Althoff Grandhotel Schloss Bensberg

I stayed here in May 2025, my experience was amazing. This hotel is a great place to stay if you're looking to visit the nearby city Köln, and you can actually see it in the distance from the front lawn. Originally, I had booked to stay for a weekend while touring Germany, but due to some clerical errors I somehow booked on a day the hotel was closed to the public. They quickly made amends via upgrading my room for the days I was staying there, to a suite, and paying for me to stay in one of their sister hotels nearby. They also provided me transport to the sister hotel with a private driver. The dedication to service is outstanding, and I was very very pleased with this. I also was personally greated by Jörg Stricker, the hotels manager, and he ensured my stay would be perfect despite the issues with booking. We had breakfast and dinner here at the hotel and it was spectacular. It definitely met its 5-Star expectations. I hope to stay here again soon! If you're looking at staying near Köln, this is the place to get away from the tourism, and into an amazing experience.

Went with the family for a family visit. Hotel is magnificent. Pool/Spa area very nice. Kids loved staying in a castle, very special feeling and experience. The library is fantastic as well. only drawback was when we arrived (booked 3 rooms through 2 different bookings, but under the same family name) the reception mixed up the rooms and gave the best room to the wrong person (we asked which one was the best room).

The hotel looks fabulous from the outside, but unfortunately is run quite poorly. This was my first stay - and will be my last. ||I booked the hotel through GHA Discovery where I am a platinum member. As such I should receive an upgrade and a late check out until 3 pm.||When I arrived at the hotel with my car, there was no one around to help park my car or take the luggage. When I asked at the reception whether they had valet service the very grumpy receptionist told me in a harsh voice that they did of course. Well, it then nonetheless took someone 10 minutes finally to show up.||Not surprisingly given the “warm” welcome, I did not get an upgrade. As I had already booked a rather high room category, I didn’t really care. But when I asked about a late check out, I was told one was possible until 1 pm. Upon my question why a later check out was not possible, the grumpy receptionist told me she would then have to charge me for that. When I reminded her of my GHA privileges, she suddenly said that a later check out was not available. Being a lawyer I asked her to explain how that fit with her earlier statement that she would have to charge me - which showed that a later check check out was well possible. I can only assume that it is hotel policy not to honor the GHA benefits. ||The room was fine, but not spectacular. Just an ok room in a rather old hotel. ||The spa on the other hand was very nice, especially the pool and the sauna. ||We went to dinner at the hotel bar where we had the steak. Service was nice, but didn’t really know what they were doing - it felt like they had interns working there for the most part. Unfortunately, the kitchen wasn’t able to cook the steak to my liking. I had ordered it medium well. On the first try, it came out medium rare, on the second medium. Not acceptable for a hotel that prides itself on its supposedly great restaurants. ||In short, I’ve been to worse hotels. But this hotel is definitely not 5 stars. Will not return - and advise you not to go either.

Location is wonderful. Building is impressive. Rooms are fine, yet not exceptional considering the room rates. Breakfast is overpriced at €49 per person! Nothing special is offered in return. One cannot even order special dishes (e.g. Belgian waffel). Airconditioning is not effective. Room temperature was 21,2 degrees Celsius at arrival. I set the temperature at 18 degrees Celsius. Temperature was never lower than 20,5 degrees Celsius. It works more like a ventilator. Airconditioning did not work between 21.00 hrs and 08.00 hrs. Sagging matrasses! Pillows did not deserve the name pillow. Felt more like bags with cluttered feathers.l

I have just returned from an enjoyable stay here. It was overall very good but some flaws did not make it exceptional. I really appreciated the upgrade to a junior suite. The reception team is friendly. The building and the indoor areas are beautiful. Breakfast was fantastic. Unfortunately, the WIFI connection would only work in certain spots, not in the suite. Some young staff is friendly but seems inexperienced, so patience is required. Some small details lack attention, hence my 4/5(only) for this kind of luxury hotel.

Me and my wife stayed there between 23.09 until 24.09 . It was nothing less then a horror movie . They had no electricity, no runing water and no hot water,no air-con and their only defense was "it wasn't our fault" . Hotel like that should have back up water thank and power generator .I do not recommend this hotel to anybody .

Very good 5-star grand hotel with an amazing view on the city of Cologne. It's got grandeur of French palaces and a historical interior design, including the rooms. My room was spacious, clean and tidy. Spa and facilities were excellent, as was the service. In the expansive building you'll find a bar, café and two restaurants, all of which with great, high quality options in drinks and food. WiFi was fast, AC working well. Only downside in my opinion was the breakfast (-1 star): although offering lots of variety of cold and warm dishes, I've experienced better setups in other 5-star hotels. Otherwise highly recommended.

I wasn’t satisfied with my stay. The positives: The building is well maintained from the outside, the lobby is nicely laid out, the reception staff was friendly, and the hotel is conveniently located not far from Cologne. The negatives: The interior design lacks a consistent concept, and I repeatedly noticed areas where cost-cutting was evident. We were woken up in the morning by loud construction noise from an event being set up, which lasted for hours. The breakfast was disappointing—the atmosphere felt more like a train station than a hotel, and the buffet, oddly laid out in the corridor, felt out of place. All in all, the price does not reflect the quality offered. I cannot recommend this hotel.

