Why you should avoid brand new hotels – lessons from Hilton’s Hotel Reichshof, Hamburg

On Sunday, I ran a review of the Hotel Reichshof in Hamburg, the first European member of Hilton’s new ‘Curio Collection’ of independent hotels.

The Hotel Reichshof itself, as you can see from the pictures in Sunday’s article, is very impressive and a great piece of art deco restoration.  The problems came with the operational side.  When you are putting together a new hotel, there is always pressure to open before you are fully ready – and that often leads to issues.

This is the first room I had at the Hotel Reichshof.  This was a Hilton Gold upgrade from their entry level room which I had booked using ‘cash and points’:

and

As you can see, it looks very pleasant.  The twin duvets on the bed is standard for a German hotel.  Except:

the telephone did not work

the air conditioning system appeared to work but did not actually emit any cool air

the coffee machine was an obscure Braun model using a type of pod I had never seen before.  Needless to say, no instructions were provided.  It turned out that the pods had to be used upside down which was far from clear.

no turndown service ever appeared

no newspaper was provided in the morning

the internet reception was appalling.  Not only was the signal bad (my iPhone and iPad struggled to connect at all, my laptop was OK) but the verification system does not work.  You type in your name and room number but get rejected.  The hotel KNEW this did not work but failed to tell me.  As soon as I went back down to reception to complain, they printed off a conference code which did work.  At the stroke of midnight, this code stopped working (I was still up working on HfP) and I had to go back to reception to get a new one.

I was also less than excited to see Holiday Inn Express-style toiletries, with a bottle of ‘all in one’ shower gel and shampoo bolted to the wall.  My wife would never let such stuff near her hair.

The failure of the aircon meant I needed to switch rooms – Germany has been exceptionally hot this Summer.  I got moved across to this junior suite:

Again, it looks good although there was no view (the room looked onto some internal back walls).  My original room overlooked the street.

However, let’s take a closer look at the desk ….

Yes, it has no chair.  A suite, with a desk, with essentially a footstool underneath it.  Who thought that was a good idea?  Luckily, I still had the key to my old room.  I carried the footstool down to the old room, let myself in, put it under the desk, wheeled out the chair and pushed it down the corridor to my new suite!

I can’t help thinking that this should not have been necessary.

The aircon did work in the suite but the internet was no better.

Breakfast the next morning was equally random.  The hotel had just opened and there were few guests.  The hotel had a choice – put out a full breakfast to show guests what you are offering, or put out a reduced spread on the basis that only a few rooms are occupied.  They went for the latter.  That was a mistake in my view.

(Admittedly, due to my Hilton Gold status, I didn’t pay for breakfast.  I am guessing that non-status guests were not getting it at a discount however.)

They also need to work on their English language newspaper selection:

The sports section of USA Today does NOT really cut it with the modern business traveller, in my view …

To top it all, when I checked out, they attempted to charge me double because I had switched rooms.

I really wanted to like the Hotel Reichshof.  I’m sure, in six months, it will be a decent hotel and I would happily go again.  However, at the moment, it is a bit of a shambles.  If you are paying cash, as opposed to a redemption, then you will have a less chaotic stay elsewhere.

You can find out more about the hotel, and book, on this page of the Hilton website.

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How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (April 2025)

There are various ways of earning Hilton Honors points from UK credit and debit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

There are two dedicated Hilton Honors debit cards. These are especially attractive when spending abroad due to the 0% or 0.5% FX fee, depending on card.

You also receive FREE Hilton Honors status for as long as you hold the debit cards – Gold status with the Plus card and Silver status with the basic card. This is a great reason to apply even if you rarely use it.

We reviewed the Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card here and the Hilton Honors Debit Card here.

You can apply for either card here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 30th April 2025, the annual fee on the basic Hilton Honors debit card is halved from £60 to £30. The sign-up bonus is also easier to earn – you need to spend £1,000 either in the UK or abroad within three months. The usual bonus rule requires you to spend the full £1,000 outside the UK.

NEW: Hilton Honors Plus Debit

10,000 bonus points, Hilton Gold status and NO FX fees Read our full review

NEW: Hilton Honors Debit

2,500 bonus points, Hilton Silver status and 0.5% FX fees Read our full review

There is another way of getting Hilton Honors status, and earning Hilton Honors points, from a payment card.

Holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as they hold the card.  It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.

We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (50,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton Honors points is 1:2.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Hilton Honors points.