Hotel Residence Am Hauptbahnhof

“Good, budget hotel near Hamburg Hauptbahnhof!”

I had booked this hotel because it was close to the train station - I came in by train and was due to leave by train the next morning. I was a little apprehensive after reading all of the negative reviews, but I was pleased overall with my stay here. For what I paid, I was very happy with the ameni… more

I had booked this hotel because it was close to the train station - I came in by train and was due to leave by train the next morning. I was a little apprehensive after reading all of the negative reviews, but I was pleased overall with my stay here. For what I paid, I was very happy with the amenities provided at this hotel. The hotel offers the basic amenities for a comfortable night's stay: comfortable bed, cleaning bedding, nice pillow, blackout curtains, a television (I did not turn mine on so I cannot comment on the channels), a hot shower, a modern toilet, bath and hand towels, hand soap and body gel dispensers, a floor mat, hand towel and bath towel, ample toilet paper, luggage storage including a large cabinet with hangers and shelving, a writing desk and chair, a bedside table with a lamp, sufficient lighting in the room, an electronic safe, tourist maps and information in the hallway, and, finally, friendly and helpful staff. Other benefits include the following: I was allowed early check-in. There is a medium-sized supermarket 50 metres from the hotel called Penny, which was very handy. It's a 5 minute walk to the train station, and approximately 20-30 minutes on foot to the major sightseeing attractions. The hotel offers breakfast for a fee, but I did not partake (I bought breakfast in the supermarket the evening prior). I find the breakfasts in Europe to be overpriced and not worth the value. The surrounding area is a bit seedy (many homeless and presumed drug addicts), however I was never bothered by anyone during my stay. I absolutely felt safe walking around as a lone blonde female - there is a major police presence in and around the train station. Overall, a good and very budget friendly stay here! I would have easily paid double or triple the cost at any competing hotel, simply for a place to lay my head for 7 hours, so this was an ideal choice for me.

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“Good value when you can pay double in this run down area of Hamburg”

In May this year, I had stayed at the Signature Hotel Astoria, the worst, most expensive hotel I’ve stayed in. I stayed for two nights and it cost me £358, i.e. £179 a night (including breakfast). I wanted somewhere to stay very near to Hamburg railway station – the hotel is about 10 minutes walk a… more

In May this year, I had stayed at the Signature Hotel Astoria, the worst, most expensive hotel I’ve stayed in. I stayed for two nights and it cost me £358, i.e. £179 a night (including breakfast). I wanted somewhere to stay very near to Hamburg railway station – the hotel is about 10 minutes walk away. I didn’t read any of the reviews on the booking site or on other travel sites – if I had, I would have been forewarned and would not have booked. Just two or three streets away from that hotel is this hotel. Again, I wanted to stay near to the railway station. I stayed for one night in October and it cost me £78. There was much less of the street prostitution / wandering, distressed people / street scammers than I found walking to the Astoria hotel. But there was still some. The whole area on this side of Hamburg railway station is down at heel which I don’t mind but not when the hotel is basic and it’s costing me £179 a night. This hotel was older – or old fashioned. There are steep steps at the entrance and to the first floor and the sight of laundry bags in the corridor (at 4pm in the afternoon) did not make a good first impression. But my room was large, the TV worked and the shower / toilet room was fine. The price didn’t include breakfast but it was possible to have breakfast at the hotel: I decided against that as the hotel is not large and didn’t seem full and I thought the breakfast would be pretty basic, out of a fridge and plastic wrapped portions – though I could be wrong. There are lots of Turkish restaurants and a couple of large supermarkets around the hotel and, if you walk to the other side of the railway station, hipster coffee shops. There are many food concessions in the railway station and some have places to sit and eat. I’d be happy to stay here again, given the price. On the other side of Hamburg railway station, everything is better, more modern and cleaner, including the hotels but you have to pay more!

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“I wouldn't stay there again”

The street and area that the hotel is in seems very dodgy and noisy. The hotel is close to the main station and the main bus station. The staff at reception seemed to reflect the area. The person handling our check-in could not speak English and his German was barely understandable. The room wa… more

The street and area that the hotel is in seems very dodgy and noisy. The hotel is close to the main station and the main bus station. The staff at reception seemed to reflect the area. The person handling our check-in could not speak English and his German was barely understandable. The room was large, comfortable and clean. There are steep stairs up to the first floor, where one can (sometimes) catch an elevator to the next floor. Not recommended for anyone with hip-knee problems. The first day the elevator also did not seem to work. The bathroom was clean and functional, though some of the towels were so threadbare that I could have pushed my finger through some areas. The television only had three channels - 2 German shopping channels and Al Jazeera. The general impression of the place is tiredness. There were stains in the basin, the one bed lamp cover had holes in it, there were small holes in the duvet cover. Despite having a room facing onto the street, we did not experience the noise and commotion that other guests seem to have encountered. Our room was quiet, but we made sure to be back in the room before nightfall, as we would not have felt comfortable in the area after dark.

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