Holiday Inn - the niu, Cobbles Essen by IHG

The hotel looked new, wanted to stay at The Niu in Essen because my prior experience was good with them in Nuremberg but as soon as I got to the room and went to the bathroom, it smelled like sewer. It was really strong that if you opened the bathroom door, the bedroom filled up fast with sewer smell. I was only staying for one night so I managed it because I was traveling all day but I think the rooms/bathrooms should be inspected before they are marked ready to be assigned. Parking is very limited on the side of the building. Not sure if they have an underground parking but that is the only parking I had used.

The rooms were quite small without good storage space. The bathroom was spacious but the lighting was bad and the only amenity was a single squeeze bottle of soap/shampoo. The location was the worst, it’s the middle of nowhere. A good long walk to anywhere. |The breakfast buffet was pretty impressive. A good variety including vegan milk and yogurt. The baked goods and salads were an unusually good quality for a buffet. And the lobby/dining area had a nice vibe for hanging out too.

The experience started off well with a fantastic welcome and great atmosphere, but it quickly went downhill. The food advertised on the IHG website didn’t match what was actually available, and sometimes wasn’t served at all. When I returned on Saturday evening, there was no food, and a dismissive staff member simply said no.|According to the IHG website, pizzas and other types of food were offered, but in reality, these turned out to be overpriced microwave meals costing 16 euros—disappointing and unpleasant.|Additionally, there were no coffee-making facilities in the room, which I expected from an IHG hotel. The rooms themselves felt odd, with random wallpaper and plastic chairs.||I am going to write to IHG and review as this is not the standard I'd expected.

Very good value for money. The bed was so comfortable it practically hugged us goodnight, which is exactly what you want after a long day of adventuring at Spiel. Staff was professional and friendly and the breakfast was nice which is the most important thing :)! Everything else would just be nitpicking.

This place is walkable from the Hauptbahnhof. This is fortunate because I arrived quite late on a Wednesday and the S Bahn (nearest station Bismarckplatz) had shut down early for works.||I got a friendly welcome. The bed was good, the room was on the quiet side of the hotel and I wasn't bothered by the depiction on the wall of someone breaking through a fence with a crowbar.||I didn't try the breakfast. I would happily stay again.||It was sad to find a rough sleeper at the foot of the staircase in the S Bahn station on my way to my next destination.

What a complete disappointment the staff at this hotel are, I can't even give them 1 star. From the first step ever into this hotel, the staff are utterly rude and unfriendly, you enquire about parking, which it says they have they really don't have, down to a booking the you book a queen room and just get shoved aside for a family and get a room that you never booked. When you inquire about your booking only to be told that I will have to talk to the manager tomorrow, so what am I paying for? When you arrive at the hotel to check in, you are asked very aggressively by the lady, "checking in", to which you reply "yes", she states back to you "no, only at 3pm", not even a hello, how can I help you, nothing. Nobody knows how to use the heating or air con as all the lights are on and nothing works. This is the first and the last time that I will ever stay here, I can not stand rude people. There is no tea and coffee making facilities in the room, not even glasses to drink out of if you bought something from else where. COMPLETELY DISGUSTED And I am still have 7 days here, otherwise I loose all my money 🤮

Great hotel, clean, amazing staff, beautiful room, very many lovely details. I only stayed one night for a business trip but would have stayed longer for leisure purposes. The price was perfectly affordable for the amenities offered. Can only recommend!

ABSOLUTE SHAME. We booked a room in January. In October we found out that our booking was cancelled due to a problem with the credit card that they couldn't notify correctly. The "funny" thing is that, according to their last email, everything was fine, but it wasn't. It's a shame these things happen.

The breakfast is awesome, fresh and well prepared. Great place but the dining room is uncomfortably warm