Sofitel Munich Bayerpost

Well, this hotel is unique. Behind a turn-of-the-century facade you will be overwhelmed by an ultra-contemporary design temple. The public spaces, wellness area and rooms are mainly in dark grey and sandstone with accents of colored light. Really innovative in traditional München. First the location. It is directly at the main train station (which means not a really bright neighborhood) and 500 meters walking distance from the city center (the 'Stachus' square). Second, the rooms. The rooms are somewhat smallish and despite the modern design they are lacking contemporary equipment like audio or dvd systems. A wonderful idea is that the bathroom can be opened to the room by a sliding mirror. However, in the bathroom design reigns over function. The half-open toilet is not according to everyone's taste, and it is not really amusing if everything is wet after taking a shower. The wellness area is striking, although small and often crowded. The pool offers a spectacular visual experience. Like everything else in this hotel, it is tiled in dark grey and the only lighting comes from turquoise underwater spots and a small stripe of a dim orange glow. Even more, it features a spiral canal which is almost completely dark ending in a jacuzzi grotto. Breakfast is pricey, but the best I ever had in a hotel. The hotel's weak point is, as many other reviews state, the service. During our stay, the waiting lines at the reception were always long, and the staff was not always helpful. Furthermore, the management's parsimony can be very nasty. To have electrical currency in your room, you have to place your keycard in a slot. That means you cannot load a battery if you are out of the room. And if you leave a second keycard in the slot the maid will remove it and take it with her as kind of 'punishment' like in a youth hostel. Well, you can live with that. If you want to stay a luxury place and if you are tired of the gold-and-plush-style, this hotel is certainly first choice in München.

This hotel used to be the central Post Office in Munich is located a few steps from the main train station and is convenient to everything. The exterior says "old world charm" and the interior is pure high tech - nearly to an extreme. The "touch" key cards for elevators and rooms are nice - added security. The rooms are large and very high tech but miss on a few fine points. For example, the bathroom walls are all glass, including a sliding glass door and the fact that there is a 1cm gap under the mirror that actually allows water to splash from the sink (which takes some work to figure out how to actually turn it on) onto the bed on the other side - strange indeed. It only happened once, but very strange way to build a bathroom. If you turn on the light at night it lights up the whole bedroom. The shower, which was also a bit difficult to work does manage to get a good portion of the bathroom floor wet, and if you are not careful the counter as well. This hotel does, however, provide washclothes and so if you are American, you don't even have to ask. The king-sized bed is actually two separate beds, made up completely separately (not unusual in Germany) but with the wood floors are smooth enough that if you sit on the edge of the middle of the bed they will slip apart enough for you to fall (so sit on the wall mounted sofa to put your shoes on and forget snuggling up to your spouse to sleep).

The desk has a good light and it actually moves on a track so you could sit on both sides for an in-room meal.

The breakfast in this hotel is extraordinary, don't miss it! We had business lunches in the restaurant as well and they were excellent.

The Internet service was sketchy and so bizzarly expensive we were amazed; Euros 21.00 PER HOUR with no day rate has to make this the most expensive place to connect to the Internet anywhere on Earth.

Front desk operations are lacking. We tried to extend our stay checking with reception three different times. We were quoted 3 different prices; E310 before we checked in, E250 the day we checked in and E70 the day we were to leave - at E70 this place is a phenomenal bargin so we stayed. Upon check out it took the clerk a very long time to decide what to charge us. After 3 different tries, checking in notebooks and calling someone else, he finally got the answer that matched the rate card we'd signed.

In summary: great location, very cool, but quirky design, great food, plan to use the Internet cafe across the street and be sure you know what you are paying for your room.

I stayed here in late August 2005 for a few days. My room was very stylish and comfortable. The walk-in shower was very cool! I found the service to be excellent. I didn't care for one of the restaurants Suzie W. though. You should check out the pool. Also can't beat the location. Overall would definitely stay again.

My wife and myself had a great stay here. The staff were polite and helpfull at all times. An excellent location for any hotel with all amenities within reach. A taxi rank 500 yards away and the train station just past that (though you wouldnt know about the trains because you can't hear them)

The hotel is modern and the rooms very comfortable to stay.The facilities were excellent along with service provided by the members of staff.

Great food and excellent beer.

Built into a turn-of-the-century post-office building, the Sofitel Bayerpost offers a very modern and stylish alternative to the more traditionally looking "4 Jahreszeiten" or "Bayerischer Hof."

A security conference on Iraq recently was held there, soccer teams like Manchester United also stayed at the hotel. Rumor has it that German Supermodel Heidi Klum and her husband Seal stayed there during his Munich concert.

Very popular with summer guests from the Middle East...

