Types of Accomodation in Germany

Finding a bed is rarely a problem in Germany and the range of accommodation–from half-timbered hostels to high-rise designer hotels, pension to the palace–means there’s something to suit all budgets and tastes. There are two caveats: during a high Season in premier resorts and during major festivals, when you may struggle to find a room; and when expense accounts roll into town during city trade fairs known as Messen, when you may balk at the prices demanded. In the past decade, the country’s hoteliers have busied themselves updating what was a fairly frumpy hotel stock to at least a nod to contemporary decor, even if that means a preponderance of identikit, bland furnishings in cheaper places. Another trend is the emergence of an independent hostel sector. Though targeted at the backpacker market, these convivial hostels are open to all comers and often offer cheerful modern doubles for around €20; less than you’d pay for a tired, cheap hotel. Even the latter are clean, even if their decor saps the spirit. While the strength of the euro means hotel accommodation is not quite the bargain of a decade ago, Germany remains at a good value compared with the United Kingdom at least.

Notwithstanding that prices vary hugely, you can expect to pay around €80–120 for a double in an average mid-range hotel. Many city hotels, especially those that target the executive market, offer cheaper weekend rates. Hostels charge about half that price for a double room, and under €30 for a dormitory. The other source of a cheap bed is rooms in private houses or farms–those in more remote regions such as the Black Forest and Bavarian Alps abound in country character and provide bargains to boot. A peculiarly German quirk is the enduring love affair with the sauna and spa or “wellness” center, which you’ll find even in dated hotels–worth remembering before you thrill to the notion of a “spa hotel”. Another national tradition is the Kurtaxe, which is charged in spa towns and “health” resorts, a definition extended to encompass most coastal resorts.
This adds €2–4 to your hotel bill because they lay facilities on for the resort’s tourists. For reservations, most tourist offices will book all forms of accommodation either for free or for around €2–4 per person. Those in resorts are a good, first port-of-call if you arrive without a reservation in peak season. Many in destinations with a high visitor rate have touchscreen info points outside, sometimes with a free telephone. And if you make a reservation, be sure to notify staff about an expected arrival time after 6pm – or else your room may be given away.

Hotels

Many hotels in Germany have aligned themselves with a voluntary five-star Deutschen Hotelklassifizierung rating system based on an independent body's assessment of 280 criteria. This ensures that taking part in one-star establishments have rooms of up to 12m squared, with en-suite toilet and shower; that three-star hotels offer larger rooms, a minibar, and 24-hour call-on reception even if they are not manned; and that five-star places, you will enjoy rooms of at least 18m squared and luxuries such as 24-hour room service and reception, and laundry services. Most hotels have a restaurant–those named a “Hotel Garni” serve breakfast only. Whether aligned to the Deutschen Hotelklassifizierung system, German hotels are comfortable enough for you to have few complaints; they are clean en suite except in the cheapest establishments, and rooms nearly always come with a TV. In the lower and mid-range, you can expect either a fairly anonymous business style or a dated Eighties throwback. Budget hotel chains Et al. and Ibis provide functional modern rooms at rates comparable to a room in an independent hostel. That said, a growing number of style hotels in the cities also offer interior style at affordable prices, and at the upper end, you can have a pick of hotels with a wow factor, with many luxury outfits installed in historic palaces or castles. All hotels provide breakfast buffet-style and are included in the price of your room, but do double-check.

Pensions, inns, private rooms, and farm stays 

A shift away from the formality and anonymity of blander hotel chains is the pension: smaller, cheaper establishments, often in large houses or in city apartment blocks. What they lack in mod-cons—you’ll usually have to share bathroom amenities, for example – they make up as personal service and homely decor. In Bavaria they are often called a Gästehaus; We can find a similar style in a Gasthof or a Gaststätte, which roughly translates into English as an inn. Accommodation is above a traditional restaurant – that it is often in a historic building is all part of the charm of a stay, although remember this means room dimensions are historic, too. For obvious reasons, these are especially prevalent in small towns and in the countryside. Both pensions and inns will provide breakfast. A step down from the pension or inn is the private room in the house of locals. Priced from around €15, these are rarely more expensive than €30, making them a valuable alternative to the hostel for budget travelers. At their best, private rooms offer a chance to dip a toe into everyday life and to glean insider information from a local host. Such intimacy may not be to all tastes, however. Tourist information offices can book rooms, look for signs advertising Zimmer Frei or Fremdenzimmer, or source rooms (and apartments) online at bed-and-breakfast.de and bedandbreakfast.de. One of the most notable developments in German accommodation in the past decade is the rise of farm stays. Beloved by city families as a rural escape, and often good bases for country pursuits such as walking or riding, these are classified either as Landurlaub (country holiday)–former farms or country houses with typical regional charm–or as Urlaub Auf dem Bauernhof (farm holiday) which provide rooms on working farms and vintners. Many of the latter feature homemade produce for breakfast and, occasionally, evening meals–but you’ll obviously need your own transport. Again, local tourist offices can recommend farm stays, or try farm stay organizations, all of which sell brochures or guidebooks.