Rath checks in: Wasserturm Hotel Cologne

Impressive hotel building

After bankruptcy, closure and a new start, the house wants to build on successful times.

(Photo: Water Tower Hotel Cologne)

“A hotel as unique as its guests”; “authentic Cologne cordiality”; “A different kind of hotel experience” – this is how the self-proclaimed “newly interpreted Cologne icon” advertises on the website for guests in the Rhine metropolis. It takes my breath away. However, only because I bluntly agree with the last statement. Because I had a different kind of hotel experience all along the line during my stay at the Wasserturm Hotel Cologne, a hotel from the Curio Collection Hilton.

However, probably very different than the operators of the hotel imagine. And that from check-in to room service and room furnishings. An experience that, in the end, cannot turn even a particularly impressive highlight into a positive one.

But from the beginning. The path of hotel operations in the Cologne water tower has been a bumpy one in recent years. After 2018, after more than 28 years of ownership of the Hotel im Wasserturm GmbH, the Vicus Group AG became the owner and handed it over to Travel24 almost overnight, followed by a series of bankruptcies, bad luck and breakdowns. In the end there was bankruptcy and the closure in 2020.

But then in the summer of 2021 there was a new start: the GCH Hotelgroup, which manages 120 hotels across Europe as a franchisee for large chains, took over. In December, the grand opening followed with media fanfare and trumpets, a newspaper headlined: “It’s running smoothly again in the water tower.” The aim was to tie in with the successful times when Brad Pitt, Robbie Williams or even the Rolling Stones are said to have stayed here.

The lobby

The design makes relaxation possible.

(Photo: Water Tower Hotel Cologne)

So my expectations: high. But already at check-in my mood is dampened, because a warm welcome looks different. In general, as a guest I feel more like a foreign body, because a nice greeting, explanations about the hotel itself, the concept or just the way to the room are obviously not standard here. So initiative is required here. So I make my way to the eighth floor through the completely renovated water tower corridors and rooms.

It goes past scraped walls and scratched doors through an overall somewhat battered ambience. So it can only get better, because my room promises “a whole range of amenities” according to the homepage. In the opinion of the operators, this whole series apparently includes: bed, TV, wardrobe. Spartan. That’s definitely my first impression when I enter the approximately 20 square meter room. The costs of between 200 and 250 euros per night are quite high, in this price segment one could expect more attention to detail.

Eight phone attempts at reception

It quickly becomes clear: I want to take a deep breath first. That would work wonderfully on the room’s own balcony with a great view over Cologne, but the door is locked. Nothing can be done here apart from the tilt function. The TV could be a good distraction, but it’s so inconveniently placed that I could only relax and watch TV from my bed when I was at an angle. A swivel arm would have solved the problem quickly, cleverness definitely looks different.

Finally, I find the hotel’s menu, served in the lounge and in the room. Truffle pasta, rump steak, salmon, grilled avocado – sounds clear, but there are still options for every taste. The selection didn’t whet my appetite, but I’d like a glass of wine. My attempt to place my order at the front desk by phone is slowly driving my blood pressure towards the peak. I’ve tried eight times to get someone on the line. But in vain – every call could be an emergency.

scratches on the door

In some places the condition of the house leaves a lot to be desired.

(Photo: Carsten K. Rath)

I am shocked that the needs of the guests are dealt with so succinctly here. Finally, after a long wait, my order is finally heard at the other end of the line, even if I am neither greeted by name nor, despite asking twice, can find out the name of the hotel employee. So I speak to “Mr. Receptionist” and a short time later receive a careless tray with a glass of wine for nine euros, without a nice gesture, flowers or the like. I will be charged an additional eight euros for room service. Without words. The wine then tastes good and soothes me.

A little later I feel like exercise, I go to the in-house fitness room, which is really great, modern and fully equipped. This is how hotel fitness is fun. However, I am not allowed to visit the sauna afterwards because the opening times are less convenient.

Back in the room, I climb into my “walk-in shower”, which makes me feel a bit claustrophobic. The bathroom is tiny, here too there is a lack of loving decoration and equipment. I’m also looking for a bathrobe and slippers in vain, so I’d better get out of this very bleak environment quickly. Since the walk to the city center is very long, I try to relax in the lounge – the design makes it possible. Stylish furniture and pleasant colors, interesting art, a diverse selection of books from Taschen – but far and wide nobody who wants to talk to me. None of the three receptionists pays any attention to me, nobody explains, for example, whether the various coffee and water stations are free to use.

Balcony with curfew

Since the door can only be tilted, the view of Cologne is clouded.

(Photo: Carsten K. Rath)

So it is necessary to move on. The in-house bar is supposed to be a real highlight and is located on the roof of the water tower, so a cocktail at the end of the day is just the thing. Arrived on the rooftop, I only have one thing to say: wow! The outdoor bar (closed in winter) offers stunning views over Cologne, while the indoor DJ heats up the crowd. The guests are in a good mood and can look forward to a selection of drinks that really leaves nothing to be desired. The cocktails are super mixed, taste great and look perfect. The bartenders exude joy and clearly enjoy their job. That’s nightlife, chapeau!

For a short while I forget the various annoyances of the day and slowly start looking forward to my bed. Getting into the night offers a new adventure, because the logic of the air conditioning doesn’t make sense to me. With more than 300 hotel nights a year, I give myself some competence and an almost comprehensive knowledge of every type of hotel air conditioning – but I fail here. Ultimately, the air conditioning runs pleasantly quietly, but the temperature setting is simply impossible. I still find a bottle of water for the night in the sparsely stocked minibar. After all, the night was pleasantly quiet, with hardly any ambient noise penetrating the room.

Beautifully designed sauna area

However, the opening hours are not very convenient – after our tester’s sports session, the wellness rooms were already closed.

(Photo: Water Tower Hotel Cologne)

The next morning I’m looking forward to breakfast, but here too the common thread in terms of “none of attention” runs through. Maybe it’s part of the concept, but still no one has brought it closer to me. I am asked for my room number by the staff at the table, but I cannot order coffee here. “You can get yourself,” is the clumsy reply. The breakfast buffet turns out to be simple and manageable, the fruit salad is standard, as is the other selection. Honestly, I’m not hungry after a little tour. You can do that much better.

Rested, but hungry, it’s time for me to say goodbye. This time with no tears in my eyes, because I expected a lot more from a Curio Collection Hilton location.

Plus: High-class rooftop bar, super gym, beautifully designed public areas with a lounge

Minus: Loveless and uncomfortable room, inattentive staff, poor check-in and breakfast experience, little attention to detail

Rath’s travel rating (current rating in bold):

1. Explicit Travel Warning
2. Better than under the bridge
3. So-so, not oh, là, là
4. Complaining at a high level
5. If only it were always like this
6. Great cinema

About the author: As a former grand hotelier and operator of the Travelgrand.ch travel platform, Carsten K. Rath is a professional globetrotter. He travels to all the hotels he writes about for the Handelsblatt on his own account. Rath is the brain behind the ranking “The 101 best hotels in Germany”, whose partners include the Handelsblatt. Rath is also the author of the book on the ranking, co-authored by Michael Raschke (Handelsblatt).

Carsten K. Rath, Michael Raschke: The 101 best hotels in Germany 2022/23.
Institute for Service and Leadership Excellence AG/Handelsblatt
594 pages
39.90 euros
ISBN: 978-3033094574

More: This is what makes the 101 best hotels in Germany so successful

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