Hilton Garden Inn Stuttgart Neckarpark
The Hilton Garden Inn is located in Bad Cannstadt next to the soccer stadium, Porsche Arena and Mercedes Benz factory. Cannstadter Wasn – the Swabian version of Munich’s Oktoberfest is also close to the hotel. A bus stop is nearby which offers a direct service to the station of Bad Cannstadt, where you can transfer to the S-Bahn train to either Stuttgart City Center or the airport. In so far, the hotel is not the best place if it comes to a prime downtown location, but the public transportation service of Stuttgart
is good.
If you arrive by car, follow the signs to Porsche Arena, but be prepared to make a detour if there is an event in the soccer stadium or the Porsche Arena.
The hotel opened in 2006 and was the first Hilton Garden Inn in Germany and among the first Hilton Garden Inn Hotels in Europe. The appearance of this Hilton Garden Inn could not compared with the hotels in the US or Canada. This hotel is a very modern building which is split into two parts, which are combined by a lower middle part where the restaurant of the hotel is located. The 150 rooms are divided into different categories. The lowest room category is an Evolution Room which has an average seize of 24 sqm.
The layout is this of a standard hotel room. The Evolution Deluxe rooms are slightly bigger with 30 sqm while the Evolution Executive Rooms are 36 sqm in Size and the layout is close to a junior suite. The Evolution Suites are much bigger and feature a private sauna.
On the ground floor and not connected with the hotel is the fan shop of VFB Stuttgart. Between this shop and the main entrance of the hotel is a covered driveway underneath the hotel building.
One accesses the hotel through a sliding door and is right in the small lobby of the hotel. There are a few lounge chairs to the left, a small business center to the right and the check in desk just opposite the entrance. There are two desks to check in and out guests. The administrative desks are behind the check in counters, so if there is the demand for more than one agent, the agent / staff member working here can move up and assist her or his colleague. The typical Hilton Garden Inn Convenience store is
part of the lobby and the parking garage could be accessed from the lobby as well.
This area is modern and could also not be compared with the average and standardized design and appearance of the most Hilton Garden Inn Hotels in the US. It is much smaller and certainly not a place to spend the evening.
Two elevators lead to the floor with the guest rooms.
The restaurant is in the part which connects the two wings of the building. It is big and has the appearance of a cantina of a conference center rather than a restaurant in the hotel. On one side is a cosier bar along with a few tables. If there is only a low occupancy, the main restaurant is closed and only this part is used.
The offerings are local and international dishes and the price is okay. The food in downtown is not always cheaper. Since there are no restaurants in the proximity of the hotel, the hotel does not misuse this by demanding higher prices.
Breakfast is also served in the restaurant as rather large buffet. Available are sausages, hashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, sautéed mushroom and bacon. Fried eggs and omelets are available on request without additional charge. If you prefer cold dishes, one can choose among salmon, cheese, a selection of marmalade and jam, cereals, cornflakes, yoghurt and fruit salad. Rolls, bread and pastries are available as well. Different types of tea and coffee are served by the staff.
The gym and wellness area could be only accessed by walking through the restaurant, which is in my eyes a major down. The gym despite rather small is well equipped and the machines are well maintained and modern though not state of the art.
The wellness area consists of two saunas and a steam room. Between gym and wellness area is a locker room. The wellness area has windows and gets a lot of natural light; of course one cannot look into this area from outside the building.
Towels and water are provided in wellness area and gym.
stays April 14, 2010 - August 14, 2010 - October 11, 2011
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Hilton Garden Inn Stuttgart NeckarPark
Arrival Date: April 14, 2010
Departure Date: April 15, 2010
Room type booked: Evolution Room (Standard)
Rate Plan: Best Available Rate
Room Number: 302
Room Rate: 149.00 EUR
Status of Guest Program: Gold
I arrived at the hotel after a busy day around 17:30 and was welcomed by the agent at the check in desk. The receipt was prepared and I only had to sign it. The frequent flyer number for the Hilton HHonors Double Dip option was changed as requested.
I was told the hotel was fully booked, which was true, as no rooms were available as I had noticed earlier. So I was told I was not upgraded and would only receive the booked Evolution Room this time.
The features of the hotel were explained, though I had to inquire about location and opening time of the wellness area and gym. A voucher for a free beverage in the restaurant was provided as well.
