Hotels in Germany

From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):

 

This series of posts, continued from last week, outlines our preparation for a German trip to research beyond church records. Before embarking on a research trip abroad, you want to make sure you’ve done your homework. The next step, outlined in this post, is booking hotels.

 

Hotels

 

When planning your trip to Germany, once your schedule is planned for the archives where you will be researching, next is to determine where you will be staying and booking those hotels.

 

Identifying hotels includes prioritizing locations near the archives. Next week we will cover whether to rent a car or use the train. If you will be using public transportation, you will want to prioritize locations near public transport. Using public transport such as the S-Bahn or U-Bahn will ensure you avoid parking fees and traffic, especially when staying in cities.

 

There are differences between hotels in Germany and the United States. Air conditioning is rare in older hotels and hotels in smaller towns. Depending on the time of year of your visit, that may be a consideration. Free Wi-Fi may or may not be available. Older hotels may also not have an elevator. On our last trip, we had two hotels where we had to pull our suitcase up a flight of stairs or two. One hotel we stayed at had an elevator that stopped between floors, so you still had a small flight of stairs to mount before getting to your room.

 

Room set-ups are different in Germany. If you need two separate beds, pay attention to the options offered. A Doppelzimmer (double room) means two people will be in the room. It does not equate to two separate beds. A double bed typically means two separate mattresses in one frame. When travelling with a friend or colleague, see if a Zweibettzimmer (2-bed room) is available. An Einzelzimmer (single room) is a room for one person. And bedding does not include a flat sheet, only a comforter. Hotel rooms may be smaller, including bathrooms and showers, especially in older hotels. 

A trend that is evident in both hotels in America and Germany is the move to wall-mounted shower gel that is supposed to also be used as shampoo. This is an effort to reduce single-use plastics. Some hotels offer shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel, but most of the time we only found shower gel and conditioner. The hotels that we stayed in all provided hair dryers. Remember that if you use curling irons or other heating devices, you need a special electric converter. If you don’t have the right converter, you will have a problem, such as burning up the converter!

Speaking of electricity, most hotels require that you use your room card to turn on the electricity. Typically, it was a card slot where you put your room key when you enter the room.

 

German hotels usually include breakfast (mit Frühstück), or one is available for an additional fee. Breakfast usually consists of different types of food options than what you find in America, such as meat, cheese, and a variety of bread. Sometimes eggs are included, but not necessarily bacon, potatoes, or oatmeal. American chain hotels, such as a Hilton, offer more of a typical American experience.

 

Hotels may or may not have parking available. Some have very limited parking and the spots may be small … very small. We had to climb out the back of the car when we parked at one hotel.

One thing that surprised me with hotels in Germany was that the rooms had working windows. That is something that you don’t find in America.

 

If you are memorializing your trip in photos, don’t forget to take them as soon as you enter your room as that is the best that it will look!

 

Next week we’ll talk about renting a car or taking a train.