Factory Hotel

The place takes its name from being housed in part in a converted factory building; the designers made that a feature, deliberately leaving the building looking somewhat ‘unfinished’ (“shabby chic”) and the new parts are designed in “industrial style” (eg leaving the concrete structure and walls visible). While it is clear where the Germania campus is, it is less clear that the hotel is on the campus, or where it is once on the campus – there no signage on the main street, and no signage on the campus. Their website points you to the right address to turn off the main road (Grevener Str. 91), though (note this is not the formal postal address). Underground car parking is available in the building (direct lift access to the reception and the rooms); costs a bit more than 10 € per night. Alternatively, you can park in the public parking above ground, which costs about 1 € less. When you do reach the building, the reception is friendly and efficient. About half the rooms face a courtyard, one quarter a parking lot, and the rest the main street and the delivery and outdoor seating area; I only got one facing the street (noisy), but would assume the ones facing the courtyard are quieter (asking for one during the reservation did not get me one, though…). The rooms are generously sized, and feature a balcony and a little desk; however, there is no fridge and no wardrobe – apparently the hotel is not expecting guests to stay longer… The beds are comfortable (if a bit hard), with two pillows provided. Unfortunately, the curtains for darkening the windows are translucent, so the room cannot be darkened. The WiFi was good; there is no specific 24-h-socket for charging when you are out of the room. I did not try the breakfast. For dinner I visited the pasta restaurant, with outdoor seating; the quality was ok, but nothing to write home about. Overall I found the hotel to be somewhat overpriced – you can find better for the same money, or the same quality for less money.