I just spent a couple of nights at Koenigshof Munich, a Marriott Luxury Collection property. The hotel just celebrated its one year anniversary, and I’ve been meaning to check it out since opening. While I’ll have a full trip report soon, I’d like to share some initial thoughts.
On balance, I’d definitely recommend this hotel, and think it’s one of the best Marriott properties in Germany. However, admittedly that comes at a cost. Let me just share a few initial impressions, and then I’ll have lots more details in the review.
In this post:
Koenigshof Munich has a cool, modern design
Koenigshof Munich has a pretty cool history, since a hotel has been operating in this space since 1866. The first hotel in this space was destroyed in WWII, while the second hotel (with the same name) was demolished in 2019, to make room for this 108-room property.
The hotel is located in the heart of Munich’s old town, but has a super modern design, so it’s quite the juxtaposition.
As you’d expect for a newly built property, rooms are modern and luxurious, with all the latest technology. As a Bonvoy Ambassador member, I was upgraded to a junior suite (no higher suite categories were available).
Koenigshof Munich has a solid restaurant & lounge
Koenigshof has an all-day lobby lounge, broken up into two areas — The Green and The Gold (apparently named that way because pistachio is often called green gold). They have identical service, it’s just a function of the vibe you prefer.
Speaking of pistachio, the hotel has a cute complimentary “epicurean moment” each afternoon for guests in this lounge, with a small chocolate tart and tea, with quite a backstory (which you can learn about when staying here — it was a lot of information).
Then the hotel has GRETA OTO on the top floor, which is the hotel’s Amazonian restaurant. It has great views over Munich (and a construction site).
This is also where breakfast is served, which I’d consider to be excellent, by European standards. Breakfast consists of a buffet, a selection of a la carte options, and barista coffee.
Koenigshof Munich has an epic Marriott STARS amenity
Koenigshof Munich is lacking a bit when it comes to amenities beyond dining outlets. The property has a gym on the basement level, which is solid for a hotel of this size. The hotel doesn’t have a spa or pool, with one exception.
On the top floor, the hotel has a private spa area, which can be booked at an extra cost. Based on what I’ve heard, the cost is €520 for three hours. While the pricing is really high (I guess it’s intended for groups?), it’s a beautiful facility, with a private pool, a sauna, a relaxation area, showers, and more.
We ended up enjoying this, but not at that cost. Fortunately if you book through the Marriott STARS program, you can receive a free two hour block of time in this space as an amenity, which is pretty awesome, if you ask me. That’s the most valuable Marriott STARS amenity I’ve seen at any property globally.
The one thing that otherwise stood out to me…
The one thing that stood out to me about the hotel is that a significant percentage of the staff were foreigners, seemingly temporarily working at the hotel. Let me be clear, I’m not coming at this from some nationalist perspective, of demanding to know peoples’ heritage.
Instead, my point is just to say that a lot of people working at the hotel were clearly just people being cycled through the Marriott system, who have been at this hotel for a matter of months. It felt a bit like staying at a hotel in Dubai. It takes away a little from the sense of place that a hotel has, because sometimes you get great recommendations from locals.
There’s something I love about a luxury property where the concierge has been there for decades, and knows basically everything. That wasn’t really the vibe here. It’s a bit unusual when you check in at a hotel in Germany, and the front desk agent asks “is it okay if we speak English?” It’s not a huge deal, but it did stand out to me. I guess it’s not too surprising, given how the labor market around the world has evolved since the pandemic.
Bottom line
The Munich hotel market has improved nicely over the years, especially in the luxury sector, with the recent opening of Koenigshof and the Rosewood (complementing the Mandarin Oriental). Koenigshof is a solid new option, and I’d argue that it’s without a doubt the city’s best points hotel.
I’d recommend the property and would return, in theory, though I also always like checking out different places.
What’s your take on Koenigshof Munich?
Thanks for the great review. However, I prefer the Hilton inside the MUC Airport. Great Executive Lounge and a short walk to the terminal. Easy walk to the train to the city. Less is more.
Looks like a nice hotel overall.
@ Ben
I think what you’ve noticed reflects some deeper structural challenges in Germany’s hospitality sector. Since the pandemic, the hotel and food service industries lost around 300,000 workers, many left during the shutdowns and didn’t return, often moving to more stable jobs. To keep things running, hotels have had to rely more on short-term or migrant staff, and today about 35% of hospitality workers in Germany are non-German nationals.
On top of that,...
@ Ben
I think what you’ve noticed reflects some deeper structural challenges in Germany’s hospitality sector. Since the pandemic, the hotel and food service industries lost around 300,000 workers, many left during the shutdowns and didn’t return, often moving to more stable jobs. To keep things running, hotels have had to rely more on short-term or migrant staff, and today about 35% of hospitality workers in Germany are non-German nationals.
On top of that, inflation has pushed service costs up sharply. Wages in the hotel and restaurant sector have been rising faster than the usual agreements in many regions, which means operating costs have climbed significantly. So the international, often temporary workforce you saw isn’t really about Marriott specifically, it’s more a sign of the staffing shortages and the rapid changes the whole industry is navigating right now.
Just checked out of a Hilton in Berlin. And even though I was speaking German to all the staff nearly all of them responded in english. Its because you won‘t find many Germans who want to work in the hospitality or restaurant business. And in Munich or Stuttgart or southern germany in general this is a particular issue because of the high cost of living.
They probably have a hard time hiring local staff like so many other service industry businesses in Munich.
Having just come back from Austria, I ran into the “is it okay if we speak English?” at the hotel front desk at the Sheraton Salzburg. I was shocked that staff in a German speaking area could not speak German.
Then again, stepping into that Sheraton was like stepping out of Austria and into the US.