Hotel Hollander Hof

Historic, Central, Inviting... but not Great...

(Review by my mother who stayed here in July 2011)

The Hollaender Hof ("the Dutchman's Courtyard") is a beautiful and eye-catching building that sits right in the heart of Heidelberg's old town. Its location right by the Neckar River provides fantastic views across the water to the famous Philosopher's Walk and of course the Old Bridge. The grounds of this old hotel building were first mentioned in records dating all the way back to 1386. The hotel known as "Hollaender Hof" has existed since 1887.

The hotel has 39 rooms equipped with direct dial telephone, TV-set and radio, safety boxes (big enough for laptops), hairdryer, minibar & shower/bathroom. Internet access is NOT free. Some of the rooms have air-conditioning, which can be a lifesaver during the few but intensely hot and stuffy summer days in the old town. There is also special elevator access for a small number of disability-friendly rooms.

Unique Quality: We had one of the larger double rooms at the front of the hotel, with a lovely view over the Neckar River and the Old Bridge. However, although the room was quite spacious and comfortable, it was lacking those certain "extras" that would demonstrate this to be a true 3-star superior hotel.

> when asking for some wash cloths or small face towels, reception gave a short answer and shoulder shrug: "we don't have anything like that."
> when asking whether it was possible to have a cup of tea brought to the room in the evening, receptionist rudely explained "Well, I'm all alone down here right now, so I guess I could bring you a tea but you'll just have to wait until I have time. It could be a while."
> we didn't bother eating breakfast in the hotel, as it's charged extra. The small breakfast (cup of coffee and a baked item) is 5 Euros, the buffet per person is 12 Euros which we found overpriced when thinking about what we were already paying for the room. Our top tip is to have breakfast in one of the numerous cafes nearby. (We had a huge breakfast every morning at "The Back Factory" for a mere 2.50 Euros per person. It's 5min walking distance from the hotel.)
> we are certain that someone from the room cleaning staff stole an expensive designer t-shirt from our room. Although this infuriated us, we didn't bother complaining because unfortunately it would be impossible to prove.
> in general, the hotel seemed understaffed and the few staff that we did encounter were quite abrasive and extremely inflexible.

--> So, although this hotel looks lovely from the outside and undoubtedly has one of the city's most enviable locations, we wouldn't stay here again. For the price you are paying the service and facilities just aren't up to the expected / required standard.
I had read many great reviews (also about the staff) before our stay, so perhaps they were having a "bad week" but this is still no excuse to treat guests in such an abrasive and unhelpful manner.

• Opinion of Price: more expensive than average
• Related to: Seniors, Romantic Travel and Honeymoons, Historical Travel
• Written April 25, 2011

Hotel Hollander Hof Photo: Hollaender Hof, Heidelberg (from their brochure)

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