Best Western Hotel Hamburg International

With its dull weather-worn facade and unimaginative, boxy architecture, the building is far from inspiring to look at. Inside, however, while still rooted in the last century, the lobby is bright and well-maintained with plenty of polished stone and warm wood paneling. The property is composed of two parts: The main four-story building (serviced by two elevators) and a motel-style, low-rise section overlooking a long courtyard. While much of the interiors do feel dated -- think peach upholstery and garish red carpet with yellow polka pots -- renovations in 2016 have spruced up the second and third floors in the reception block, as well as all bathrooms. Public areas are also generally very clean and well-maintained, and guests tend to agree the hotel is efficiently run. Clientele are mostly budget-conscious couples on short trips or weekend breaks. 

The hotel overlooks a fairly busy road in a largely residential neighborhood in the eastern suburbs of Hamburg. There's little the average tourist would find of interest in the immediate surrounds, though a pleasant park is a few minutes' walk away and a Bunker Museum is just around the corner. Also a couple minutes away on foot is the Rauhes Haus metro station that connects to the buzzing city center in around 10 minutes. It's also around 10 minutes' drive to the picturesque shores of Hamburg's Outter Alster Lake and a little farther to the Miniatur Wunderland model railway exhibit and museum. Hamburg Airport is about 30 minutes' drive away, or 40 minutes by public transport.

The hotel has 113 guest rooms, many of which have been updated with an attractive beige and purple color scheme, modern furniture, thick carpets, and floral motifs. Though well-maintained, some rooms remain dated and loud, with red patterned carpets that clashes with peach plaid armchairs and salmon curtains. Thirty-six of the rooms in the main building face the street (and can be prone to traffic noise), while the others overlook the courtyard. Updated Comfort rooms are more spacious and have bigger beds. Standard amenities include (at least) 32-inch flat-screen TVs -- with one English-speaking news channel and on-demand movies -- and coffee- and tea-making facilities, though there are no safes or minibars. Wi-Fi is free of charge, though connection can be poor. All bathrooms were renovated in 2016 and are polished and modern with step-in showers, heated towel rails, wall-mounted hairdryers, and soap/shampoo dispensers. Rooms lack air-conditioning, so they can get hot in the summer months.

The hotel's fairly limited facilities cover parking and dining, but little else. The old-fashioned restaurant is a bright and pleasant space, serving a decent breakfast buffet (for a fee) that includes smoked salmon, boiled eggs, and various breads, juices, and cereals. The restaurant also opens for dinner and food quality is pretty good. An adjacent wood-filled bar is cozy and shows sporting events on a big screen. Parking is free of charge in the outdoor lot, or there's a covered garage for a reasonable daily fee. Meeting rooms are available, however, there's no gym on-site.