GOOD points are:

- Stylish decor, impressive lobby, calm and soothing atmosphere

- Great blend of turn-of-the century facade with top-notch modern design

- Unique rooms: ask for one with a bath tub, it will also have a separate shower. The bath is separated from main room by a glass enclosure (with blinds for privacy)

- Natural stone floors in entry and wet areas of room, dark woods, halogen fixtures.

- Ample working space in room. Hi-Speed Internet

- Large, comfortable bed with lots of pillows

- Hotel is located right next to the Munich Central train station, in the heart of town

- Short walk to main shopping area: Neumarkter Strasse, Marienplatz, Karlsplatz

- Great Spa (!!!), Pool and brand new Fitness facilities

- Incredible Breakfast: Fruit, Müesli, German Breads, Eggs cooked to order any style, wide variety of fresh juices (Kiwi... or: Forrest berries... anyone?), Bavarian sausage, cold cuts, salmon, salads,...

- GREAT junior suites on the eighth floor: sitting area with TV, powder room - then climb a staircase to a gallery with the bed. Bathroom has only a shower in these rooms.

BAD points are:

- Due to the hotels' popularity, service is sometimes overwhelmed (staff in Germany is expensive and even 5-star locations tend to be understaffed)

If your taste is 'traditional old world,' this hotel may not be your first pick. It is not a 'home away from home' for most, but different, stylish and tastefully modern! However, it does not feel 'too hip for its own good' like some other design hotels.

Personally, I do highly recommend this hotel - great for corporate business travellers who have the budget, or private people who want to treat themselves to something out of the ordinary.

When my father came to Munich this past weekend, I did check several places in town and decided to book him into the Sofitel Bayerpost.

Munich simply lacks a true five star hotel. The Mandarin Oriental comes close, but just isn't my cup of tea. So, I figured I'd give this hotel a try. This hotel has many advantages. It's new, modern, very dark(if you like that sort of thing), has a spectacular wellness area and a great location on top of the central train station. The main problem is that the staff, especially at the front desk is utterly clueless when it comes to service. An example:

I arrived late, around 11 p.m., so there was no one to help me with my luggage. I carried it to the reservation desk, checked in and the clerk rang for someone to take the stuff to my room. So far, so good. I then took one of the bags and started walking up, when the reservation agent told me to leave the bag as they would be bringing it upstairs shortly. When i explained that I prefer to take it with me, he persisted in telling me to leave it. Finally, I told him that there was cash and other valuables in it and that I simply wasn't going to leave it unattended in the lobby and that I wasn't going to have this argument with him. He finally relented but at 11 p.m. that was just tiring.

Once upstairs, the room was freezing cold and the phone didn't work. It took a while to figure out why it was so cold and they couldn't fix the phone. More troubling was the attitude at the front desk that made me feel like I was bothering them.

The room doesn't have a dvd-player and putting one in was going to cost 45 dollars a day. I finally got the rate reduced to 25, but still, that's a fairly unnecessary expense. The hotel is teeming with rich Saudis and their kids who have little to do there other than to populate the "business center" and wellness areas. That can get annoying to say the least.

Overall, it's not a bad hotel, but the service must improve for it to be top-notch. I would probably return, however, as there are so few alternatives.

(Photos only)

I just stayed at the Dorint in Munich. This is one of the most outstanding hotels in the world for sure. The rooms are spacious and extremely comfortable. You must sleep in a bed like this to appreciate comfort and luxury. The sheets are crispy and sparkling clean. The spa is excellent. It has a calderium and tempiderium shower, sauna,steam bath and the treat is the automatic crushed ice fountain to be rubbed on the body after the heat treatments: a true roman bath sample. The pool is beautiful an inviting. Always take your swimsuit with you.The soft and dimmed light throughout the hotel is very relaxing and it invites you for quiet conversations and meditation. Breakfast was the best and most delicious breakfast I have had. Truly outstanding, well prepared and very healthy. The orange juices and other 6 fruit juices were freshly squeezed. Hot steaming cappucino or expresso were some of the offerings. I would love to go back and experience again this beautiful hotel.

This is one of the nicest hotels I have stayed in during a long time. The staff was very helpful. The hotel wass very modern and high tech. t

There was a beautifukl spa and the price was extremely reasonable.

Just spent two nights at the Dorint Sofitel in Munich (checked out a night early). Hotel has just opened. Location is good (especially proximity to the Oktoberfest - walking distance) but the service is awful. Concierge was very un-helpful; Staff was lukewarm and hard to get ahold of - we could never get an answer when we called any of the hotel services or front desk from our room. Phone just rang off the hook. They lost our car key and spent 20 + minutes trying to locate it in their unorganized valet parking system. Rooms were very modern and well decorated. Bed was extremely comfortable. However, the room and entire hotel was dimly lit and seemed depressing to me. Definitely more of a business hotel than anywhere to stay on vacation. I would opt pick someplace else especially considering how expensive this hotel was.