Of all the hotels I've stayed in my nearly 55 years on this planet, I have to say the Althoff Grandhotel Schloss Bensberg is the best! No picture does this place justice; you have to BE there yourself to experience what I mean. It's like I rode straight onto a period movie set, only this was real! The service here is just the right amount. By that I mean I've been to some hotels where there's a staff member around every corner asking how I'm doing, and others where I can't find any help whatsoever. It's almost like the staff here could read my mind and become available whenever I needed something! Everything about this place is grand, as its name clearly states. :-) My room had the highest ceilings of any hotel room I'd ever visited, and was more nicely appointed than the suite I once got at The Plaza in New York! The fridge is stocked with complementary drinks from spring water to beer, and replenished daily. While the Vendome restaurant wasn't open on any of the days I was visiting, I still ate practically the best dinner of my life at Enoteca. The breakfast buffet at Castle Restaurant Jan Wellem was superb as well! I'm already pining for this place, and will most assuredly visit it again when I get the chance.

We stayed three days it was all the way five star. Excellent service wonderful accommodation beautiful spa and grounds. They were wonderful with our two year old and gave spa and baby products in the room for him. Turn down bed service. Wonderful stay. It's expensive for Europe but not America. This stay in California would be 1200-2500 a night and Florida 800 - 1500 a night

A wonderful and luxurious hotel just outside of Cologne in the quiet town of Bensberg. I really enjoyed the spacious rooms and the complimentary minibar drinks. The beds were very comfortable as well with soft linens. The food at the hotel was all very tasty, from the burger in the lobby bar to the 3 Michelin starred Vendome restaurant. Great cocktails in the Salvador Dali bar. The spa and pool area was wonderful and relaxing. You felt like you were in an ancient Roman bath! The steam rooms and sauna at the spa were a daily highlight for me and the therapeutic steam helped me get over a cough I had. I did have a little mix up with an item I left in my room. One person said they found it and would forward it to my next hotel in Frankfurt, then it never got mailed and they claimed it was never found. In the end I got my item back after taking a train from Frankfurt and taxi back to the hotel. I recommend the hotel work on their internal communication amongst their employees. But the service was otherwise very good! I would definitely stay here again!

As the name of this place suggests its a former palace turned into a hotel in 1997. The palace was commissioned by Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine for his wife Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici. Anna Maria Luisa enjoyed the site's elevated scenery and views onto the River Rhine, Rhine Valley and Cologne Bight. The building was designed by Italian Baroque architect Matteo Alberti and completed in 1711. It's located in the town of Bensberg and only a short distance from Köln. They offer shuttle services from the hotel to the airport in Köln. The hotel is big and beautifully maintained and, has beautiful high ornate ceilings and grand hallways. There are at least three restaurants here, including the world renowned 3 Michelin starred Vendome. They have a lovely bar and a lounge open till late. The staff here are very friendly and accommodating. The rooms are well kitted and almost all rooms have free mini bar included with water, soft drinks juices and beer. Wifi is also free and you get a complimentary paper delivered to your room each morning. They deliver fresh fruit to your room and, for Christmas we were given nice stollen and sweets tray, amongst other things. There is a spa and a wellness center that has a pool, gym and sauna. Most guests have free access to the facilities and, you can book massage and other treatments at the spa. There is a good menu of services for men and women. Book ahead as it is very popular with guests and locals. I have stayed in a number of historical hotels around the world and, this would be up there in the top three, for me. This hotel tends to be more formal so bring a suit or a dress as, most people visiting the restaurants and bar here tend to be well dressed. Maybe it's a Christmas thing but that was my experience. I am glad I packed a suit ;-)) The town of Bensberg is only 5 min walk and, there are plenty of shops and cafes there. You can also make day trips to Köln, Dusseldorf and Bonn, from here. Most of these places are under an hours drive. As a tip, look for packaged deals here and depending on the season you can get some good deals, including meals and so on. Having come from Munich many hotels there are far more expensive than this one, for a lot less on offer. I loved my stay here and would happily come back again. It's quiet and luxurious with great service. Makes you feel like royalty and the ambience is amazing. The food is great and, there is plenty of options only a 5 min walk away. A great place for romantic weekend, honeymoon or plain old relaxation.

The property was fairy-tale like! My husband took me for a weekend for my birthday. He arranged for the staff to have champagne and cake at our arrival, which was such a cute surprise. It was close to Christmas time so the lights and the Cologne Christmas market gave it all an extra glow. We had a suite, which was very grand, spacious even for US standards. The dining facilities were opulent. It was a treat to stay here.

Stayed here for my first trip to Germany (or Europe for that matter). Affordable compared to American hotels, especially for what you get! Nicest place I've ever stayed in, and the staff were all so nice and accommodating. I foolishly forgot my electric outlet converters and the front desk had run out of them but they were happy to give me a USB hub so I could at least charge my phone. The rooms were clean and beautiful, very high ceilings with large windows that opened up to the courtyard. My bathroom had a standing shower, as well as a very roomy bathtub which was so wonderful to use after a long day of travel and business obligations. The hallways between the rooms were also beautiful and the front-facing ones were lovely to watch the sunset. The breakfast buffet was so good, and I loved the fresh squeezed juices they had. Restaurants on location were also all great, although we didn't get to try Vendome (bummer!). I'd recommend this place to anyone.

Whilst not quite as peaceful and relaxing as its sister hotel (Schlosshotel Lerbach) this is nevertheless one of the best hotels in Germany. Service from all staff is excellent and very firiendly. The buffet breakfast is extremely extensive. Views from the hotel are excellent. Access to central Cologne is very easy via the nearby tram line. There are tow restaurants at the hotel. "Enoteca" is an Italian Trattoria style restaurant. "Vendôme" is a 3 Michelin star restaurant with chef Joachim Wissler arguably one of the best 3 chefs in Germany.