We had a number of telephone and email exchanges with this hotel about various aspects of our booking over several weeks. Not once did the hotel state that it was undergoing significant disruptive renovation.

It was only by reading comments on TripAdvisor, later confirmed in conversation, that we learned about it and heard that the management had barred staff from advising guests in advance of the disruption. The alternative arrangements for breakfast, bar service and lobby availability were far from convincing.Luckily, we were able to rebook with another hotel at the last minute. During our visit to Hamburg, we could see the disturbances for ourselves.

This might be an old-established and reputable luxury hotel, but its apparent short-sighted willingness in allowing guests to encounter the effects of the renovation on arrival are likely to stain its reputation for years to come. Moreover, placing front-line staff in such a difficult position shows disregard for their welfare as employees.

We booked a Deluxe Room for 4 nights at the end of May (15 days before the reopening of the border between Switzerland and Germany) in the hope to be able to visit Hamburg traveling by car. The bet worked nicely. We managed to cross the German border and on June 27th in the early evening we arrived at the property. Upon parking outside the Hotel we unfortunately faced the disappointment that the Atlantic Hotel is currently undergoing a large overhaul, probably delayed by the corona lockdown. As a matter of fact the whole ground floor currently looks like a large constructions site, with a temporary reception build in the area of the original ballrooms and a maze of construction panels to go thru to reach the elevators. During our stay there were no noises, just some strong glue smell in the lobby on one day and lack of hot water in our room on a morning. We were assigned room 343 which was large, comfortable and quiet but completely empty of any printed leaflet or information brochure. Given the current corona restrictions many services were either not available (pool) or reduced (SPA massages), anyway the hotel looked to us as being understaffed, with single staff apparently serving on long shifts. The paper burden was huge: we were requested to fill in forms with our data on each breakfast, teatime or dinner even as a hotel resident. As no breakfast buffet is currently allowed because of the corona restrictions, breakfast has to be ordered à la carte with three main choices & some extra dishes available. Our experience with the staff was always positive, nevertheless they appeared overwhelmed and some of them even unexperienced. Slow and inattentive interactions were the obvious result, requiring multiple calls to get things done (e.g: obtaining a working ironing board, laundry missing item in a bag of three, forgotten breakfast items, booking a table at the hotel’s restaurant). All in all, even in this complex times we enjoyed visiting Hamburg and Lübeck by train (the railway station is located 10 min. by walk from the hotel) but this stay was absolutely not up to par with the usual Kempinski experience.

First of all i hope the hospitality and leisure industry recovers, we all enjoy our trips away. As Denmark and Germany re-opened the border we planned a trip to this hotel. I wish i’d not come, it was the most underwhelming Kempinski stay i’ve ever had. As a GHA black member, there are certain standards a hotel must live upto with its lotalty members.

There was no personal greeting by letter, no local amenity, no pool open, no room service available, half the hotel under construction or closed, no room upgrade. The whole stay was just very subpar. While i appreciate the hotels been closed 11 weeks, its more inportant than ever to keep up the standards. 200 euros a night for two nights, a breakfast of 35 euros per person isnt going to make me want to return to this hotel anytime soon. On the positive side, hygiene was good.