressed. It was never replaced! Not sure if this is German efficiency or just annoying.
The bar was… non-existent. There is an Italian restaurant here called Da Dante that isn’t too bad (review to follow). As you enter the restaurant from the hotel, there is a space about the size of my lounge that has two tables in it. There is no ambience here whatsoever and I (nor indeed anyone else it seemed during my 2 week stay) had no intention of having a drink here. It was disappointing, particularly when you had to walk (20 mins) or take a U-Bahn to town (less than 5 mins, if you get the times right) to find a bar.
Breakfast was… variable but a little dull. Normal buffet affair, you got coffee from the staff but if you wanted tea you had to make it yourself… There is a drawer underneath the teapots that has all of the ‘premium’ tea bags in it. Help yourself – I did throughout my stay. There was a very limited amount of hot food available here – certainly not enough to warrant the 16€ price. I would suggest you pick up a croissant elsewhere. There is an industrial sized Nespresso machine here so the coffee at least, is pretty good.
Staff throughout my stay were… there? It wasn’t that they were unhelpful; more that they just didn’t seem to have any desire to do anything that wasn’t check you in, or out.
The Kanzler was to me, serviced apartments that lacked some real facilities. A hotel shouldn’t pretend to be 4-star when they don’t even have a bar. The restaurant (and thus the ‘bar’) is closed all day on a Sunday so aside from the beer in your room, there is nothing available. Room service doesn’t exist here either and the constant sound of flowing water from the fountain in the lobby make it an uninviting place to loiter with your coffee or beer from the bar.
It reminded me of a Travelodge with a grand staircase and nice coffee. The price however for non corporate guests, did not reflect that.
If you arrive here late, you need to venture into town to find anything to eat / drink. There is nothing close to the hotel other than a bowling alley – which does have a bar I guess, however the food is all frozen and the atmosphere is certainly not what I look for after a long flight!
I paid 95€ on a corporate rate and will certainly not be asking to stay here again.
Derag Living Hotel Kanzler Bonn, Adenauerallee 148, Gronau, 53113, Bonn. Website.
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