Grauer Bar

"Extremely disappointing experience — unacceptable for a 4-star hotel I have stayed in many hotels over the years, and I can honestly say that I have rarely experienced such a combination of poor organization, indifference and rude staff. We arrived as part of a Greek tour group. The key card for my first room did not work, so I had to go back to reception with all my luggage. I was then given another key — and, as it turned out, they had assigned me the wrong room in the first place. Later that evening, after returning from our tour, I discovered that my room smelled extremely strongly of sewage. I went down to reception and asked the person in charge to come and see it. He came to the room and suggested that the smell was probably coming from the shower drain. He stepped into the shower wearing his shoes, poured some water down the drain and simply told me to leave it like that. I explained that this was unacceptable: I needed to take a shower and sleep in the room, and I wanted to change rooms. I was told that there were no other rooms available and that I would have to wait until the following day. What was even more unacceptable was that he left dirty marks from his shoes inside the shower and did not properly clean them. He simply wiped them roughly with a towel and gave me another towel to put on the floor. The next morning, after the tour leader had also intervened, I was told that I would be moved to the third floor because other guests had apparently experienced the same sewage smell in rooms around mine. When I returned to the hotel, however, I was given a room right next to my original room. I immediately questioned this, since the problem was apparently affecting the rooms in that area. The receptionist insisted that this was the correct room. I went upstairs — and, of course, the key card did not work. I had to go back down to reception once again. I waited while the staff tried to figure out what was happening. There was no sense of urgency, no apology and absolutely no attempt to make the situation easier for the guest. Eventually, they admitted that I was in fact supposed to be on the third floor and that the receptionist had made a mistake because the information had apparently not been communicated properly between colleagues. At that point, after everything that had happened, I asked why I was not at least being offered an upgrade. The response was simply, and with complete indifference, that there were no suites available. There were also other signs of poor maintenance in the room, including a hole in the bedsheet, and the hotel in general shows quite a few signs of wear and insufficient maintenance. But honestly, the condition of the hotel was not even the worst part of the experience. The attitude of the staff was. They were indifferent, dismissive and, at times, openly rude. I asked to speak to the manager. I was told that she was not available. When I asked when she would be available, I was told that she would be leaving in the morning and therefore I would not be able to speak to her. This is simply not the level of service one expects from a four-star hotel. Mistakes can happen. Technical problems can happen. A room can occasionally have a maintenance issue. What is unacceptable is the complete lack of professionalism and genuine concern for the guest when these problems occur. I have never been treated with such indifference in a hotel. Unfortunately, based on this experience, I cannot recommend this property"

"Hotel Grauer Bär's greatest strength is its location. Situated in the heart of Innsbruck, it is within easy walking distance of virtually everything visitors come to see. For those arriving by car, the hotel also benefits from a shared underground parking garage, which is a major convenience. I found the hotel to be a fairly average independent hotel in Austria, Germany or Italy. While it advertises itself as a 4-star property, the overall standard of service and amenities felt closer to 3 stars. The front desk staff were polite and well-intended. English ranged from conversational to near-fluent. Housekeeping is offered daily. Some rooms have a balcony with city views and the mountains behind the buildings. The balconies range in size from genuinely big to very small. The room itself was clean and reasonably comfortable. I say "reasonably" because the pillows were the worst I have encountered at any hotel. They appeared to be thin foam or polyester-filled pillows. Sleeping directly on the mattress was more comfortable than using the pillows provided. The room featured a reasonable number of accessible electrical outlets, although there was only a single USB outlet. That one USB outlet did NOT work. Furnishings were comparable to a Holiday Inn. Several amenities I would expect from a 4-star hotel were absent. There was no bottled water (free or paid), no robes or slippers, and none of the small touches such as a laundry bag or shoehorn. The coffee was instant with a hot water kettle. No wine glasses or drinking glasses. In the bathroom, amenities consisted of two hand towels, two bath towels, a dispenser for lotion, a dispenser for hand soap, and a single combination shampoo-conditioner-body wash dispenser in the shower. The toiletries felt cheap and low-end. At a 4-star hotel, I would have expected separate shampoo, conditioner, and body wash products. Another frustration was the lack of information provided to guests. There was no hotel directory available in English, and figuring out how to use the room telephone was impossible because no instructions were provided. Pressing 0 did not connect to the front desk or operator. I noticed that the hotel offers a pool and spa area, but no information about accessing or using those facilities was provided during check-in. Likewise, the hotel has its own bar and restaurant, but there was no effort to encourage guests to use them. Given the abundance of dining options within walking distance, it would seem sensible for the hotel to offer even a modest discount or incentive to keep some guest spending on property. Breakfast was acceptable. The buffet was your standard European hotel buffet. The hotel advertises cooked-to-order eggs, but there was no waiter available to take orders. In the end, Hotel Grauer Bär is neither a bad hotel nor a great one. If you arrive with modest expectations and simply want a clean, centrally located place to stay while exploring Innsbruck, you will likely be satisfied. Hotel Grauer Bär is more comparable to a Holiday Inn Express or Ibis than a 4-star Sheraton or Mövenpick. The hotel's location is excellent, but the service, amenities, and overall guest experience fall short of what many travelers reasonably expect from a true 4-star hotel."

"Excellent location to public transport and explore Innsbruck. The hotel atmosphere was lovely, the staff were helpful and gave great advice on anything we asked. The room was great, it was spacious and had a good layout, the only thing I would mention was that the air conditioning did not seem to work in our room. The Spa facilities which included a indoor pool, sauna and steam room as well as an outdoor hot tub were fantastic and a great way to relax and warm up after a day of exploring. It was great value for money, especially with the breakfast included option and the innsbruck welcome card which we were given on check in that allowed for free public transport in Innsbruck making it easier to explore the area. The room and hotel were very clean. I definitely recommend this hotel."