Picture courtesy of ihg.com
My last stop in Europe happened to be in Munich. I had a lot of trouble deciding which part of Munich I should stay in but after some consideration, I decided to settle in Holiday Inn Munich City Centre.
The hotel is located just outside of the city centre. I was initially keen to stay within the city centre itself (near the Hauptbahnhof). After reading reviews that suggest the area may be a little rowdy, I decided to stay a little off it. Holiday Inn is just at the fringe of it and it is connected to the S-Bahn via an underground connector. This is extremely useful during winter time and makes the hotel very convenient for those arriving into Munich Airport (as the S8 line connects directly to Franz Josef Strauss International Airport).
For only 2 nights, I decided to book just the standard room (especially both days I will be spending most of my time exploring). With my IHG Gold status, I was given a double upgrade to the Executive Room (bypassing the Superior Room). This is because the Superior Rooms were being refurbished up till June 2018. Check in was fast, and as part of the perks of Elite Gold, we were given 2 welcome drink vouchers.
The executive room was large at 30 Sq. meter (as opposed to 20 for the standard room). We had a large king bed, a sofa and a working desk. Despite these, we still had ample room for our luggage. The toilet however is a little tight. Amenities were provided as usual, and instead of 2 we were given 4 bottled water (2 still and 2 sparkling). There was also some complimentary snacks given (these were indicated in the fridge to ensure that we don’t end up taking paid items from the minibar). The room we stayed in had a good city view.
The breakfast spread was good with a wide variety of hot items. There is an egg station and a noodle station as well. The restaurant however was extremely crowded on both mornings we were there (at 7am!). We didn’t need to wait long to be seated but those in a group of larger than 4 may find it more challenging.
Overall, this hotel is an excellent value given the location. It is certainly not the cheapest Holiday Inns in Munich (the Holiday Inn Express in other parts of Munich is cheaper) but those hotels are less convenient. It only take 2 stops on S-Bahn to reach Marienplatz (the central plaza of the city). The direct connection to the S-Bahn also makes it extremely easy to get to and from the airport as well as the other part of Europe via the Hauptbahnhof or the Ostbahnhof.
That Time Of The Year! 