Hilton Mainz
There are two Hilton Hotels in Mainz. There is one near the old town of Mainz in Münsterstraße and one at the banks of river Rhine at Rheinstraße. I stayed in the last one. The hotel is part of a big building which also hosts the casino and the convention hall “Rheingoldhalle”. The hotel was built in the 60ies and is connected with a newer building on the other side of Rheinstraße by a covered walkway.
It is just a few steps from the main shopping area and the pedestrian zone as well as famous Gutenberg Museum. However, the main station is too far away to walk with luggage. If you arrive by car you can easily reach the hotel following the hotel route or – off course – your navigation system. The hotel has a driveway and also a parking garage for a 19.50 EUR / day, chargeable to the room.
The hotel itself is a seven storey building (old part). If you enter the hotel you are in the medium sized lobby with lounge chairs in the middle and on the left side, the entrance to the restaurant “Römische Weinstube” and a staircase to the first level where the restaurant “Le Bistro” and “Boulevard Café” are located. The lobby is two storeys high giving it a more airy appearance.
The check in desks are on the right side. There are four desks to check in guests of which one is a special desk for Hilton HHonors Members and an additional concierge desk.
The ambiance is a bit in the style of the eighties with a lot of golden decoration on lamps, lounge chairs etc.. Not modern and showing its age it might be time for a renovation or modernization in the next years.
The breakfast is served in the “Römische Weinstube” and the usual buffet with cold and warm dishes like sausages, fried potatoes, bacon, beans, scrambled eggs, pancakes, cereals, fruits, pastries, rolls, croissant, yoghurts, marmalade, jam, cheese and several juices. Tea was available in bags while coffee was served by staff. Staff was only of average attentiveness, one had to wait several minutes before dirty dishes were cleared (which were noticed by staff) while they cleared it at once on other occasions.
It was a bit of who was in charged for this part of the restaurant. Something I really think is not understandable – why can’t a waiter passing a table noticing dirty dishes take them away? As breakfast was included, it could not be a matter of tipping. The ambiance of “Römische Weinstube” is difficult to describe. I would not describe it as a Roman appearance. It has a lot of bricks and a more antique interior and was especially in the rear part a bit dark, while the table as the window was bright.
The gym was located in the newer building. It was small with only a few machines which were in okay conditions. The sauna was also small, definitively not a nice place to spend some time for wellness, but good to have for some exercising or relaxation. If the weather is good, running along banks of river Rhine might be a good alternative to a work out in the gym.
Stays: 27 September 2008
Arrival Date: 27 September 2008
Departure Date: 28 September 2008
Room type booked: Single Hilton Guest Room (got room on Business Floor)
Rate Plan: Advance Purchase
Room Number: 509
Room Rate: 53.00 EUR
Status of Guest Program: Gold
I arrived around 14.30 at the hotel and parked the car in the garage underneath the hotel. To reach the hotel from the garage one has to pass three steps from the first floor of the underground parking which might be a bit of a problem if you have a lot and / or heavy luggage. Therefore I recommend using the driveway and park the car in front of the hotel entrance to get the luggage out of the car and park the car without luggage later.
I could check in ahead of schedule check in time and it was right my turn as I approached the desk as there was no one in front of me. It took some minutes as the system has some problems with my booking, which was made prior to the implementation of the Hilton US booking and reservation system. Finally the front desk manager, who checked me in, was able to sort it out. There was no explanation if I got an upgrade nor of the location of gym and other amenities of the hotel. The location of the restaurant and
the time breakfast was served on Sunday morning was mentioned. Staff was friendly and I was addressed by name.
I took one of the two elevators to reach my room.
The corridors to the rooms were showing its age. The carpet way really worn and the ambiance was also showing its age – like in the lobby style of the early 80ies of its best.
The room was of average seize and also not the most modern one. Seize and design of the room was the one of a typical hotel room with the bathroom right at the entrance.
There was a switch for the bathroom lights outside and one for the lights at the mirror in the room. Bathroom amenities were available as well as two towels of small, medium and big size. The shower curtain and the shower head were okay.
An older hairdryer was available. Bathrobes were placed in the closet in the entrance corridor but slippers were missing. Adjacent to the closet was the tea and coffee facilities and the minibar like on other hotels. The minibar was one of the automatic charging systems, so nobody noticed the raisins in the minibar from the guest staying in the room before me.
The room had a bed with bedside tables, a small table with a lounge chair and in front of the window a desk with phone. Opposite the bed was a sideboard with the television. The mattress was old and much too soft and the whole bed seems to be a ‘roll away bed’ and therefore the quality of the bed was far away from being good.
Several stains in the carpet and some scratches at the wall were also showing the need of a renovation in the next time.
This was clearly not an single bed room, so I got an upgrade and therefore I do not complain too much.
The Wake up call arrived in time and check out was fast and convenient. The problems with the ticket for the exit of the garage were solved without hassle and everything was correct. Points and Stay credit were posted really fast (in 30 hours after I had checked out.'
My impression is a mixed one. The rate was really good and getting an upgrade is not bad. Looking on the breakfast, which was included as I am Hilton HHonors Gold, I paid around 35 EUR for the room and therefore it was a really good value for money. However, the hotel is showing its age and therefore in the need of a renovation. I will return if I am able to get a good rate, but I definitively would not pay more than 75 EUR for a room in this hotel.
