Lint Hotel Köln in Koln

On the night of 8–9 August, I found myself stranded at Cologne Central Station in the middle of the night, with nowhere to go. I spent considerable time walking from hotel to hotel around the station, asking in person for a room, but every place was either fully booked or closed. It was between 3 and 4am at night. Exhausted and desperate, I went online and booked what I believed to be a same-day check-in and check-out at Hotel Lint for the night of 9 August.

I did not realize that the booking platform had automatically set the dates to 9–10 August. As soon as I noticed, I canceled the booking within minutes — long before any service was used or any cost incurred by the hotel.

Despite this, Hotel Lint’s General Manager, Julian, chose to refund only €69.25 of the nearly €100 I paid, keeping more than €30 as a “processing fee.” In his written reply to me, Julian emphasized that they were under no obligation to refund anything, framed the partial refund as “saving me €80,” and mentioned their self-check-in system, which was irrelevant to my situation.

Technically, terms and conditions may allow such an outcome. But in the end, hospitality is about people, not just policies. I was in a vulnerable and urgent situation, and a small gesture of understanding would have cost the hotel nothing yet earned lifelong respect and loyalty. Instead, the decision prioritized short-term marginal gain over empathy, fairness, and the basic human decency that we should all extend to each other — especially in the hospitality business.

I share this so future travelers know what to expect, and so that perhaps Hotel Lint will reflect on whether rigid adherence to policy should outweigh compassion for a guest in genuine need.

Update on August 16, 2025: After posting my original review about being stranded at Cologne Central Station in the middle of the night and mistakenly booking the wrong dates, I received an email from Hotel Lint’s General Manager, Julian.

Instead of addressing the issue professionally, his message came across as a threat, stating he had seen my review and “assumed it would be removed promptly.”

He also claimed to have charged me a €20 “processing fee” for a booking canceled within a minute — but in reality withheld exactly €30. No service was ever provided, making this feel like financial abuse and cheating.

Worse, Expedia has effectively endorsed this conduct by refusing to take responsibility, leaving guests caught between rigid policies and unprofessional management.

This case shows how both Hotel Lint and its booking partner operate: prioritizing profit and silencing criticism instead of showing the empathy and care that true hospitality requires.