Hotel Herzoghof in Baden

Today I went with my sister for lunch at their new cafeteria/restaurant. After we sat down, the waiter informed us that there was no menu available because the kitchen will only open in about a week. At the moment, they are only serving drinks and pastries, which are brought in from a local pastry shop.

Unfortunately, the experience was disappointing. The cutlery was dirty and visibly scratched, and the floor was not clean—you could clearly see dirt. For a new opening, I expected much better attention to cleanliness and service. Overall, it was a letdown.

No phone in room
No water
No ice
No bar
No shampoo or conditioner
Empty tissue box
Very expensive for very little

We arrived at 5pm after a long day of travel with no staff in the hotel … a note on the desk to call a number which we were unable to do … we found the “ring” and pushed it which was outside & the person was then talking through it inside the hotel! We were directed to a locked box!! For such a large hotel there is NO parking & to not have any staff was unbelievable! Never have we ever had that experience & we have stayed in a lot of hotels … our advise …FIND ANOTHER HOTEL …. And also the fridge is not cold

After traveling the world for eight months straight and staying in over 100 hotels, this is the first time I’ve written a negative review. Unfortunately, this hotel left me no choice — it was by far one of the worst experiences of our trip.

1. False Advertising:
The hotel claims to offer “free Wi-Fi” , right at the front of the Google page. But there is no Wi-Fi in the rooms — only a weak signal in the lobby. Every guest I spoke to found this absurd. This is the first hotel in over 100 stays that failed to provide proper in-room Wi-Fi.

2. No Basic Amenities:
No shampoo, no bottled water in the room — completely unacceptable for a so-called 4-star hotel. The facilities are rundown, and the elevator feels unsafe, like it hasn’t been properly maintained in years.

3. No Housekeeping & No Reception After 6 PM:
We requested room cleaning twice with the receptionist, only to return and find nothing done. To make it worse, reception closes at 6 p.m., meaning there was no one to talk to or follow up with afterward. This level of service is shocking for a hotel of any category — let alone four stars.

4. Dishonest and Disrespectful Front Desk:
When checking out, I asked (very calmly) why the room wasn’t cleaned. Instead of apologizing, the male individual at the front desk lied, claiming we only stayed one night — despite charging us city tax for two nights. Then he suddenly pretended not to speak English, even though he had no trouble speaking it earlier while asking for tax payment. His attitude was disrespectful and evasive — the worst I’ve encountered in 8 months of international travel.

5. Denial of Responsibility:
What truly pushed this over the edge is that the hotel denied everything when contacted by our booking agency — claiming they did clean the room and dismissing all our concerns. This wasn’t just poor service; it was gaslighting. Thankfully, our agency offered compensation, but the hotel has yet to issue even a basic apology.

6. Safety:

The elevator looks like it was not replaced or updated since 1920s. Scary to step your foot in considering it’s a “4 star hotel”.

It’s shocking this place maintains a 4.5-star rating on Google, especially considering the recent wave of negative reviews from other guests. I strongly suspect manipulation or fake reviews are keeping the score artificially high.

Bottom line: this hotel is not worthy of its rating or reputation. I will be filing formal complaints through all appropriate platforms.

NOT RECOMMENDED!!!
I stayed at this hotel for two nights. First of all, the reception only works until the evening. If you need anything, be prepared to wait until morning.
Secondly, there were no water bottles provided, so I suggest buying some in advance.
Thirdly, there is no Wi-Fi.
Fourth, the staff didn’t even bother to make sure guests had soap or shampoo — all the bottles were nearly empty and looked dirty.
When I checked out, the man at reception spoke to us in a rude and dismissive manner.
This hotel claims to be a 4-star hotel, but in reality it deserves zero. After 8 months of travel, this was by far the worst experience.