Georges Hotel & Boardinghouse — Hotel in Essen

I ended up staying at George's in Essen because I couldn't find a reasonably priced hotel in Düsseldorf at the time. George's offered a good location within Essen, close to a number of restaurants and other businesses, and with easy highway access on a direct route to the Düsseldorf airport. ||||Upon arrival, my co-worker and I (we were on business) didn't know what to expect, as the place didn't look much like a hotel and we were greeted by a locked door. The "Boardinghouse" sign seemed quite applicable. There was a phone number displayed and a buzzer, so we opted for the buzzer and were quickly let in by a young man who led us in to the dimly lit front desk area. He was friendly and spoke good English. ||||Initially it seemed a bit seedy and far from fancy or typical of a front desk area. We were early for check in (lunch time) and our rooms were not ready, but we were provided with keys and told they'd be ready no later than 2:00. After a stroll and a lunch we returned and our rooms were good to go.||||The hotel advertises free parking, which we found out was on the street. We ended up having to drive quite a ways to find a spot. ||||My room was on the third floor and there was no elevator. I had a large suitcase and it was a chore dragging it up to my room, which continued to make me wonder about this place. Not a big deal but this is definitely not an accessible friendly hotel or for people with a lot of luggage.||||The room was a pleasant surprise. It was very spacious with a high ceiling, had a king size bed, a desk, mini bar and lovely little modern bathroom with walk in shower. There were three huge windows which allowed lots of light in during a dreary rainy day. Bed was a bit soft for my liking but comfy enough as were the puffy pillows. The wireless internet worked great and was included with the price of the room.||||The optional breakfast offered good choices (standard fare for Europe) both hot and cold and was available in a cozy little dining area.||||Overall, not a bad place for a fair price. Loved the room, but the hotel itself just seemed a little odd, which left me unsure if I...

I was visiting a friend who lives just a street away from the hotel and, therefore, for me the location was a great plus. I had great expectations about the place, though, I must admit I was disappointed by a couple of aspects. Accessing the building/getting the room key was very easy and quick. Once in, I realized there was nobody around to help me with my luggage (I had quite a lot as I had been at the Messe for three days attending a company event). I had to make two trips up the stairs with my cases. The room was lovely with a great big bathtub, very comfy bed, etc. However, there was a rather foul smell throughout the building and room. The number of air fresheners everywhere was a bit of a giveaway...At some point, I wasn't sure what it was worse, the pipe-like smell or the air freshener so I ended up putting the latter inside the cupboard! Breakfast was ok. Nothing extraordinary, though, plenty to get you started! The first night my TV stopped working (no signal). I was pretty exhausted from the company event and I didn't call anyone about the TV, though, there is a number to call for assistance. I was disappointed with this as I was looking forward to a relaxing evening at the hotel. The next morning I wanted to do some work before meeting my friend. I hung the "do not disturb" sign on the door so housekeeping wouldn't come in. However, as I am sitting on the bed with my laptop this guy knocks on/opens the door and completely ignores the sign! Then at around 5am this couple comes in. They must have stayed next door to me. They were SUPER loud. I could hear everything. They kept the loud chat/laughter, etc. going until pretty much 8am when I left. Also, even though the room was beautiful and it had a great bathtub, there was no bath soak or anything to allow you to enjoy a bath. I think it would have been a nice touch to provide that (as well as the 20 tiny bottles of shampoo/body lotion) as I normally do not travel with such thing just-in-case i have a bath in my room :-) So, would I stay here again? Maybe if I'm travelling light and I remember to bring some bath...

I decided to stay here for a better individual experience rather than the large generic hotel nearby. It proved to be the right decision, I had a bigger room with better facilties and a more personal service. It's ideally located a 5-8 minute walk to either of the U11 Underground stations and the Essen conference centre entrances. Make sure you have a charged phone with you because you may have to call the remote reception to receive your code to enter the hotel and your room. The room was spacious with a kitchenette including a microwave, kettle and tea/coffee facilities - as was the bathroom with a large walk-in shower. The bed was also comfortable and clean. Andre was really helpful, made me a special bacon and egg breakfast and allowed me to stay a little later than my check out time without extra charge or hassle. It's the personal touch at Georges that makes the difference.|Just to add, you may need ear plugs if you're a light sleeper because the hotel is on a road junction. I didn't need them and slept like a baby.|If you're after a great location, excellent value and something much less corporate then head to the Georges...