WHAT’S IT LIKE? A conventional business hotel that has been in operation for more than 40 years, but thanks to on-going renovations since 2001 (costing around €45 million), it looks smart and has well-maintained facilities. The higher floors (12 is the top) offer views of the River Rhine. Parking is €22 a day and there are 320 spaces. The reception makes for a pretty bland entranceway, but the high-ceilinged lobby bar offers splashes of colour from orange retro-style armchairs and a burgundy carpet. Staff are very helpful and welcoming.
WHERE IS IT? The hotel is a five- to ten-minute drive from the city centre (€8-€10 by taxi), in a quiet industrial area surrounded by car parks and populated with concrete office buildings – IBM, L’Oréal and Ergo are all nearby. The airport is 3.5km away.
ROOM FACILITIES Bedrooms are all decorated in a similar way – with an orangey-brown carpets, striped brown, cream and beige curtains, pale walls and nondescript framed prints. While far from exciting, they are clean and comfortable and have most of the amenities you would be looking for such as a workdesk, wired and wifi internet access (€22 per 24 hours), slippers, robes, flatscreen TVs, air conditioning, minibars, 24-hour room service and combined baths and showers. There is a modest selection of on-demand pay-per-view movies at €10 each.
Executive rooms are generally the same size at standard ones (27 sqm) but also offer guests access to the lounge, which has a PC and free wifi for guests to use, as well as drinks and snacks. The opening times could be a little inconvenient though – 7am-11pm Monday-Thursday, 7am-12pm Friday to Sunday.
I was staying in the Ambassador suite, which was huge. It had a large living room with sofas, armchairs and a workdesk (although the adaptors were too far away for me to plug my laptop in and work on it), a kitchen with a Nespresso machine, cooker and fridge, a bedroom and two bathrooms – one complete with a walk-in rainshower, mood lighting, Crabtree and Evelyn toiletries and four-person spa bath.
RESTAURANTS AND BARS As well as 24-hour room service, the ground-floor Axis bar and lounge shows sports on TV and serves up cocktails, beers, coffees and snacks from 8am to 1am. When I was there over a weekend, it was proving popular with a large group of rowdy “Ultimate Fighting Champion” (or similar) fans, but in the week it was probably quieter.
On the same floor is Max restaurant, which serves international cuisine both inside and outside on its summer terrace. Although it is open for lunch and dinner, I only had breakfast, and this consisted of a generous buffet (although without the Hilton colour-coding for nutritional content that is normally shown for each dish). There was chef making fresh omelettes and pancakes to order, as well as self-service hot options including bacon and grilled tomatoes. There was also the usual range of cereals, bread and pastries, fruit, yoghurt, cold meat and salad.
BUSINESS AND MEETING FACILITIES There are 11 conference spaces all with natural daylight on both the ground and mezzanine levels. The largest is the ballroom, which can host 1,500 people theatre-style and is divisible into three, while smaller boardrooms can seat up to ten delegates. There are two business centres – one on the ground floor and one on the mezzanine level, along with a Sixt car rental office and an airline check-in terminal in the lobby.
LEISURE FACILITIES There is a basement gym with Precor machines and free weights, and although open 24 hours, smelt a bit peculiar when I checked it out and had no natural light. You also have to use a service lift at the end of the corridor to access it. A sauna, solarium, relaxation area and 25 bicycles can also be availed of by guests. Massages can be booked and there is an outdoor jogging route.
VERDICT Although not the newest Hilton out there, it is a reliable option for business travellers staying in Dusseldorf as it’s well-located near the airport and city centre, has lots of meeting space and rooms are equipped with pretty much all you’d need for a short stay.
FACT FILE
HOW MANY ROOMS? There are 375 rooms including King, Deluxe, Executive and Junior suite categories.
ROOM HIGHLIGHTS The spa bath and huge living room.
PRICE Internet rates for a midweek stay in August started from €104 for a King room.
CONTACT Hilton Dusseldorf, Georg-Glock Strasse 20; tel +49 2114 3770; hilton.co.uk
Jenny Southan
