Blog 3

I have had many experiences with hotels throughout my life. My father works for the Department of Defense and I have moved every three years my entire life. Every time we moved we would have to stay in hotel for up to six months while we waited for our household goods to be shipped across the sea. During those six months, my family and I would stay in various hotels for our duration. We stayed in everything from Radisson, Marriot and Army Barracks. My best experience was with Radisson Blu.

The name was purchased from the Radisson the Belgian hotel firm Rezidor Hotel Group. Formerly know as Radisson SAS, Radisson Blu in downtown Wiesbaden Germany, had the most phenomenal customer service of any hotel I have ever experienced. During our six month stay we were literally treated like royalty. Every single member of the staff knew our name within a week of staying at the hotel. The hotel general manager Herr Schmidt, would have us down for complimentary drinks and appetizers twice a week just to see how we were doing and if there was anything else the hotel could do to make our stay more pleasurable. When celebrities would visit he would invite us down to meet them when they were coming in. They would make us complimentary lunches to take to school everyday and would have our breakfasts ready at the same time every morning.

Customer service is their number one priority and it shows in the way they handle their business. There was one experience where we were trying to sleep and could not because of the ballroom above us that had a party going full swing. We talked to front desk about it and they moved us up to the penthouse suite for two nights as an apology to us for disturbing our nights sleep. According to hoteltravel.com it is one of the top rated hotels in Wiesbaden and many of the customer reviews compliment their outstanding customer service.

Even though it carries the name Radisson, it is far better than any of the other Radisson’s that I have stayed at in the United States. They are pet friendly so this allowed us to have our dogs with us during our six moth stay instead of having to board them.

They also have one of the top rated spas in Germany. Their spa features private massage rooms, spa treatment rooms, steam rooms and swimming pools. All of these are heated directly from the hot springs that lie directly beneath the hotel. The floors in the spa are all naturally heated from the hot springs. This is one of the premier natural remedy spas in the country and as with everything else in the hotel have excellent service.

Because of their association with a large hotel chain it would be easy to think of them as being impersonal and to much of a large chain but the personalized service and classy location to the famous Wiesbaden landmarks the Kurhaus, Casino and the venerable Wilhelm Strasse. They stand out as a ritzy and luxurious hotel. They like to keep their hotels smaller around the 100-150 room number to keep the personal service at a maximum level.

The building is one of the oldest in the city and has tons of personality. The restaurant is very quirky and unique in its design. It has multiple courtyards surrounded by the rooms. There is also a rooftop bar that hosts parties and events. There is also a smoking room that is just like everything you have seen in the movies. Full of old books and ladders and over stuffed chairs. This room was frequented by old men smoking cigars. This hotel has many amenities from the spa, pool, gym, restaurants and smoking room. Because it is located downtown, it is a small property that does not have the amenities to compete with a large hotel or resort such as golf courses, gift shops and event halls. They manage to compete with a strategic location , excellent customer service and a top quality spa.

According to Tripadvisor.com, the Radisson Bock is the 13th rated hotel in Wiesbaden. Some of the complaints were that it was old and needed renovation. Some comments also stated that it needed bathroom updates and so on. I last visited the hotel in 2007 so maybe in time since I left it has fallen into some state of disrepair. For the most part all my experiences were very positive and I would love to visit the hotel again at some point in the future. I would also love to visit a couple other overseas Radisson Blu’s so I can compare them to my experience in Wiesbaden.

Radisson blu. (2010, November 1). Retrieved from http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187346-d192320-Reviews-Radisson_Blu_Schwarzer_Bock_Hotel_Wiesbaden-Wiesbaden_Hesse.html