Hotel Hessenland By Stay Awesome

“Weekend trip”

This hotel is a small and exceptional accomodation with historical backround in the city centre of Kassel. This is emphasized by appropriate furnishings and décor especially in the hotel foyer. The hotel offers friendly and competent staff, a good breakfast buffet and tasty snacks in the evening.

“Ok stay for one night”

1950s style decor, with a breakfast room on the 1st floor. Check in strictly at 15:00 and check out at 10:00 which is far too early. Rooms were spacious, simply decorated but nice. Safe in the room but it didn’t work as there was no battery. Free water is offered (bottles available but they had run… more

1950s style decor, with a breakfast room on the 1st floor. Check in strictly at 15:00 and check out at 10:00 which is far too early. Rooms were spacious, simply decorated but nice. Safe in the room but it didn’t work as there was no battery. Free water is offered (bottles available but they had run out when we arrived) and coffee too available on the first floor. We opted for breakfast which was a modest affair, offering hummus, peppers, tomatoes, eggs, cheeses, vegan produce and fruit. For one night an ok stay. Pillows were terrible - very flat so ask for an extra one.

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“Psychedelic hipster vibes in a trendy space”

oct 23 - easy location and parking across the street. I will say that the photos make the place look modern and updated but there is lots that is quite dated and you realize how old the hotel really is. likely 60s/70s building and vibe. However it is quite cute and has charm. The games area is tren… more

oct 23 - easy location and parking across the street. I will say that the photos make the place look modern and updated but there is lots that is quite dated and you realize how old the hotel really is. likely 60s/70s building and vibe. However it is quite cute and has charm. The games area is trendy and offers some relaxing vibes and window seats for a view. Comfortable lounge chairs would make for a hipsterish hangout. The hotel hallway walls are psychedelic - like they have black lights and the walls glow with the neon paint murals. Felt very bowling alley-ish. Rooms were an 70's apartment style. Some rates I think included breakfast whereas some rates did not. I think we opted for no breakfast and grabbed a croissant down the street. Room price was fairly expensive for what it was but likely mid range for location.

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“Not sure where to begin ... the place needs some investment”

This hotel has history! It was built after the war in what was considered a modern style, and it apparently was the first house in Kassel: photo walls show German presidents and chancellors staying there. Looks like it changed hands quite often: it was some other hotel, a Mercure, a housing for art… more

This hotel has history! It was built after the war in what was considered a modern style, and it apparently was the first house in Kassel: photo walls show German presidents and chancellors staying there. Looks like it changed hands quite often: it was some other hotel, a Mercure, a housing for artists, a Days Inn, unoccupied, and now a "Stay Awesome." The idea is laudable: keep the place from decaying, recycle and upcycle things - I am all for it. Unfortunately, the history left its traces: the hallways are painted black with bare, modernized wiring running on the ceiling, random murals on the walls, and a disgusting carpet in the hallway and the rooms. The shower head in my room was broken. Granted: the bed was comfortable and clean, so the most important thing was fine. Breakfast was a bit of a sad affair: I know they want to avoid food waste, and that is great, since I always wonder how much food waste is left at the end of the morning from the lavish breakfast buffets I love so much. But it was hard to get to the little pots of stuff. Serving spoons were missing, they ran out of bowls, and the coffee machine was always on the fritz in different ways: no milk, defunct pump, full filter, blinking red here, having warning messages there. Breakfast only starts at 7:00 on weekdays, which is too late for me. The weirdest thing: on Wednesday, they had a morning rave with a DJ in the breakfast room - I mean, nice kids, talented DJ; live music instead of elevator musak, but pretty loud, and I was not quite prepared for that. WiFi was a problem: somehow, at random times, the router drops the connections and bends the DNS to go back to that silly "agree to the conditions" screen - only that modern computers then go up in arms about certificates: video conferences get interrupted, mail clients freak, VPN goes kaput ... bending the DNS is a bad habit to begin with, but do not randomly do that in mid-connection! The location is great, and if you have a workshop at the Neue Denkerei, that's right across the street (when I was there, that street was dug up, though). Which brings me to noise: there was a large construction site next door, with noise starting early in the morning - not the hotel's fault. Also, there is frequent tram traffic, and the cars screech around the curves at all times. Weirdly, I slept rather well in spite of all the noise. The staff is nice but overworked. There was not enough staff to keep the breakfast stocked and babysit the coffee machine. There was not enough staff at the front desk to answer the phone and take care of customers at the desk - I had to wait there both at check-in and check-out because they were busy on the phone. I think the place could work with some serious investment: replace the horribly disgusting carpet, paint the hallways white so it does not feel like a dungeon, get better coffee makers, replace the WiFI routers, fix the bathrooms, and hire more staff. Not sure what to do about the morning rave. With that, the concept itself would be refreshing and fun - and more sustainable than my favorite hotels.

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