Courtyard By Marriott Cologne

“Away from the crowds”

Not the prettiest neighborhood and a 20 min walk to most of the activity in Cologne. However, it is only 1 block from Medieval gate/Rudolphplatz and it was nice to get away from the river cruise crowds. Also only 1 block from Rewe and 1 block from a great Indian restaurant. Small room but very comf… more

Not the prettiest neighborhood and a 20 min walk to most of the activity in Cologne. However, it is only 1 block from Medieval gate/Rudolphplatz and it was nice to get away from the river cruise crowds. Also only 1 block from Rewe and 1 block from a great Indian restaurant. Small room but very comfortable. Excellent staff, excellent breakfast. There was a beautiful full honeycomb on the breakfast buffet. The Afri-cola history of the location is quite interesting. We ended up staying 3 nights even though we only intended to stay one night.

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“Good for a visit to the Christmas market”

Pretty good option for Christmas markets We stayed here for a couple of nights while we’re visiting the Christmas markets of Cologne The hotel is not right in the centre but only about a 10 minute walk so we were happy with the location The rooms are very comfortable. I slept well. There is a re… more

Pretty good option for Christmas markets We stayed here for a couple of nights while we’re visiting the Christmas markets of Cologne The hotel is not right in the centre but only about a 10 minute walk so we were happy with the location The rooms are very comfortable. I slept well. There is a restaurant and bar, but we didn’t have breakfast in the hotel on this Saturday night the bar was pretty busy. Because of the time of year the rate is pretty high so seem quite expensive for what it is Overall, I was pretty satisfied I understand this is peak season . One I’m not accustomed to is that they hold money on our card in case of extras and then refund on checkout usually this is done by having a credit card on the system. This forces you to do a physical check out to make sure you’re not being charged for anything in error. In addition to this the way you log into the Wi-Fi means that you can easily log into the paid Wi-Fi and be charged €10 for something you can get for free . I really think this feels like a way to get another €10 out of you.. We also note that a bottle of water in the bar was €8, which seems excessive.

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“Beautiful hotel with quirks”

Stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott Cologne for six nights during the middle of August using points. Let me start with the location first. The hotel is 10 to 15 minutes walk from the main train station (Hauptbahnhof) away from downtown in a quiet though attractive residential area. Some reviewers h… more

Stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott Cologne for six nights during the middle of August using points. Let me start with the location first. The hotel is 10 to 15 minutes walk from the main train station (Hauptbahnhof) away from downtown in a quiet though attractive residential area. Some reviewers had less good things to say regarding the neighborhood but it really is not bad. There is a large plaza with a castle gate ( do not remember the name) just one block away with plenty of reasonably priced restaurants - one doe not need to go downtown for dinner (though one should) and a grocery store across the main street in front of the hotel - ideal for picking up snacks or groceries - the store also sells wine. mostly from local wineries. So walking to the city center where the magnificent cathedral is (do visit it) is easy. But you will have to walk more to access the rest of the downtown commercial area and the museums. If coming from the train station with luggage you may need a taxi (costs about 9 euro )about 12 dollars) - not really cheap but worth it should it be needed. There is a subway station about three blocks up but since I never used the subway I could not tell you where it goes. For those who need it there is a charging station at the entrance for electric vehicles. Now to the hotel. The property is about two years old and looks it. It is very modern and technologically savvy (more on that shortly). The lobby is small with a tiny seating area but with three desks for quick check-ins. There is a restaurant (the Bistro) open for all three meals till late at night. It is equipped with regular tables and chairs as well as couches with TVs to watch news or whatever as you eat - nice idea. More on the food and service later. Check-in (at 3:00) was swift and courteous. My room was on the fourth floor on the inside of the L-shaped hotel. So I had a view of the backyards of some homes on the block - no worries there as I was never in the room all day long. As to the room itself it is in my opinion more technologically functional than it needs to be and lacks the ultimate in comfort. The living area had a huge king bed, a bit hard for my taste but not bad. The desk area was a long counter with the tea and coffee facilities and an outlet (used that for my phone). There is an ottoman for seating in this area (not very comfortable). In the corner of the room is a large glass desk with wheels and a chair also with wheels. these were almost impossible to move because of the rug underneath and the chair while cushioned was very hard and not ideal to sit in for long periods of time, not even with a pillow at my back. So the chair is not what I would call therapeutic. One unusual feature in the room is that there is a slot in the entryway where you must insert your keycard to turn on the lights. With the card in you have control over which lights you turn on and off. But if you accidentally remove the card then all the lights go out. So be careful with this especially if you are sharing the room with someone. This feature is a bit much as far as technology is concerned. The TV however is excellent - a large 55 inches I believe with enough channels of both programs and music to satisfy anyone. And the WiFi worked flawlessly - i was listening to my favorite music station from New York City with no problem at all. The room does have a safe in the large closet but surprising for a Courtyard, no minibar or min-fridge (could have used the fridge!). The bathroom, while beautiful in style was not very functional. The walk-in shower (no tub) had a half partition so one has to be careful how you use the shower in terms of water and direction or your floor may get wet - there is no door or curtain. And the shower's granite floor is very slippery - please use the extra floor mat provided. The sink is also positioned with the faucets on the side of the sink - not the best. And the wastebasket in the bathroom is absolutely tiny - about six inches high - quite unusual. The restaurant (bistro) is very convenient for meals any time of day. The breakfast is a very expansive buffet with enough cooked items (eggs, meats and veggies) as well as pastries, fruit, coffee, tea and water. While excellent in quality I though the price a bit steep - 23 euros. I had lunch at the bistro a couple of times and the food was good - a chicken sandwich one day and a burger the other. There was however a language issue with the server at my burger lunch which was resolved after a couple of tries. So the bistro is a viable option if you want to eat in but there are many other dining choices in the neighborhood and downtown. There is also a large fitness center which looked great but did not use and there is a gym next door which I also could not comment on. The hotel has air-conditioning in the public areas and guestrooms. I bring this up because on my walks through Cologne I noticed that most of the other hotels I saw did not have this feature. So the AC may be a deciding factor in staying at the Courtyard depending on what time of year you visit. So in closing, I would sum up by saying that the Courtyard by Marriott Cologne stresses technology and aesthetic looks over comfort especially as concerns the guestrooms. Others may think differently but this is my opinion. I would keep this hotel in mind as an option should I visit Cologne again but I would investigate other choices in town as well.

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