Althoff Grandhotel Schloss Bensberg

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.

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.

I’ve stayed at Schloss Bensberg many times and each visit reminds me why it’s one of my favorite hotels in Europe. The building itself is absolutely stunning, a historic castle with incredible attention to detail and elegance throughout. The views from the rooms are fantastic, especially those overlooking the Rhine valley and Cologne Cathedral. Service is always exceptional and the staff consistently go out of their way to help and are always warm and friendly. The spa is a true highlight: spacious, well designed, with an indoor pool, sauna, and steam room that make it easy to unwind. The nearby town of Bensberg is quaint and charming, perfect for a quiet stroll or a local bite. Cologne is just a short drive away, making this an ideal retreat that’s still close to the city. Over the years, Schloss Bensberg has truly come to feel like a second home. Highly recommended.

Since the Hotel was new at GHAdiscovery (Titan-member) we gave it at try. ||The hotel is rated ***** superior, but there were a few problems with our room that were not “superior” compared to other ***** hotels, e.g.:||in Germany all AC-Outlets of the Schukotype shall have two grounding contacts for safety reasons. The only free Schuko-Outlet at the bedside was unusable, because both wholes for the round power contacts were full of plastic and one contact was bent out of shape. The other Schuko AC-outlet had one safety contact missing, in another one in the room the contact was full of white paint and therefore also would not protect you. ||The room had a Nespresso-machine, but the water container had residue at the bottom, which takes a long time to deposit.||||While the TV provided an earphone connector it was not working, which meant I could not watch TV without waking my wife. ||The hotel could not provide bedside rugs, which is the standard in other ***** hotels we stayed at.||||If this does not bother you, you might enjoy the hotel.

A wonderful Castle Hotel superbily laid out in a quiet suburb of Cologne. Spacious and well appointed rooms, great views, fine Italian dining, a sumpteous breakfast buffet. Well managed and professional, friendly staff

I had a wonderful stay at this hotel! The staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming, and the room was clean and comfortable. The location was perfect close to everything I wanted to see. The breakfast was a nice touch, offering a variety of tasty options. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone visiting the area!

The staff is really friendly and welcoming, creating a warm atmosphere in the historic castle. The spa is boutique and relaxing, there are slots for adults only which is important because of the Swimmingpool and surrounding. This guarantees a quiet time to relax, use saunas and pool which is big enough to swim a bit. You can use the elevator in your robe between room and Spa. Did not take breakfast because I dont do breakfast 😉 but looked amazing in a baroque hall. 👍🏼 There are Champagne Brunch Sundays, might go for that at one point because of the beautiful building and a relaxed spa Monday... The town is a bit strange, lots of construction and very 1970s, so stay in the Hotel ☺️✨

The hotel is perfect in every way. We stayed in one of the junior suites which was huge!!!! Everything was perfect. If I have to mention one downside, parking in the garage is pretty expensive...

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.