Resort Mark Brandenburg & Fontane Therme

Summary: unsafe sauna space

Full story:
Upon arrival on we were informed that we would be sharing the hotel with the Croatian football team. We were taken aback because when we rescheduled our booking over phone, no one mentioned this particular arrangement. However we trusted that an esteemed hotel that provides a wellness experience would facilitate this in the best way possible, so we decided to stay.

Soon unfortunately it became clear that the gym would not be accessible in the morning, the conference room was constantly occupied and we had to wear identification labels around our necks every step beyond our room like some sort of cattle. On every corner there was a security guard and the lobby was non stop filled with football managers, assistant runners with big sports bags and the like. The atmosphere in all shared spaces was tense, chaotic and nothing like you expect a spa hotel, which prides itself for its sense of peace, to be. Even outside non-guests of the hotel kept circling the swimming and sauna areas to look in and see a glimpse of their favorite football players, so we realised the privacy of the hotel outdoor area was gone. That all in itself was not a pleasant experience but we felt like we could at least enjoy the gym, sauna and spa areas inside to find the peace and quiet that we came for.

However we were quite shocked that also there the football team was overpowering every corner. The gym was restricted on Friday evening around 17-18, since the team had changed their schedule because of the weather. The hotel staff was not informed about it, the team had apparently just taken over the space on their own account.
Piles of sweaty smelly sportsclothes were thrown in the hallways that every ‘normal’ guest had to cross in order to get to the spa. In groups the football players huddled, refusing to be nude like other guests and wearing underwear in the saunas and steam rooms, talking loudly and overcrowding the showers.
All of these things added up and made the atmosphere in the hotel very uncomfortable.

However it wasn’t until the second night where things got out of hand. My partner and I were visiting the sauna again after dinner and some of the football players were in their underwear, throwing around plastic bottles, laughing and talking with loud voices, literally like it was their locker room and completely ignoring the fact they were sharing space with regular guests.
I then went to finally mention this to the hotel staff at reception. The staff responded with concern and promised to inform management about how the players did not abide the rules. We were then offered to use the spa the next day after our check out.

Back in the sauna I couldn’t find my partner and was by myself unclothed in the sauna area as per the rules, where I bumped into the groups of men in their full sportswear and sportshoes, looking at me like without discretion and if I had no business being in their territory whilst at the same time I was cornered as the only (nude) female in the room. I felt unsafe and quickly went to the showers, but there the players had created some informal restriction for the others guests constructed of a room divider to privately access ice baths.. Can you imagine how uncomfortable it feels to walk around there naked as a woman and then bump into groups of men who are clothed and loud like they own the place?!

Even the next morning when we hoped the team would be out for training, still we couldn’t enjoy the sauna because the same loud chatting was going on. We decided to exit early and just go home because the entire two days were disappointing and downright wrong. Offering us an extra spa day in that sense felt like a joke.. We came home with the feeling we were fooled into paying a full rate fee for a toxic footballers lockerroom experience at the resort. The hotel clearly cannot provide a safe sauna space.

We shared our complaint and were brushed off with blasé excuses and a voucher for another spa entree. Clueless management.

Giving one of my favorite wellness hotels one star for the poor communication on the behalf of the hotel and the way my partner and I were treated by the "manager" today. We arrived looking forward to a much needed short vacation, only to find that the beautiful swimming pool I was so much looking forward to was a construction site, boarded up with plywood & full of scaffolding. On top of that, there are no more aufgusse in the lake sauna, which was another of our highlights. When we complained about this to the man who is supposedly the "manager", he rudely told us that it was posted on their website and we should have seen this before booking. However, neither my partner or I saw this, and it turns out what is written on a scrolling menu (and is not the first thing you see) is "thermal roof repair", and unless you read the small print closely, would one maybe understand that half of the therme is a gigantic construction site. C'mon - if you close half of the therme and turn it into a labyrinth of scaffolding, this should be clearly communicated on the website as a static statement, not a scrolling menu that most people will not see, clearly stating that THE POOL IS CLOSED. As compensation for this unpleasant situation, the hotel offers 10euros per nite per person (also written in small text at the very bottom of the reservation confirmation) for a hotel that costs over 200 euros a night. When we insisted to the "manager" this was not sufficient, he basically told us to take it or leave it. He also said that they're able to delete negative reviews and actually threatened us with the possibility of legal action for leaving a bad review(!) Maybe had we been men, this might have turned out differently. The moral of the story is here at Resort Mark Brandenburg, the customer is LAST.

The food isn’t really good , also no so cheap for the quality of the bed and the service given . We think for what it is , super overprice , the therma/ spa is really good but also overprice . Theg need to update the total hotel/ spa is a bit old fashion in the moment.

I would not consider this a luxury spa resort.

For starters, all of the external "thermal" hot tubs were tepid and not hot at all. Given the below 0 temperature outside, it made it impossible to enjoy them.

The aufguss schedule is bare - with only a few happening per day - and the scents used were noticeably poor quality.

Unfortunately we came there for a special occasion and were looking forward to trying all the local cuisine at the restaurant - as was promised on the website. However when we got there, we learned that the restaurant was only doing buffet dinners (for 40€/person) and the offerings were quite bland looking.

The breakfast was fine, but lacked soul. It was a typical hotel breakfast, and there were signs around mentioning which products were local (bread, etc.) but overall it was missing attention to detail and taste. The fresh juice was the only nice touch. The food was really a disappointment, and did not feel like a special culinary experience that we had expected given its presentation on the website. A good meal could have gone a long way of elevating the entire experience.

Most of the staff were quite friendly and accommodating.

The room was spacious and clean, but, like the rest of the resort, lacked character or attention to detail. The overall vibe and aesthetic of the space is ok - but certainly not what one would expect at a luxury resort.

The only highlight is the floating sauna - which was truly wonderful, the lake views did not disappoint! It was very special to be able to do a cold plunge directly out of the sauna.

As a couple that regularly enjoys spas and wellness around the world, we would say to skip Resort Mark Brandenburg and save your money for an actual luxury experience. Given the price tag, it's really not worth it.