While I was in Cologne, I stayed in two different hotels. The first one was the Art ‘Otel. This was organised by Essence as it is where their event took place, so I didn’t know anything about the hotel before we arrived. I wasn’t sure what to expect but the name suggests that it would be a bit arty. As we were there for an event, we spent a lot of time inside the hotel and were able to get to know it a bit better. From the outside, you can tell that the hotel is a bit quirky but it is even better on the inside!

Art’Otel Koln

Art’Otel is located in the famous Rheinauhafen right on the banks of the River Rhine. It is opposite the Schokoladenmuseum (Chocolate museum) and just 1.5km away from the Kölner Dom (cathedral). Rachel and I were lucky enough to have a room with spectacular views of the river. We were able to open the window all the way and watch the boats going past. I loved watching the boats in the morning.  There was also a bridge just to the right as you looked out of our window which is used by the Köln trams and pedestrians. Although there were trams going past, I didn’t find the room to be noisy.

The room

Our room was fantastic – it was so luxurious. Definitely a lot different to the hotels that I have stayed in before. Everything from the walls, to the bed and furniture was white. There was some fantastic colourful artwork on the walls. Which is obviously what the name Art’Otel is all about! In the room, there was also a fantastic stained glass window. The window acted as a wall between the bathroom and the sleeping area. Although this was glass, you couldn’t see through it. This was a bit of a relief as there were two of us sharing the room.  I don’t think Rach wanted to see me showering.

The shower was phenomenal – it had the biggest shower head I’ve ever seen and after having no sleep the night before and then a quick nap, a refreshing shower was just what I needed before the party started. The bathroom was stocked with all of the essentials from Elemis which was a great touch – it’s always nice when hotels use toiletries from brands that you’re familiar with.

The facilities

The hotel’s outdoor terrace was a great place to eat our evening meal and sip on our colourful mocktails, it was so really nice to relax and to watch the boats go by. The terrace was next to Art’Otel’s onsite Pan-Asian restaurant which is called Chino Latino which seats 96 people and serves a variety of Asian cuisine including sushi, sashimi and dim sum. Chico Latino has previously been awarded the title of best Asian restaurant in Cologne. Breakfast is served in the restaurant each morning and there’s plenty of choice with a hot and cold buffet. There’s every kind of breakfast food that you could want from fresh fruit, to crispy bacon. I’d say that it is definitely worth trying the German sausages!

I highly recommend Art’Otel if you are looking to stay in Cologne. They have hotels in Budapest and Amsterdam as well as other German cities. So, I will definitely be looking into them when I next plan a European break. Have you ever stayed in an Art’Otel? Which hotels do you usually go for?