Parking fees at Dusseldorf Airport got ridiculously high in recent past. For my August 2021 trip to Poland (from Thursday morning to Monday evening), pre-paid parking at a the P7 parking garage, not that far away from the terminal, requested 92 Euro, including a three Euro “reservation fee”. I went for a rather weird option and opted for the Park, Sleep & Fly fare at the Leonardo Düsseldorf Airport, which used to be a Holiday Inn at former times. This saved me 20 Euro – and even gave me the opportunity to write this review – the second Leonardo Hotel review after looking at my September 2020 stay at Leonardo Munich City Center. Here are my thoughts.
Leonardo Düsseldorf Airport – Location
The Leonardo hotel is in fact not located in Dusseldorf, but at the very western edge of adjacent Ratingen. You can conveniently reach it from the A52 motorway. The trip with the shuttle to the airport is less than ten minutes. In case you park your car there before vacation, for the way back you either take a taxi (the Mettmann / Ratingen ones are in fact cheaper than the Dusseldorf ones!) or the bus 759. However, this bus is departing from the airport’s long distance rail station. To me, this was ideal, as I came back from Poland by rail anyway. The trip is some three Euros (also if you need the SkyTrain from the terminal before) and takes four steps to Gothaer Straße. From there, it is some 400 meters to the hotel – which even feels doable with major luggage.
Regarding touristic facilities around, the Leonardo feels a bit of limited. It is located in a very commercial area. However, there are some supermarkets around in a not that long walking distance. Around the hotel, there is a huge parking lot, which is ideal for a parking tariff like the one I had.
Leonardo Düsseldorf Airport – The Room
I went for a Comfort Room, which was 73.80 EUR in the One Week Parking Package fee. Apart from a one night stay, it included one week (8 days) of parking at the hotel premises and a “Small Breakfast Box” (see below). The rate even was subject to free cancellation until 18:00hrs at the time of travel. The transfer at return from the airport to the hotel was, however, not included in the hotel price. The only thing which was in fact a bit of bothering was the long walk to the room – the hotel is a two-level building formed like a square. There was no elevator to my room – so if you have heavy luggage for your flight, it might be sensible to keep it in your car until you transfer.
You might rather call the design of the room “functional”, but actually it was much more than I expected for the money. What I especially liked was the size of the room – you indeed can comfortably have a night there, even with two or three major suitcases around. The work desk was also coming with a comfortable size. Coffee / tea making facilities and water was provided – I especially appreciate the latter one in general. The room even had a nice French balcony, so that I could have a look into the courtyard.
The bathroom was really nice, coming with a combined bathtub and shower. I like the Leonardo decals in their bathrooms. Overall, a really great value for money regarding the room.
Leonardo Düsseldorf Airport – Breakfast / Food
Included in the arrangement was a “breakfast box”, which included an apple, a small cake and a cereal bar. Drinks are available in the lobby anyway. I felt that this was a nice service and at least good enough to stay happy before grabbing a bit at the airport – especially if you have to go there at very early hours. Alternatively, you may upgrade to their “proper” breakfast buffet for 12 Euro. As I flew business class, I did not go for that option this time.
Leonardo Düsseldorf Airport – Service
The welcoming in the hotel was really nice. The check-in felt efficient and they already took all information needed, including the time of my airport transfer and when I will come back to catch my car. Thus, I had a really good experience in that preparation. The hotel drives a beautiful indoor and outdoor pool, which was unfortunately closed due to Covid-19. The same area also includes a gym, which I could not visit.
I was rather surprised when I saw my airport shuttle the next morning. As they still had rather limited booking numbers, the transfer was done by ordinary taxis. This may, of course, not be the case when you check out their service.
Leonardo Düsseldorf Airport – My View
The building itself might not look that welcoming from the outside – but if that’s almost all what you state about a hotel stay on the negative side, it has been a really good stay. The rooms are great for travelers, the shuttle taxi was perfect and gave a lot of flexibility and the service was great. Again, I have to emphasize that I got this hotel stay more or less for free – if I compare to parking my car in one of the airport’s parking lots. Great option – which I will definitely go for again, even when the shuttle taxis are replaced by shuttle buses one day again.
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