Review: aloft Munich

Trip Report: Amsterdam, Iceland and Munich
Review: Iberia A340-600 Business Class
Review: Kimpton DeWitt Amsterdam
A Brief Tour of Amsterdam
Review: Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel and Conference Center
Review: Radisson Blu 1919, Reykjavik
Review: Center Hotel Plaza, Reykjavik
A Week in Iceland
Review: aloft Munich
Visiting Dachau
A Brief Tour of Munich
Review: Hilton Munich Airport

After wrapping up our tour of Iceland we took an early-morning Icelandair flight to Munich where we’d spend the last few days of our trip. With the time change we arrived in Munich in the early afternoon. We took the train to the city center.

You know the old real estate slogan “Location, Location, Location”? That’s absolutely true of the aloft Munich. It’s literally across the street from the Hauptbanhof, or Main Train Station. This makes it not only easy to get to anywhere the train goes, but it’s also a stop for the intra-city tram system and the hop-on/hop-off buses have their offices and stops nearby as well.

aloft Munich location in relation to the Hauptbanhof

aloft Munich
(photo courtesy marriott.com)

We reached the front desk and were greeted by a friendly clerk who seemed to be working almost the whole time we were there. He noted that my Gold status did not qualify for a free breakfast. We were given keys to our room on the first floor (and since we’re not in the US, that’s the floor above the ground/current floor). The elevators are right beside the front desk so they’re hard to miss.

The Lobby

I had wondered how we would fit into the culture of an aloft hotel, since I think of it leaning more toward millennials and I’m definitely past that age. The lobby did have a bit of a hipster feel with different seating areas, some with low stools, some with regular chairs and others with high-top tables. This area doubled as the seating area for the bar so I guess they had a little bit of seating for everyone.

aloft Munich lobby

aloft Munich lobby

There was also an outdoor patio area with comfy-looking chairs and umbrellas over the tables. This seemed to be the smokers’ area though I’m not sure I ever saw anyone out there at all. In October, without direct sunlight, it was likely a bit cool to be sitting out there unless you were taking a smoke break.

aloft Munich courtyard

The Refuel station was where breakfast was served each morning (6-10 AM M-F, 7-11 AM on the weekend) but during other hours it was a mini-store for snacks and beverages.

aloft Munich Refuel breakfast area and mini-store

The Room

We took the elevator upstairs to our room and found it just over halfway down the hall. Instead of a more traditional hotel room shape, this room was wider than it was long so while the bathroom was immediately to the left when entering and the beds area was just beyond that, the beds were side-by-side on the left instead of encountering first one bed and then the other as you approach the window. I believe we were given a Loft room as it wasn’t on a high floor and had a courtyard view. But we weren’t there to spend time in the room, so that was fine.

The beds were called twin beds but they were larger than twin beds in the US yet smaller than doubles. So they were bigger than what we’d had at the Center Hotel in Iceland. They were on a platform and were perhaps a little lower than I’m accustomed to but not so much that it was an issue getting out of them. There was only one, wall-mounted, night stand between the two beds but there were outlets on each side so we both could plug in our electronics and have them nearby overnight.

aloft Munich twin beds

Across from the beds was a low padded bench that worked well as a luggage rack. Beside that, under the window was a long counter that doubled as the desk. The mini-fridge was underneath it, behind a wood-paneled door. There were very few drawers as I recall.

Since we faced the courtyard, we didn’t have a great view but we didn’t mind. Our view was actually of grass that covered the top of a lot of the ground floor. On the right the grass is cut out and that’s the ground floor patio area.

aloft Munich first floor courtyard view

The bathroom area was split, with the sink area always open to the room and then a sliding door to separate the toilet and shower area. This was fine with us as it allowed one person to be drying their hair and completing the ‘get ready’ process while the other person was showering. It did seem a little odd that there was such a long counter but only one sink. There was plenty of room for two sinks although the extra counter space meant there was lots of space for our toiletry bags.

aloft Munich bathroom sink

The area around the sink had a bar of hand soap and a small tube of lotion. A small kit with a make-up removal pad, an emery board and cotton swabs was provided too. The toiletries here and in the shower were Bliss branded.

aloft Munich sink area accessories

Across from the sink were some shelves and the wardrobe. The shelves had the safe, the hair dryer, coffee/tea supplies and extra hand towels.

aloft Munich shelving unit

Behind the wardrobe doors was the closet space, an iron and ironing board and another luggage stand.

aloft Munich wardrobe interior

Stepping past the sink, behind the sliding door, was the area for the toilet and the shower. They were separated from each other by a glass partition. I was pleased to see the glass extended further back than it usually does when there’s a tub/shower combo.

aloft Munich toilet

aloft Munich shower

The toiletries were wall-mounted, which I don’t really like though I recognize it’s more eco-conscious. The shower gel was fine but I really didn’t like having the all-in-one shampoo and conditioner. I want two separate products. Fortunately I still had the shampoo and conditioner from the Radisson Blu so I used that. I did appreciate that the little wire basket also included a few hooks we could use for wash cloths.

aloft Munich shower toiletries

The Gym

The gym was a little hard to find as it was in a back corner of our guest room floor and not on the ground floor or in the basement. It was not large but it had a few cardio machines as well as a small selection of weights. If needed I’d be able to get my heart rate up here.

aloft Munich gym

aloft Munich gym

In the end

I’d be fine with staying here again while in Munich. It’s so conveniently located and there are numerous restaurants and cafes in the area. It also seemed to be popular with folks attending a conference in the area so you might do well to lock in your dates as soon as your plans are firmed up.