Staycation: Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski, Munich
Munich is a city that hasn’t got the most sumptuous hotel selection, but generally the current offers cover most of the tastes a luxury traveler can have. From independent boutique hotels, family run leading hotels to international hotel brands. This time, we decided to go and check-out the famous Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten which is managed by Kempinski Hotels. Having stayed at the Kempinski Gran Hotel Manzana in Havana, Cuba both, me and Lukas were having very high expectations when we checked-in at one of Munich’s most expensive places to stay. A standard room with breakfast was offered for around 450 euros on that Saturday night and therefore is at the higher end of Munich room rates. We arrived from the Pfalz region where we visited a few wineries before we were able to reach Munich in the early evening at around 7pm. The Uber stopped in front of the hotel and we made our way to the hotel lobby where the “Lady in Red” (a Kempinski Signature Service) was replacing the traditional bellmen and helped us with our luggage and then showed us to the front desk.
I found it a very fair touch that the hotel was actually informing us before booking a room that there is a renovation going on and will cause no access to the main restaurant and bar area. Since we were told that there is a pop-up restaurant in one of the meeting rooms, I didn’t mind much and decided for this hotel anyways. In fact I was impressed by the beautiful lobby which was the most lively one I have seen in Munich. Check-in was quite fast and comfortable. They offered us to show us the way to the room but we declined. Elegant armchairs, posh afternoon tea service and beautiful wooden panels made the lobby bar a place to meet and be seen – we loved the fact that there was so much life at every hour of the day. It is the first lobby lounge where we would just go and have a drink even if we didn’t stay here. I love to do people watching in hotels, especially in hotels like the Vier Jahreszeiten where guests come from all over the world. A few minutes later we found ourselves on the fifth floor looking for our room.
Never ever did we expect the hotel to be that huge and so it actually took quite a time until we found our room – I guess the next time we will ask for someone to accompany us again. Room 548 it was and after opening the door, Lukas and me were standing in the newly renovated Premier Room whose highlight for sure was the spacious rooftop terrace accessible from the bedroom. In general, and being winter where we couldn’t use much of the terrace, the room was smaller than expected with about 25 square meters. There was a comfortable king size bed on the right side with two night stands as well as a tiny wardrobe where we just fitted our two winter jackets plus a minibar that was average in size and had quite upscale products in it. On the other side, there was a writing desk with a television and chair as well as a luggage rack with a stool plus the door into the bathroom. Offering a single vanity desk, a toilet and a comfortable walk-in-shower with power shower head and Salvatore Ferragamo toiletries.
All in all, the room was very comfortable and had a nice amount of daylight, the bed comfy and the shower just perfect with a good pressure and touch panels to control the water. In addition to the usual set of bath amenities, I found a menu next to the bed where one could order any additional toiletry via the housekeeping team. I was eager to try that service and ordered a few additional toiletries by Ferragamo such as eye cream, lip balm and after shave. The order arrived within 10 minutes and I am convinced from their luxurious service. What I found most interesting is that they even offer an emergency kit in case your luggage gets lost – makes me wonder if that is the case often if they offer a service like this (let’s be honest, Lufthansa has indeed seen better times when it comes to lost luggage). This is the first time I saw this in a hotel and was really attracted by this idea as we travel a lot and of course it happened to us as well that a luggage didn’t make it on time. Now imagine the shops are closed and your dinner date is waiting. There were also two bath towels and two toothbrushes which is what I expect from five-star luxury hotels nowadays.
We then went to the sixth floor where they have a spa area with indoor pool. In general, the welcome was very friendly with a tour and introduction however it is not laid out for the amount of rooms they have so unfortunately we arrived at rush hour and therefore didn’t get a chair at first instance. This was not a problem as we headed to the steam bath first and when we came back to the pool, the entire area was empty and we could enjoy a few lengths in the warm indoor pool. I liked the light which was not too bright and gives you still a relaxing feeling. There’s a gym next to the pool as well which is good to know when staying here for business and needing to get a free head. After the spa we showered and got refreshed to dine in the pop-up restaurant of the hotel which we will write about in a separated review. To perfectly end the evening, we went out of the hotel and met some friends in a nearby bar.
Due to the fact that the main restaurant was being renovated, the breakfast was also served in the much too small pop-up restaurant and we therefore had to wait a minute to get a table which didn’t disturb us any way as we got a big table overlooking the snowy streets of Munich. Also the buffet was really nice with plenty of amazing products such as beef tartar, cheese trolley, “Weisswurst” & “Leberkäse”, German bread selection, freshly squeezed juices, amazing Asian products and of course champagne. The only thing missing was the beer to perfectly accompany the “Weisswurst” ;) – fun aside we could also order Eggs Benedict which arrived within 8-10 minutes. Due to the fact that it was Sunday, the staff was a bit busy so we didn’t have the chance to ask for a coffee or tea, but since we didn’t want any, we actually did not miss a thing at breakfast beside fresh fruits.
Another fact: Once I checked out and Lukas grabbed the Uber already, I had to wait at the front desk. Before I could even get annoyed, a Lady in Red came over to me and immediately did the check-out – this was one WOW moment which I want to see when staying in a hotel like the Kempinski Vier Jahreszeiten. All that is left to say is that the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski in Munich is a solid five-star hotel with a perfect location in Maximilanstrasse – the Bavarian capital’s most upscale street or Munich’s version of the Fifth Avenue with shops as Gucci, Prada and Tod’s. I liked the rooftop spa which actually comes with a view and appreciate the modern bathrooms with Salvatore Ferragamo branded toiletries (Kempinski normally has their own toiletries which are not as good as branded ones).
We were kindly hosted by the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski Munich however all above represents our own opinion and has not been influenced or invented.
