Intercityhotel Düsseldorf

The double room was laid out for single occupancy. One duvet, one towel. Window locked. Was a bit tedious to have to run for a second set of necessary items and have the window unlocked for fresh air.

Though not quite as near to the Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof as some InterCity hotels are to the main stations of the cities that they serve (with some IC properties being literally inside a Bahnhof), this particular incarnation of the InterCity brand stills benefits from a fairly close proximity to the station. The desk in my room was wonderfully long (probably the longest that I’ve ever encountered in a hotel -- every inch of which I put to good use), and the room itself was generously large and nicely shaped (the extra size being offered in a rectangular rather than square form). The 6:00 breakfast start time is splendidly early, allowing one to get a head start on the day’s touring. Breakfast itself is as varied as one could want, with scrambled eggs, bacon and even (this is the test of a better breakfast) sausages on offer. The lunchroom as a physical space is marvellous, with high ceilings yet elegant wooden appointments and huge glass walls, allowing the morning light to stream in, thus generating a very pleasant ambience. The rooms and hallways are carpeted rather than wooden-floored (agreeably so, as carpeting always elicits a warmer, cozier feel). And the bathroom comes with a copious offering of towels. All in all, if/when I ever again visit Düsseldorf, I will almost certainly elect to stay in this hotel.

Although, based on guest traffic and next-day breakfast numbers, the hotel did not seem to be particularly full, I was not allowed to check in even slightly early (though I arrived a scant hour before official check-in time, possibly less, and though I had indicated long ahead of time that I might indeed be arriving early). While the hotel is under no obligation to let guests in early, it is certainly a nice gesture when they do so. The desk clerk was quite curt and seemed very much involved with her own work when I showed up – hardly the nicest of greetings -- though I was the only guest in the lobby at the time. Because I was visiting in July, the hotel had already converted its climate system from heating to air conditioning -- (In many hotels, only one of the two systems can be engaged at a time.) -- and the weather was quite cool for a July, so I found myself wishing that I could summon up some heat in the room, which turning up the thermostat did nothing to provide. (Mind you, I never asked for a portable space heater, so it’s possible that the hotel would have provided one if I had inquired; still, it’s the sort of thing that one thinks the hotel could volunteer, during colder-that-average summer nights.) In terms of smaller negative details, the minibar does not list prices, but beware – its offerings are *not* complimentary. And in lieu of little soaps (which is one of the special little touches that distinguish a great hotel) the Intercity Düsseldorf resorts to the dreaded liquid shampoo/soap dispensers.