"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."
