- The Last Aeroplan Hurrah: Introduction
- The Last Aeroplan Hurrah: United Global First Lounge San Francisco
- The Last Aeroplan Hurrah: Lufthansa First Class San Francisco to Munich
- The Last Aeroplan Hurrah: Le Meridien Munich
- The Last Aeroplan Hurrah: Lufthansa First Class Lounge Munich, Swiss Business Class Munich to Zurich
- The Last Aeroplan Hurrah: Swiss First Class Lounge Zurich, Swiss First Class Zurich to Bangkok
- The Last Aeroplan Hurrah: St. Regis Bangkok
- The Last Aeroplan Hurrah: Thai Airways First Class Lounge & Spa Bangkok
- The Last Aeroplan Hurrah: Thai Airways First Class Bangkok to Hong Kong
- The Last Aeroplan Hurrah: Ritz Carlton Hong Kong
- The Last Aeroplan Hurrah: Exploring Hong Kong
- The Last Aeroplan Hurrah: United Club Hong Kong and Thai Airways Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong
- The Last Aeroplan Hurrah: Asiana Business Class Hong Kong to Seoul Incheon
- The Last Aeroplan Hurrah: Hyatt Regency Incheon Airport
- The Last Aeroplan Hurrah: Asiana First Class Lounge Seoul Incheon
- The Last Aeroplan Hurrah: Asiana First Class Seoul Incheon to Frankfurt
- The Last Aeroplan Hurrah: Sheraton Frankfurt Airport
- The Last Aeroplan Hurrah: Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt, Lufthansa First Class Frankfurt to Seattle
- The Last Aeroplan Hurrah: Four Seasons Seattle
Le Meridien is just a five minute walk from the train station, so from the airport to the hotel took about 50 minutes by train.
Hotel exterior
Once inside we proceeded to check-in, which was located towards the right. The agent was very friendly and I inquired about the possibility of a suite upgrade, though after checking she informed me they only had a king executive room available for an upgrade. As it turned out the executive room was really nice, so I was perfectly happy with that. She offered us a city map and asked which Platinum amenity we wanted. I was quite excited to finally be able to try Starwood’s new breakfast amenity that kicked in on March 1, so we went with that. For the record we were staying on cash and points, so the rate was 4,800 points plus $90USD.
The lobby was pretty typical of Le Meridien hotels, with lots of neon lights and a bit of a funky design.
Lobby
Lobby
We were assigned a room on the 6th floor right next to the elevator.
Hallway
The room was pretty big, especially by European standards, and had lots of “open” space. It featured a rather firm king bed facing a flat screen TV and desk.
Entrance
Bed
Desk and TV
Minibar
The room had a window overlooking the courtyard, which worked out well since it meant there was virtually no noise coming from the outside.
Courtyard
Courtyard
The bathroom featured both a tub and walk in shower, as well as a toilet and sink.
Sink
Tub
Shower
Toilet
My one major complaint about the hotel is that they only have wired internet in rooms. That’s totally unacceptable in 2012, since it means you can only connect one device, not to mention have to sit at a desk. The only upside was that the internet was pretty fast.
We headed to bed fairly early, despite it being St. Patrick’s Day, and woke up early as well. At around 7AM we headed down to the restaurant for breakfast, where we found out we’d have access to the full buffet as Starwood Platinum members.
The spread was spectacular, consisting of just about everything imaginable. Most importantly, they had pretzels. Mmm, pretzels. Service was also attentive, with plates constantly be cleared and drink refills being offered.
Restaurant
Breakfast buffet
Breakfast buffet
Breakfast buffet
The hotel also featured a fairly nice gym on the ground floor, which I used once during our stay.
Gym
We only had a few hours to walk around Munich, and fortunately the weather was perfect. It was sunny and maybe 70 degrees, so what more could you ask for? We headed to the pedestrian zone in the city center (one of the nicest anywhere, in my opinion) where we sat down for some ice coffee.
City center
City center
Rathaus
Ice coffee
By around 2PM we headed back to the train station to get to the airport by 3PM for our flight to Bangkok.
On the whole I’d say Le Meridien is a great value with a good location. Furthermore, as a Platinum member I felt their breakfast benefit was very generous. My only major complaint is that they don’t have wireless internet, which I hope they’ll change soon. But I’d return in a heartbeat and recommend this place.
Quick heads up - the LM Munich DOES now offer Wifi in guest rooms. But it's a bit of a hassle, as you have to ask the front desk for a user name and password for each connection (i.e. every 24 hours).
hey Lucky, how do you deal with the VAT? I was thinking about paying cash but worried about the VAT. Thanks!
Very impressive.. Detailed information about Le Meridean!
This lowly SPG Gold is enjoying a deluxe suite upgrade on a EUR107/night five-night stay over Easter. It's weird, because I didn't see any suites for sale prior to check-in, so I assumed my best upgrade would be on a higher floor with the courtyard view. Instead, I've got a bedroom divided off from the living room, a separate dressing room space with closets outside the bathroom, and floor to ceiling windows on two walls (corner room). I'm quite happy with things :D
I stayed at the Le Meridien in Casablanca a few weeks ago and I had the same complaint... Only wired internet in the room.
Great hotel- did you have any trouble with the picture thing above the bed? I stayed there last fall, and couldn't figure out to turn it off, without turning off all of the power to the room. The front desk wasn't much help either.
This is why I always travel with a portable wifi router. It makes hotel internet faster, and cheaper (for hotels that charge for more than 1 device on wifi)
@lucky - i don't have USB ethernet adapter, so i can't say for certain, but i believe you will be able to share the internet. worth a try next time you're at a hotel with no wireless. to share, you go into "sharing" under "system preferences" and you should be able to set it up.
Must be a special friend if you guys shared a king bed! :)
I'd also recommend the AirPort Express. It's small and usually safer than open wireless networks. Some Asian hotels are without wireless access also.
I have a Apple AirPort Express especially for that reason. I see still quite a few hotels in Europe without wireless access and this works like a charm. http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/
I've been looking forward to this review. I'm staying here in July. Thanks!
@ Peter_Ng -- You're absolutely correct. I knew the points amount ended in 800, and the cash component was a multiple of $45. ;)
@ Jeff -- Sadly I have a MacBook Air. Would that work with a dongle, or is there no way to do it even with that?
i do agree that having no wireless internet option in this day and age is unacceptable. however, if you have a macbook, you can use your computer to share a wired internet connection. this won't work for macbook airs however (which i'm assuming you replaced after having your old one drowned in orange juice) since they do not have an ethernet port.
Isn't the rate at Le Meridien Munich 4800pts + $90?
@ Roland -- Now that you mention it, it sure looks like it!
@ Rich -- Most people don't want their picture posted on the internet.
Why do you never feature a picture of your travel companion in your travels as in other blogs?
Those lounge chairs in the courtyard... wouldn't the get ruined in bad weather??