The Fontenay

“Great stay”

This was our first stay at The Fontenay during the high season. Hamburg is a wonderful city, and we’ve stayed at the hotel before and been very pleased. Service has previously been good, but more 4-star than 5-star, so we were a little nervous about visiting during a peak period. From the moment w… more

This was our first stay at The Fontenay during the high season. Hamburg is a wonderful city, and we’ve stayed at the hotel before and been very pleased. Service has previously been good, but more 4-star than 5-star, so we were a little nervous about visiting during a peak period. From the moment we arrived, we immediately noticed a difference: more staff than before, warm personal greetings, genuine smiles, and a calm, luxurious atmosphere. When we got to our connecting rooms, we realized the bed in the room connected to the suite was too small for an adult and a teenager. Knowing the hotel was fully booked, we expected it would be difficult to resolve—but the issue was handled quickly and with a smile. The next day we stopped by for a quick lunch in the lobby and found every table taken due to afternoon tea. No problem: a table was promptly prepared for us in the library. On New Year’s Eve we arrived late at the bar and all seats were taken. A senior member of staff noticed we were looking for a table and kindly asked two guests if they could make room for us at their table. When we left, our EV was fully charged. We departed with big smiles and look forward to returning.

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“Not ideal location for a city sightseeing trip”

What we liked: Rooms: stylish, modern, and spacious. High-quality toiletries, coffee and tea available, free minibar including snacks. Breakfast: medium-sized buffet with a good selection, additional options available. Dinner: Osteria Due recommended. Upscale Italian restaurant, stylish interior, g… more

What we liked: Rooms: stylish, modern, and spacious. High-quality toiletries, coffee and tea available, free minibar including snacks. Breakfast: medium-sized buffet with a good selection, additional options available. Dinner: Osteria Due recommended. Upscale Italian restaurant, stylish interior, good food. Strangely, the online reservation platform always showed that it was fully booked. We inquired at the hotel and there was availability. What we liked in part: Rooftop bar: few seats, strange arrangement of tables along a wall. Food and drinks were good. Service on the rooftop was good, but a bit formal. Spa: beautiful view including outdoor pool, too small for the number of guests. Loungers often all occupied. Location: quiet in the middle of a villa district. Walking distance to most attractions is longer than expected, which is why we mostly took a taxi to the center. Bus station is not close to the hotel. Hotel not ideal for sightseeing. What is not acceptable: Our credit card was charged Euro 300 per day at check-in, even though we had already paid for the room in advance and had no restaurant reservations. Providing a credit card as security is ok, but charging Euro 900 preventively for three nights (which is then only refunded a few days after departure) is simply not acceptable. Conclusion: Overall, a good stay with some drawbacks. For a city break, I would choose a hotel closer to the center next time.

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“Very disappointing”

This hotel is often considered one of the very best in Germany, so I was looking forward to my stay here. However, after the stay, I must say they missed on my expectations by a huge margin. Firstly, we arrived by car at around 8.30 pm. We drove right in front of the doors, and looked around to s… more

This hotel is often considered one of the very best in Germany, so I was looking forward to my stay here. However, after the stay, I must say they missed on my expectations by a huge margin. Firstly, we arrived by car at around 8.30 pm. We drove right in front of the doors, and looked around to see if there was any staff to assist with our luggage or tell where to park. We waited for around 5 minutes standing outside and collecting our belongings from the car. As we did not see anyone, but another guest smoking, we took our 3 large suitcases, 2 small suitcases, and bagpacks and carried them to the lobby. There was a young man sitting behind the counter and welcomed us to check in (while we were still carrying the 7 pieces of luggage). No drinks were offered at check in. Our booking included an upgrade if available, but he told us the next room category was fully booked, so we could upgrade to the second next category, but would need to pay 280€ per night. We kindly declined, as we already paind 780€ per night for our original room. Most hotels have offered upgrades to even bigger rooms if available, I have yet to encounter this type of upgrade where you would pay for the complimentary upgrade even if the next category was unavailable. We them carried our bags ourselves to the room, as the young man showed us the way. We then went to the spa, which was one of the highlights of the stay. The pool was large and very unique and beatiful. The saunas were also nice. The spa all in all was excellent. However, we then went back to our room to order room service. I ordered by phone (2 burgers and fries (no onions) and drinks and desserts. All in all the cost was around 140€. We then received the meal, but the burgers had large amount of onions inside, marinated in some way, meaning all the buns had sucked the onion taste to them. We only had small bites from the burgers, and mainly ate the fries and desserts. I then called the roomservice again to tell them the issue, and their response was ”I am so sorry, was everything else alright?” No partial refund, no new burgers, no nothing. Just ”I am sorry”. That was one of the biggest waste of 140€ I have ever had. The bed was also mediocre. Having slept at Ritz Carlton Berlin the past 3 nights before this hotel, the difference was huge. The pillows had cheaper down, not fluffy, no down comforter on top of the mattress, and the duvet was similar to the pillows, not fluffy but quite tight. Felt more like Hilton bed than a 5 star bed. The room was otherwise beautiful, but regardless of the hotel being very new, there were lightbolbs missing in the ceiling, the ceiling in the shower was filled with water bubbles inside the paint layer, and some electrical thing had been removed from the toilet, leaving a whole with some electric wires visible. Breakfast was excellent, great youghurt, eggs made to order and pancakes. At check out, the valet man was extremely helpful and kind, best employee at the property during our stay. All in all, I regret staying here and not staying at Fairmont. Next time, I will make a better choice.

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