My room was located on the third floor not far away from the elevator. Since I had requested a room “away from the elevator”, my request was not honored. I would have preferred to be informed about this during check in, but since it was only one night I hoped it would be not that much of a problem (which was the case).
A small hallway leads from the entrance door to the room. The closet is located in the hallway. It has enough hangers to place jackets and shirts and features also the ironing board and iron. In the hallway is also the entrance to the bathroom.
The bathroom offers a toilet, sink and shower, no bath. The shower stall is quite large and is a modern walk in shower. A large mirror is behind the sink and a vanity mirror and hairdryer are placed next to it. A heated towel rack is nice to have. The design of the bathroom is modern, using a combination of dark and terracotta colored tiles giving the bathroom a modern but cozy ambiance. The only down is, that the glass panel at the shower is rather small and one cannot avoid water dripping on the floor.
Towels were provided for two persons in small, medium and large size, bathroom amenities were by Neutrogena. Slippers and bathrobes were not available in this room category.
The room was okay, smaller than the average room at a Hilton Garden Inn in the US but oaky for European standards, though I have stayed in bigger rooms. There was a Hilton Garden Inn Bed with the adjustable Hilton Garden Inn mattress along with two bedside tables with reading lamps and the unique Hilton alarm clock. Opposite the bed was the TV with a sideboard, which features the microwave, a fridge and the tea and coffee facilities. The working desk was large enough; working with a laptop along with papers around
it was possible. Plugs were available to charge the laptop. A desk lamp was there as well and the desk chair was an ergonomically one, which I really like as I had to work for two hours in the evening and one hour in the morning. And it makes a different, if one has a really good chair or just a standard chair.
The design was a bit uninspired with light grey / brown furniture in contrast to red blankets and elements. Usually one expects warm colors, usually brown or beige. Not so at this hotel, which on the one hand was a welcome change from the usual color scheme of a Hilton Garden Inn on the other hand a little cold. Certainly nothing serious and probably my subjective impression, but I prefer more vivid colors. But like I said, this might be only me – it was different what I usually get and maybe what I expected.
The mattress was good and I had a good sleep, probably because I had adjusted the softness to my personal taste, which is very firm.
I had breakfast in the restaurant early in the morning and it was good, the service was not that attentive, but I do not blame this to the member of staff, she was working very hard. There were simply too many guets in this early hour and she was alone. With already 15 guests in the restaurant before 06:40 another member of staff would have been necessary, but it seems the shift of her colleague only began at 07:00. So it took some time for her to serve guests and clear used dishes. This was certainly a lack
of staff and not a fault of the service team of the restaurant. Quality and quantity were very good and one of the better breakfasts I have experienced in midscale hotels.
Check out was fast, everything was correct. Since it was busy during check out it was a bit hectic and I was not asked if everything was okay.
I have mixed impressions for this first stay in a Hilton Garden Inn outside the US. I like the modern building, though the layout and design is not the best with the entrance to the wellness area and gym through the restaurant. Also the different floors are in regard to accessibility far from ideal. The rooms are okay in terms of size and layout, though a more vivid color scheme would be beneficial. Service is okay. I will stay there again, it is a bit outside of the city center of Stuttgart and not very cheap,
but since the most hotels in Stuttgart are very expensive and I need a hotel where I can rely on a good working desk with good working conditions and a warm and good breakfast there are not so many alternative hotel. Breakfast is quite good. I will try it again if I am in Stuttgart and the alternative hotels are much more expensive.
Arrival Date: August 14, 2010
Departure Date: August 15, 2010
Room type booked: Standard (got Evolution Deluxe Room)
Rate Plan: Point Stretcher Award
Room Number: 220
Room Rate: Points
Status of Guest Program: Gold
In summer 2010 the hotel was available for a reduced amount of points as award (the discontinued point stretcher award). Since I had a meeting in Stuttgart I saved the money and booked the room as award, although the hotel was not in an ideal location for the purpose of my trip, the reduced number of points was reason enough to choose this hotel over the expensive Le Meridien in downtown Stuttgart.
I arrived in the hotel around 14:00 and was welcomed back by the front agent – she had used the reservation system to see if I had already been there. It was confirmed, that the room was paid with points, which were already deducted from my account at the time of booking. She asked if I needed information about the features and services of the hotel again and I was addressed by name this time. I told her, I think, I knew the features and if nothing had changed since April I would be fine. She also mentioned that
I receive an upgrade to an Evolution Deluxe Room.
