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Wasserturm Hotel Cologne (Curio Collection by Hilton)

Florian Buechting Hotels & Accommodation No Comments

Wasserturm Hotel Cologne

119.20 EUR
Wasserturm Hotel Cologne
4.4

Rating

 4.4/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Iconic building
  • Great location
  • Beautiful rooftop bar

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Issues at breakfast
  • Below average WiFi reception

The Wasserturm in my home town Cologne is indeed one of the most iconic hotels of the city. Literally, the name translates to “Water Tower” – and that’s exactly what the building used to be from its opening 1872 until the 1930’s. Destroyed during World War II., the building was a ruin for a couple of decades until it has been transformed into a luxury hotel in 1990. Since a few years, the Wasserturm is driven as a Curio Collection by Hilton Hotel. I had a stay in December 2022.

 

Wasserturm Hotel Cologne – Location

The Wasserturm Hotel Cologne – Curio Collection by Hilton is not only an interesting building, but also has a very interesting adress. Most Cologne people will smile when you ask for the Kaygasse 2, as a famous carnival song is telling you the story about a school which has been located right next to the tower, at the Kayjass Nummer 0 (Kaygasse 0). There is also a memory plaque next to the hotel.

If you skip that piece of Cologne culture, the hotel has an excellent location. It is just a few steps away from the Poststraße underground station. Especially in the dark, the tower feels a bit of hidden as it is surrounded from that direction with comparably high buildings. Walking from the Wasserturm to Cologne city center is an easy walk as well. The hotel is driving a parking garage.

Due to teh central location, it is not too surprising that there are a couple of other hotels around. For example, I introduced you to the Premier Inn Cologne South, which is very close. There are also several restaurants, bars and supermarkets around. You will see that the hotel (including my hotel room) is also allowing to have a view at Agrippabad, one of Cologne’s most central swimming pools.

 

Wasserturm Hotel Cologne – Atmosphere

The circular architecture of the Curio Collection hotel leads to some iconic features. The lobby of the hotel is roughly ten meters high and covers several floors. The water tower is large enough to have a spacious and cosy design. Nonetheless, the hotel still has the nice “industrial style”.

 

Wasserturm Hotel Cologne – Room

I booked a King Aqua Deluxe Room, which is one of the lowest rooms available. The pre-paid rate was 119.20 EUR for a Tuesday to Wednesday stay in December 2022. As a Hilton Honors Diamond member, breakfast has been automatically included in my stay. In addition, the hotel upgraded me to a Junior Suite on a lower floor. The junior suite was actually really nice and almost felt like a suite. The living area was really large and came with a cosy setting. The table even had some free snacks. In addition, there were some free drinks in the minibar, which I absolutely loved. However, the small table in the corner somehow replaced a proper work desk, which I felt to be too limited.

The sleeping room was next to the lviing room and really spacious and comfortable. Despite the central location, the area around the hotel is very quiet, so that you don’t have to worry about too much noise. In contrast to the living area, the sleeping area also featured a nice number of power outlets.

The most limited space in the Wasserturm junior suite is likely the bathroom, which only comes with a shower. Nonetheless, the bathroom was fine and as clean as the remaining room. The housekeeping, however, missed to provide soap and shampoo, which confused me. The shower gel was placed in the soap plate, so that I first felt it is liquid soap. Last, but not least, even the rather low floor already offered some really nice views of Cologne.

 

 

 

Wasserturm Hotel Cologne – Breakfast

The annex-alike Wintergarten (“Wintergarden”) is used to serve breakfast on ground level. The quality of dishes was really nice and also had some surprising offers like bread pudding. However, even though I arrived at 7:15 hrs for breakfast, some 45 minutes after opening of the buffet, they still had trouble setting everything up. Some items were missing. For example, the water kettle for tea was still empty. You are also able to order some breakfast from a menu. The French toast with maple sirup and bacon was absolutely amazing. The staff was very friendly – they however complained about their colleagues in presence of guests, which I absolutely dislike.

 

Wasserturm Hotel Cologne – Bar Botanik

I typically don’t add a seperate section in a hotel review about the hotel bar, but the Bar Botanik definitely does deserve it. It is located on the very top of the Wasserturm, at the former location of the Michelin-awarded restaurant. I was really happy that the place was beautiful on the one hand, but also had a very relaxed atmosphere. I had a longdrink and a cocktail. The vermouth-tonic was a free welcome drink. I absolutely loved to hang out there. The bar is also offering snacks.

A very special feature of the Bar Botanik is that you also have access to the Wasserturm terrace. You can almost walk around the whole tower platform. You also have a lovely view of famous Cologne sights like Cologne Cathedral. Of course, enjoying Cologne from this lovely place is likely much better in summer than in December, when I had my stay at the hotel.

 

Wasserturm Hotel Cologne – Service

The staff was really friendly. As you saw above, I have been granted a welcome drink as a Diamond Member, which I highly appreciated. The door key was made of wood, which was really nice. The WiFi connection in the room had some issues, which may be due to the thick walls. There are also “lounge” working rooms with some snacks – unfortunately, I missed that kind of service at all.

On the third floor, the hotel is offering s spa area with sauna. I did not make it there due to the opening times. However, I had a look at the gym on the same floor. I felt that it looks rather nice. Of course, again, the design of the gym is limited by the circular architecture. In that case, however, this also leads to additional privacy while you are excercising.

 

Wasserturm Hotel Cologne – My View

Staying at the Wasserturm Hotel Cologne – Curio Collection by Hilton was a really nice experience. Bad luck that there were some WiFi and breakfast issues, but they were really minor. The bar is iconic – I definitely will go for another stay in summer and enjoy the view of my home town.

 

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