Excelsior Hotel, Munich > Reviews > Does the Excelsior excel?

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money	Average
Quality of Rooms	Average
Standard of Service	Good
Quality of Facilities	Average

Advantages:	Location  -  proximity to railway station
Disadvantages:	No Internet access in rooms, not wheelchair - friendly

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I stayed at the Hotel Excelsior in Munich on a brief overnight stay following a business trip to Munich. The hotel had been recommended by the BayernLB, who I was visiting as part of the trip, and they'd been able to get me a very favourable rate - of EUR 118 for a night including breakfast which was a considerable saving over the rack rate for the hotel. It was particularly practical as the hotel was only a couple of hundred metres from the main railway station (Munich Hbf) which made it a good choice as I could drop my bags off on my way past on the way to the bank. I cose to check in at the same time - and despite the fact that my room was not ready, they were fine about this and had my luggage taken to my room as soon as it did become ready.

The hotel foyer was relatively small, with only a couple of reception desks, but these were both manned all of the time. The check-in process was swift - most of the forms had been pre-filled out by them when they had received my booking - I had to offer a few more details but nothing that really caused any delay to me. There were some Internet terminals just off the foyer, but I did not use these. Had I been staying for longer I might have been a bit disappointed by the lack of Internet connectivity in my room, which seemed surprising given the hotel's claim to be very popular with business travellers.

My room was on the top floor - fifth floor, and facing into a small courtyard and was very quiet, although some rooms face onto the noisier Bayerstrasse. The room did look as though a refit might be due before too long - the furniture was rather old-fashioned although the room was perfectly comfortable. The television was mounted in a unit in the corner - its positioning made it very hard to watch television from bed - something which I do enjoy on a business trip. There were 30 free channels and an assortment of PayTV channels - although I never use PayTV. The bed was comfortable - I had effectively single occupancy of a twin room (with the beds pushed together as is the norm in a twin room.

There was also a well-stocked minibar, but I also didn't use it - after all when you have just had a gourmet three course meal at a Michelin star restaurant, there is little need. The bathroom was well appointed, with a shower in the bath and a sizeable wash console. The bathroom had clearly been given a makeover recently, whilst the room had not. The breakfast buffet, which would usually cost EUR 17 was substantial - with cooked and continental breakfast provisions included, and was as ever more than adequate - at least it meant that I didn't need to sample the catering of Deutsche Bahn / ÖBB on the journey home!

Location-wise the hotel is very well located - next to the train station and also well connected to the public transport networks. Being on a pedestrian street means of course that you can not really get a taxi to the door. I would imagine also that the hotel would struggle to be described as disabled-friendly - there are lots of steps all around the hotel - e.g. from the foyer to the bar and the dining room which would not be wheelchair friendly.

The service of the staff was friendly and efficient and my stay pleasant enough although short. I would, however, have had reservations about paying a full room rate for the hotel - making the reduced rate a very welcome one, Munich's hotels being decidedly pricy.