My room was on the second level facing the street and located at one of the round shaped corners of the building giving the room a slightly different appearance and layout than the Evolution Room I had in April.
After entering the room there was a small hallway leading from the entrance door to the room. To the left was the entrance to the bathroom while the closet was on the opposite side. The place to store the luggage was part of the hallway and doubling as small wall with a height of 1,20 m between room and hallway
The room was with 36 sqm larger than the previous room (24 sqm) and the main difference was an additional corner with a sofa, lounge chair and table – so to say a small living area. In the sideboard located in this corner were fridge and microwave along with tea and coffee facilities.
It was nice to have more space. The desk was also large, though I disliked the TV placed closer to the desk.
The design and the used materials for the room were the same than in my Evolution room in April. I am a bit surprised, that this time I had not the impression the room was cold. Maybe I am used to it now?
The bathroom was not much different to the one in the Evolution Room.
Breakfast was good and it was not that busy as during my stay in April, but it was later and on a weekend. The breakfast spread was again good and service was much more attentive.
Check out was good and the folio with only incidentals were correct and the stay credit posted without problems. The agent also had noticed that I had another reservation later in the year and hope to see me back soon. It was much more personal than during the stay in April, but the hotel was not that busy.
The Evolution Delxue Room is nice and during a longer stay the more space could be an advantage.
Arrival Date: October 11, 2011
Departure Date: October 12, 2011
Room type booked: Evolution Room (got Evolution Room)
Rate Plan: Best Available Rate
Room Number: 334
Room Rate: 179.00 EUR
Status of Guest Program: Diamond
This time I arrived around 16:50 in the hotel and had to wait as a small group of five person was about to check in and both agents were busy assisting these guests. After waiting for five minutes it was my turn and after mentioning my name was greeted and welcomed back in the hotel while she pulled the reservation out of the system. I was informed that I could not be offered an upgrade as HHonors Diamond because hotel was fully booked
which was true, but she mentioned that I received the best room in this category.
I received a voucher for a free drink in the restaurant.
My room was in the second floor and a corner room and had a slightly different laytout than the usual Evolution Room. The room was located at a corner of the building and therefore was bigger. There was no real hallway after stepping into the room.
The entrance to the bathroom was to the right while opposite the entrance door was a the back of the desk behind a wall of 1.20 meter height. The closet was to the left and one has to make a few steps to the left to reach the room.
The room had a king size bed with two bedside tables with phone and Hilton alarm clock. The flat TV was placed opposite the bed along with an arm chair. The desk was at a small wall with three poer outlets, LAN connection, the air condition unit and the switches for the electronically operated sun shades.
The room was in good condition and very bright with a lot of sunlight.
The design of the room was similar to the rooms I had before. Red and brown colors were used for the furniture with red doors at the closet in the hallway as a colorful accent. I still would prefer more vivid color or the use of so called warm colors, but I get used to the color scheme in the hotel. It certainly helped that the room was quite bright with more than the usual two or three windows.
The desk chair was a very good one. Unfortunately this could not be said for the W-LAN as well, which was very slow and I could not even set up a VPN connection. So I had to use my UMTS Card to access the internet. The quality became better late in the night and early in the morning with less people accessing the internet, but it was not really possible to use it for work related things until 22:00.
I did a quick workout in the gym, which was empty as I visited it around 20:30. The machines, though not state of the art, are modern and still in good shape. Water and towels were offered. The wellness area was visited by two other guests around 21:15. Unfortunately the steam room was not working, but the sauna was.
The restaurant was still quite busy around 22:00 and I decided to exchange my voucher to a glass of Radler. Service was of the slower side, but there were only to members of staff working and with a busy restaurant they had a lot to do. It seems the hotel is saving on staff which causes some issues if the hotel is busier than usual or anticipated by the management.
Breakfast in the morning was again good – in terms of available items on the buffet as well as in regard to quality. It was less busy before 07:00 than during my first stay in this hotel and so service was attentive with enough time to serve guests and clear tables in between.
I checked around at 07:20 and the folio was correct and I was asked if everything was okay. I mentioned the low internet speed and they agreed that they have some issues if many devices are connected.
