Hilton Garden Inn Mannheim — Hotel in Mannheim

I have been travelling across Europe (free and easy style) and am now doing my German stop. Got to Mannheim a week ago and had been staying at another hotel since arriving. As I was gonna check out of that hotel the following week, i personally went to Hilton to enquire about a potential long-stay package. I don't know if its due to racism or whatever (well, Im asian), no sooner had I entered than this security guard very preremptorily hollered at me "hey, where do you think you are going?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. so I approached the front desk with the intention of giving my feedback. And this is how it went: after giving my explanation of what just happened (and how disturbing it was), the receptionist said "at our hotel we have security protocols. and also, we are next to the main train station. (implying that hoards of people might just pour in if they are not careful!)". which, of course, is so ridiculous. First of all, she seems to be saying that somehow I can be oblivious to the fact that hotels have security measures; as if to say, ya, if only I knew such a banal fact, i would not have had the slightest of any reaction to what was clearly and blatantly a profiling gone wrong (and acted upon with the most extreme vengeance on the part of the security guy)

secondly, the point of departure in my sharing already takes it as a given that the hotel does not manhandle every single person who enters its doors like that (or even so much as cast any kind of suspicion openly at anyone for, let's just say, alleged trespassing. oh and by the way, even if that is what this is about, its also very unseemly considering that technically there are no rules that say people cannot just walk into the hotel like that... as people do just that very often--maybe its to check it out for a future stay or just taking pictures of the Christmas decoration). Anyway, by pinning everything on "security protocols", she seems to be suggesting that it is something they do to everyone. whcih is just not true.

I then asked her "do i look at all like one of those homeless or vagabonds or transients you had in mind when you mentioned the train station?" she then immediately backtracked and said "no. by train station i don't mean any particular group of people". I then said "well, your hotel is next to an italian restaurant as well. kind of strange that you particularly mentioned train station as opposed to, oh well, we are next to a fancy restaurant and all kinds of peole come eat there and we don't want just any of them to wander in after their meal on any given day." i mean, seriously, there is cynicism, and then there is the kind of shamlessness that refuses to take ownership of the speciousness of one's arguments. of cousre she was having in mind a very concrete group of people in her vain attempt at justifying what happened. by this point she had had enough of me. she said "if you don't listen, i will have to end the converstaion here."

anyway, i left the building as i did not want to create a scene. later on I called the hotel asking to speak with the manager... who also was just as self-righteous. but here's where things got insane. i had called using my hotel's phone at the reception. 5 minutes later the wonderful manager at my hotel told me that the hilton manager called back to 1) falsely accuse me of "terrorizing him" to my hotel when all i did was attempt to give a feedback--and when it was not well-received I hung up just as he commanded me to over the phone.. and 2) according to my hotel's manager, he kept asking which hotel this was that i was staying at. seriously? first of all, my hotel had absolutely nothing to do with what happened at hilton. obviously his actions serve no practical purpose other than being born out of the most extreme and contemptuous vindictiveness. and the whole business of trying to track me down? the worst thing of all is when i called back in my turn to let him know I will call the police if he so much as tries to stalk me again, his response? "go...

The most confusing conversation I’ve ever had with a hotel service.

Around 10pm, there’s a bug crawling around, I captured it and called the reception. A staff came up with a piece of paper and a paper cup. Then I told him the room cannot be locked, and he said “the locked room can be opened from the inside but not the outside”. I was like okay, let’s try it out. We tried twice and the door could still be opened from outside without a card. He said he’d come back to us later (cuz he’s holding the bug now).

After like 40min, I called the reception again. Another staff picked up the call, came up then told me the same thing. I told him we tried it out earlier it didn’t work, he tried again (later he stated with his card but I was inside the room and didn’t see it) and opened the door.

And the confusion started.

Him: It’s okay I opened the door with my card. Me: So the door can still be opened from the outside? Him: Yes but by us. You can hang the sign on the door so no one gonna open it. Me: I mean the door can’t be locked? Him: Technically yes and all doors work in the same way. Me: ??? Him: Are you scared of us? Me: ?????????? Me: I mean then there’s 0 security and everyone in the corridor can just open the door whenever they want??? What if other guests are mistaken and get in our room when we all asleep??? Him: Hmm I’ll ask my colleagues.

About 10min later he called me and I tried again the locked door cannot be opened from the outside anymore. Took me about 1h in total.

Now I see we were totally in different channels, but tbh, if the first person just simply came back or talked to his colleagues there would be no confusion.

And btw the hotel yesterday got the bug on the ceiling...

I suppose if you get up and out by 6am, to avoid the housekeeping circus, this is the place for you! Housekeeping walking in on me undressed without knocking.

What is the point of a hotel if it is SO NOISY you can't sleep, you can't relax, and don't feel safe because people come into your room unannounced?

I was woken up at 7am, 730am, 830am, and finally 9am when I gave up trying to rest anymore and had an angry start to my morning.

I politely notified the housekeeping who were (by the sound of it rearranging furniture and slamming things against the walls) increasing loudly that it was impossible to sleep and asked them to try and keep it down. She shrugged at me and changed nothing. Tried calling the front desk (who have been great and nice the whole trip) and they apologized on her behalf and said they would address it. Nothing changed. In fact the cleaner in question went into the room adjacent to mine and made twice the amount of noise. It honestly sounded like she was slamming the vacuum into the wall by my bed and shifting the bedframes. She then went into the room on the other side of me and repeated the process.

Took a short recording. Play it on loud and try to sleep.

Beautiful garden in the middle of the hotel with pond and trickle waterfall. Great and wide breakfast selection with coffee and tea options. It is a genuine shame that I could not sleep due to the noise, otherwise this place would be a definite revisit.

REVISIT REVIEW ZERO STARS! - CLEANING STAFF WALKED IN ON ME UNDRESSED. I was 5 minutes past checkout and packing as fast as possible after 3 existing incidents with staff. I loudly announced I was not dressed yet and she wawalkedNTO MY ROOM anyway. Her...