Hotel am Kurpark in Bad Hersfeld

This was our fourth time staying at this hotel for the festival. The check-in process was already difficult; the woman behind the counter didn't want to be disturbed. No "Welcome," no "Someone will take care of you shortly." Without even looking up from her monitor, she snapped an annoyed "Well, certainly not me, you do it" at the colleague standing behind her, who was suffering from a severe cold. He then slunk over to another computer and simply said, "Name?" Even feigned friendliness towards guests seems to be an expectation that's no longer being met here. During check-in, where the employee didn't utter a single word, I asked for a restaurant reservation for the following evening. He silently left his computer, disappeared briefly, returned, left again, returned again, picked up the phone, and then we all stood there in silence for two minutes, waiting for something to happen. Instead of saying that he would take care of it and inform us if the reservation was successful, everyone just stood around in silence while other arriving guests gathered behind us. When he finally got hold of someone, the wrong reservation time was promptly transmitted. Arriving in the room (yes, the furnishings are dated, but still in good condition, in my opinion), we discovered that the previous guest had left the safe locked. I was thrilled, a) to encounter this particular type of person, and b) to be allowed back at reception. I joined the queue, which the employee with a cold had to handle alone, as the woman who said "Well, certainly not me" was still in the same mode. I searched for the key and then, together with the coughing and sniffling employee, went up in the cramped elevator. He couldn't help because the key didn't fit. Maintenance was called, and he was finally the first friendly employee we encountered, and he was actually able to help. Unfortunately, the quality of the food has declined drastically. Breakfast was already only okay at best, but the drop in quality at dinner is, let's say, astonishing. Of course, the prices have been increased, and the included wine has also been removed. One could perhaps overlook the convenience mixed vegetables, but the rest was truly difficult. Chili garlic penne. Clear instructions on how it should taste. How did it taste? Exactly like the rest of the hot dishes: unfortunately, like nothing. The soup was the best part; the rest was just empty calories with no flavor. Appetizers have been reduced; there's now only one platter of (I suspect) convenience antipasti, which is constantly being swarmed, and a corner with salad components for self-assembly. Truly no comparison to previous visits. The (male) service staff in the restaurant/bar do a good job.

The hotel is actually very nicely situated on the edge of the spa gardens, making it quite central. However, the building itself is relatively old. While everything is generally clean and well-maintained, the rooms in particular are in dire need of renovation; otherwise, the price is no longer justifiable. The restaurant manager and his team do an excellent job, and everyone is very friendly. The situation at reception, however, is a completely different story. After our room reservation, confirmed months in advance, couldn't be found at check-in, causing a flustered and flustered atmosphere and resulting in a long wait, the check-out process was utterly disastrous. It took ages before the receptionist finally got up from her screen and entered the necessary information for billing. If I didn't know better from the service staff, I would have thought that words like "please," "thank you," "good morning," "thank you for your visit," and "have a good trip" were unheard of in Bad Hersfeld.

The hotel is quite run-down, the rooms smell bad, the staff is very unfriendly and not at all helpful when there are problems. The sauna costs extra, but it's useless and not worth it. The beds were okay, the shower was broken, and the food was very average. So all in all, the price-performance ratio is completely off.