Hotel Imperial in Koln

The hotel used to be one of the nicest privately owned hotels in Cologne. Great! Until recently, I was happy to recommend it despite its somewhat dated decor! Unfortunately, I can no longer recommend it! As a guest, you can't find a single parking space between 5 pm and 10 pm, and depending on your room's location, there's noise in front of the hotel every evening! The reason: the long-time hotel owner has rented out the adjacent Cafe IMPI to an "Insta-hotspot." What was once a friendly bar, where neighbors and students used to meet for drinks and snacks, has now become a hotspot location frequented by a crowd of shisha bar patrons and posers. These guests, often from the surrounding area, park their flashy cars in the second row directly in front of the hotel, blocking all the fire lanes. They also have no qualms about leaving matcha cans and other trash on Barthelstrasse. Of course, not all guests are like this, but the majority are! The Instagrammer and tenant is attracting more and more people, resulting in huge queues. She's being clever about it, spreading the word that she's cooperating with the local authorities (who have to come almost every evening) and that she's been in the neighborhood for 30 years, which only applies to the hotel, not to this Instagram hotspot! And despite the authorities' involvement, almost nothing changes! Mr. Müller, the owner of the Imperial Hotel, should find a different tenant in the medium to long term so that peace can be restored in the neighborhood. The IMPI itself is a great location, but in my opinion, the Instagram hotspot belongs in the city center or in Cologne-Mülheim, etc.

Sadly needed to cancel the trip last minite due to illness. I contacted the hotel via email to explain the situation asking if we could amend the booking in any way, either postponing or a credit note for a later stay. The response was blunt and lacked any empathy for the situation. When we are able to visit Cologne this will be the last hotel we will book based on the interaction we have experienced. This saddened me considering all the positive reviews relating to staff being friendly and helpful.