Signature Hotel Astoria — Hotel in Hamburg

I stayed for two nights in May, costing £358, i.e. £179 a night.||||I wanted somewhere to stay very near to Hamburg railway station – this hotel in about 10 minutes walk away. I didn’t read any of the reviews on the booking site or on other travel sites – if I had, I would have been forewarned and would not have booked.||||The first intimations of the kind of area the hotel was in was when I walked from the railway station to the hotel. I passed a number of bars, all had champagne glasses and hearts on their windows: you couldn’t see in and they all looked dark and dingy. Then, I was accosted by two women – this was in mid-afternoon. The pavements also seemed to be covered by packs of cards. This was explained when I came across large groups of young men playing some kind of card game on the ground. Next to the card game, there was a very large residence with people hanging around the entrance: in London, I would have guessed it was a homeless centre.||||I finally got to the hotel and was asked to pay a local tax, which I did in cash but got no change. It wasn’t much but I decided not to argue.||||My room was small and didn’t have a bed, more of a couch. The ‘headboard’ end (there wasn’t one) was right next to the radiator control so I had to watch out that I didn’t brain myself every time I lay down.||||The breakfast was basic, everything out of a packet and fridge cold.||||All the streets around the hotel had lots of anti-social behaviour and groups of police who weren’t doing anything but seemed to be there to make sure that things didn’t get out of hand. Maybe, it was the nearness to the station that led to the overspill. Of course, you can see the homeless / beggars / mentally ill / substance misusers at most central London railway stations but not in the quantity that there were at Hamburg railway station. And the numbers of police – far, far more than you would see at any London station. Again, they weren’t moving people on but just standing there, keeping an eye on things.||||I don’t mind rough areas – I’m not an American constantly worried about ‘security’ – or a basic hotel but not at this price.||||This experience has taught me to do a little more...

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE / PROSTITUTION

We stayed at Signature Hotel Astoria on a Friday, but until 3:30 AM, there was a severe domestic disturbance and violence occurring in the room next to ours.

My partner and I were terrified for our safety. My partner had to hide in the bathroom with the door closed to call reception, fearing that the individuals involved might overhear us due to the thin walls.

We could hear everything happening in the next room and were unsure how they might react, potentially with more violence.

The night receptionist came upstairs, and through the thin walls, we heard him ask in German if everything was okay. The woman shouted back in German, "No! I am not okay!" The man in the room then took over the conversation, eventually closing the door. However, within minutes, the violence, crying, and shouting.

The most distressing moment came when the man’s shouting grew louder, and the woman began screaming for her life—a sound I hope to never hear again. This was followed by loud banging and more screaming and crying in the hallway.

We wanted to leave immediately but were too afraid to step out of our room, fearing an encounter with the individuals involved and unsure of how the man might react.

We decided to check out early on Saturday morning as we no longer felt safe staying there.

When we spoke to the day receptionist to check out and request a refund, he was extremely rude and dismissive, saying, “That’s life, these things happen.” It was horrifying to hear such a response to the previous night’s violence and the woman screaming for her life, especially since no one even called the police.

When we requested a refund, we were told to contact Agoda, as the hotel claimed they didn’t have the funds and that Agoda would need to handle the matter. However, when we reached out to Agoda, they confirmed that the payment had been collected by the property and that they did not withhold any amount. We are still waiting for the refund or any response from the hotel.

To add to this, there were prostitutes all around the entrance, as well as junkies all over - we felt really unsafe and was the worst hotel we ever...

Short distances, shady area.

Easy access to transportation, and key places within short walking distances Cheap accommodation Staff is helpful. Answered all questions and we're very accommodating. Has breakfast and WiFi. Both serviceable.

Very few amenities. No, tea, coffee, waterboiler, safe or minifridge. Light sleepers stay away. Sound proofing non existent. Expect loud bangs from doors, any movement or conversation can be heard, as if you were there yourself. Area is uncomfortable with people smoking non smoke, non mariaunna stuff outside, women soliciting favours of the promiscuous variety for money. As in 5 meters from the entrance. Minor things: Hard beds, Cramped room, smell from toilet, no bedside table.

You should come here if you value ease of transportation and are not afraid of a seedy area.

The hotel is alright. We found it OK and was very easy to get anywhere with easy access to the metro. However the noise levels are the worst we have ever experienced. I think we woke up 6 times in the night form other guests slamming doors...