I’m attending a conference in Munich. Rather conveniently, there is a direct train from Winterthur, where I work, to Munich’s Hauptbahnhof. The journey supposedly takes three hours and 18 minutes. Although for reasons probably nobody can fully explain, it’s seems to be quite a common occurrence for the train to pick up a delay as it goes. In any case, in Munich I’m staying at the Hilton Munich City, mainly because this is the closest hotel I could find to the conference venue.

Location

In theory, there is the S2 and S3 suburban train lines from Munich Hauptbahnhof directly to the hotel at Rosenheimer Platz. The journey takes just over ten minutes and it’s the fourth stop from the Hauptbahnhof. That is, of course, unless the public transport union decides to call a strike…again.

Check-In & Staff

The first impression of the hotel as I enter is good. Everything looks and smells new. There is a small self-service kiosk in the corner of the lobby area where it is possible to purchase drinks and small snacks, including fresh sandwiches. The check-in process is swift. There’s nothing obviously wrong with the whole process. Nonetheless, it’s remarkable in just how impersonal it is.

King Room with Courtyard View

My room is located on the second floor and looks out over a courtyard. I figured it would be the quieter option. However, there is outdoor seating in the courtyard in warm weather, so I’m not fully sure how quiet the room would be in the summer.

The room is a good size. Like the rest of the hotel, it looks as though it was only recently refurbished or modernized. One of the things I really don’t like about the Hiltons in general is that they’re rather bland and very generic – and this property is no exception. Everything is new and works properly, but it’s completely exchangeable.

At least the bed is large and very comfortable. It has four exceptionally floofy pillows that give way just right and are a pure delight on the neck.

There is a credenza opposite the bed that contains the tea and coffee making amenities and the minibar. Then there’s a small divan by the window and a round table up against the wall. But there’s no desk. I’m guessing the round table supposedly functions as the desk, but for that it’s an odd height. It’s also a bit inconvenient that there are no electricity plugs anywhere near the credenza, which means the Nespresso machine has to be placed on the round table/desk to make coffee, further reducing surface space.

The fixtures in the bathroom look new and clean. But beyond the usual cosmetics – hand soap, hand cream, shower gel, shampoo, and conditioner – there are absolutely no amenities at all in the bathroom. As for the Knight of Malta shower test, we’re looking at a lower intermediate sample. The temperature regulation is good, the water pressure okay-ish, but spillage is a problem and I have to cut short my shower time to prevent the water from leaking into the foyer.

Amenities

There are no bathrobes or slippers in this room category, which is fair enough. As previously mentioned, there is a minibar that is empty. They will fill it for you on request. The kettle and Nespresso machine are stored in the credenza. I give them extra brownie points for the fact that a) they have real Nespresso capsules instead of some imitation that they hope you won’t notice is not the real thing, and b) because they have real milk instead of creamer. However, there are deductions as well because the capsules and milk are only replaced sporadically when the cleaning staff remember to do so.

Dining – Breakfast at MONA

There is only one restaurant at the Hilton Munich City – MONA on the ground floor. During my stay, I only have breakfast here. And frankly, I’m not impressed. There’s a lot of food, but somehow there’s still not much of a selection. Guests can order additional hot dishes directly with one of the chefs at the open kitchen. But frankly, the smell of old, slightly burned cooking oil is more than a little off putting.

I think my biggest issue with this hotel is the waiting staff at the restaurant because they really are completely and utterly useless. You have to really put a lot of effort into entirely missing the point of your job description so badly. At breakfast they have this system where there is a green card on the table if it’s free. The idea being that you flip it to red when you take a seat, so nobody will take your table in your absence, while you’re raiding the buffet. One of the young waiters spends all his time moving from table to table flipping the occupancy cards to red, even while patrons are actually seated at the table. What the 🤬🤬‼️☠️ ever for? If I’m seated at the table, nobody is likely to miss me sitting there. More importantly, he’s so busy with his immensely important flipping duties that he totally misses the many tables that are no longer occupied but are still littered with dirty dishes. One day I decide to play nice. So before I stand up to get a coffee, I flip the table card to red to indicate that I’ll be back. But when I return with my cup of Joe a short while later, the waiter is just finishing setting the table again for the next guests. Deep breaths. I think I’ll just stand here and slowly count backwards while I try to simmer down… 1’999’998, 1’999’997, …

Conclusion

As far as mid-range hotels go, the Hilton Munich City is okay. Its location close to the river and the Deutsches Museum is convenient. My room was unremarkable but otherwise okay. The infrastructure is well maintained and looks fairly modern. And the bed was comfortable. The biggest letdown for me was the situation at breakfast. The staff were untrained and incompetent, and the quality of the food certainly was nothing to get overly excited about.