The Westin Hamburg Elbphilharmonie — Hotel in Hamburg

It’s a beautiful property but quickly turning bad.

And I know what I’m talking about. I have organised interNational conventions in 5-stars properties all over the world for 21 years and have been a travel guide inspector for a decade.

So the hotel is a great building, good parking, nice front desk etc. Beautiful.

But they try to save money by turning one lift off out of three. This has consequences : waiting time of 10, 20, 25 hours for a lift on peak hours. It took us 30 minutes to get to breakfast.

Another saving point : the air conditioning is off too. We contacted the front desk to complain as the room was very very warm (and the windows fond open except a little flap) and they made a strange excuse that they « controlled climate » room to room and came and brought us a…. Fan ! 🤷🏼‍♂️

Also their restraurant, which was so nice, is now…. Closed !!! Food only at the the bar or room service.

Breakfast is very nice (30€ but worth it) and they say you can also have it in the room. But no, it’s then « à la carte » and when you add coffee, bread, cheese and eggs, it’s like 60€ per person !!! I wouldn’t mind paying 5€ or 8€ extra but not TWICE the price from the buffet breakfast ! C’mon !

Then this evening, after returning from a wonderful 2* Michelin meal in the city, we came bawl to the hotel and wanted to have a few last cocktails at the bar.

My handicap of the hips and knees makes it difficult for me to walk, but extremely painful to stand waiting.

When arriving at the bar there was a huge group of people waiting in front of the lifts, blocking the corridor to the bar reception.

As we saw ten empty tables on the left, we entered the bar and I sent my friend to ask the bar reception if it was ok we’d sit there. I waited sitting at Ont of the tables.

While my friend was waiting the crowd to disappear on the lifts, other people came in the same way and sat at different available tables.

A waiter came to me and I ordered two cocktails. Then another person came, apparently the bar « réceptionnist » who didn’t say good evening or anything and just shouted to me « do you have a reservation ». I replied « no I’m sorry but I am handicapped and I could not wait that long in the line ». Then he said « you have to go, this table is reserved for 6 » and he went away.

Nothing of those tables mentionned « reserved ». They were just empty tables.

Nothing was said to the other 6 people who sat at the surrounding tables. Only to us.

He DID NOT apologize He DID NOT offer us another place to sit. He DID NOT take my handicap into account.

He acted like a prick. It was horrible, sad and unacceptable.

We just went back to our room whilst all the people who sat at the other tables got served.

It’s very bad behaviour from service in a 5 stars hotel.

Of course we sat there without being placed but there are other days to treat guests. He could be understanding of my situation and offered an alternative...

I stayed at this hotel a year ago and had a pleasant experience, but unfortunately, things have significantly deteriorated since then. While the rooms remain beautiful, modern, and offer spectacular views, with a magnificent bathroom and a comfortable bed, several issues have arisen during my recent stay.

The air circulation fan is excessively noisy and needs improvement. The air conditioning system is unmanageable; it was stuck on cold, and when I contacted the reception for assistance, the technician merely locked it on heat instead of fixing the issue.

Additionally, I encountered severe problems with the hotel staff that I find simply unacceptable and intolerable. The male doormen at the entrance of the hotel never greet guests, are unfriendly, and often give unpleasant looks. Their demeanor is far from welcoming. Similarly, the men staff at the reception seemed perpetually irritated and unapproachable. Every time I approached them, even for a simple inquiry, they appeared annoyed as if I were imposing on them.

On a positive note, I did have a pleasant interaction with woman at the reception who was very kind, and the ladies working in the breakfast area in the morning were also very friendly and attentive.

However, my concerns continued with the housekeeping service. I requested a second key card to keep the power on in the room, but on three separate occasions, the male housekeeper removed it from the slot, leaving me without power. Despite reporting this to the reception, the same issue occurred the following day. Additionally, the same male housekeeper failed to replace the empty body wash in the shower, forcing me to call reception for a new one, and he also neglected to replace the water bottle or the used glasses.

As if that wasn't enough, yesterday the male housekeeper twice knocked on my door without any reason and entered the room while I was in the bathroom. On the day of check-out (which was supposed to be by 12 PM), he began incessantly knocking from 8 AM until 10 AM while I was on an important work call. At 10 AM, he entered the room without knocking and immediately left.

In conclusion, my experience at this hotel was deeply disappointing. The male staff members were consistently rude and discourteous, exhibiting behavior that is entirely unbefitting of a five-star establishment. Given this, I will not be returning to this hotel...

If you are looking to stay in a hotel with some stunning views from your hotel room and only it is probably currently THE hotel in Hamburg to go to....

BUT that’s probably also pretty it because the facilities and the services do NOT align with the rest...unfortunately

The breakfast is below SPG standards and with 30 EUR/person not worth it...you are indeed squeezed in a submarine like room setting with windows as big as my underpans...the food selection is limited as is the staff to prepare you something fresh ..and unfortunately it has to be picked up in a room too small for the crowd in the morning to accomodate...

Restaurant we did not try - as we wanted to have a terrasse and a view and a nice seating while the menu did not create any excitement either...

Gym and Spa facilities are modest comparable to 5 star hotels alike and are on the lower deck floors and greeting you with the same submarine feeling...the pool aligns with northern Germany weather but could do a few degrees more and unfortunately hardly accomodates 2 people swimming next to each other...steam room had hardly any steam and is certainly not a hamam...so overall a quick and dirty experience but no place to hang out and relax...

Also it appears the hotel is understaffed from the reception up to the switchboard...in fact try calling the Westin in Hamburg main number and let us know if you succeed under 5 minutes for someone to pick up the phone...you end up with the folks from reception...in fact there is no switchboard it appears...

Contrary to the guys from reception - The concierge upon arrival with the car was nice and friendly and efficient - but neither takes care of your car..you have to park it yourself...what a shame....

and while you just want to get your room keys (We had 2 rooms and stayed 2 nights..) after you had a long journey...I takes 15 min to check in as a SPG member at the reception while having to discuss that you are elligible to a late checkout and the guy finally comes to conclude you are right...!

Seriously..? Come On...!

Overall a disappointing experience which despite an iconic setting and architecture and beautiful rooms and views leaves a bad taste...

The hotel and the mgmt certainly is up for serious services improvements because they are neither up to customer expectations nor standards of a comparable hotel class and...