In summer 2020 I had the opportunity to test the Steigenberger Munich Hotel. Because of the Covid-19 lockdown and the almost complete breakdown of the travel business, I was able to get a very good rate for an overnight stay. Of course I took advantage of this immediately. So here is my in-depth review of Steigenberger Hotel Munich.
Note: I’m testing hotels in Munich myself (I pay for it myself) and I’m not invited by the hotels. The reviews are therefore not a paid advertisement but honest opinions. At the end of this website, you can book the hotel through an affiliate link or affiliate search tool.
Location
The hotel is located in the northern part of the city district „Schwabing“ at the so-called „Mittlerer Ring“, an expressway that surrounds the city centre. For general information I recommend you to read the article „Munich Hotels: The Steigenberger Munich (4*/5*)“ first.
The quarter where the hotel is located consists mainly of residential buildings and a few offices. It is a quiet and safe quarter with some shopping facilities. Only a stone’s throw away are the renowned new buildings of the so-called „Schwabinger Tor“, a wealthy residential and office complex, which also houses the luxurious 5-star Andaz Munich Hotel. In addition, the quarter also houses the star gourmet restaurant „Tantris“. Especially the connection to Munich Airport via the autobahn and the Luftahnsa ExpressBus (learn here about the Lufthansa Express Bus and how to use it) make the hotel an ideal starting point to discover Munich.
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Public Transport & Getting there
The hotel is quite well connected to public transport. Within walking distance there is a tram stop („Am Münchner Tor“), as well as a subway stop („Nordfriedhof“). The tram takes you to the pulsating heart of Schwabing, the „Münchner Freiheit“ square. Unfortunately the tram does not go any further and you have to change there. However, since Münchner Freiheit is a real hub, you can take the subway there, which takes you directly to the city center or to sights like the Allianz Arena, the Olympic Center or the BMW World.
If you wish to get into the city centre without changing trains, I recommend walking a few minutes longer to the subway station „Nordfriedhof“ (Northern Cemetery).
Right at the station „Nordfriedhof“ there is also the bus stop for the „Lufthansa ExpressBus“. This bus takes you directly and without any further stops to Munich International Airport. For those of you who haven’t heard of the Lufthansa ExpressBus yet, I recommend reading the article „Lufthansa ExpressBus“.
In case you arrive with a (rental) car, there is always the question of a parking space.
There are two options here to park your car. Either you park your car in the streets around the hotel (free) or use the hotel’s underground car park (for a fee of 25.00 EUR / ~30 USD / ~16 GBP / ~41 AUD).
For the review I arrived by car. In advance I could already see on the hotel website that 25 € per day will be charged for the underground parking. To be honest, I think this is a bit too expensive, especially because it is a safe residential area. But as a local I already knew that in Munich’s residential areas, there are often problems with free parking spaces, as many residents also park their cars there.
And indeed – when I arrived, every parking space in the streets around the hotel was occupied. But I was lucky and one of the residents left his parking-space right in front of the hotel, so that I could immediately take it. I think that Steigenberger could get a lot of karma points if the parking garage would be offered at a lower cost.
Lobby & Lounge
You enter the Steigenberger Munich through a revolving door and immediately find yourself in the large lobby with seating and the elevators to the rooms. The reception is located in a separate area to the right of the entrance. In the lobby, large leather couches invite you to relax. Behind the elevators you will find the entrance to the restaurants and the bar.
During the summer months, you can also sit down outside (terrace). In my case due to the Covid-19-pandemic the terrace was closed.
The check-in was very pleasant. As the Covid-related lockdown was not long gone, the hotel was practically empty. It looked like I was the only guest (which of course was not true). A very polite young man assigned my room and apologized many times that I had to give additional information about my stay on an additional slip of paper due to the Bavarian Covid rules (in case of an outbreak in the hotel, the hotel would contact you via cellphone).
I was given a room on the fifth floor. I booked a „Superior Plus Double Room“ which differs from the „Superior Double“ rooms in that they are located on the top two floors and are slightly larger. The corridors of the hotel were very impressive in grey and silver and on the walls you could see 3D-prints of Munich sights, for example the Bavaria statue or the iconic Church of Our Lady.
Rooms
The Superior Plus Double Room was located on the fifth and thus highest floor of the Steigenberger München.
Through the pretty, central glass lift, you can travel from the lobby to the particular floor. When entering the room the enormous size was immediately noticeable. It was a corner room, which is designed to fit the shape of the building. Compared to the other rooms of this category, the corner rooms offer a very nice room layout, which I enjoyed a lot.
The living and sleeping area was located in the righthand part of the room with a view of the Highlight Towers (high-rise building complex) and the Mittlerer Ring (expressway). The entire room was nicely designed in brown and grey tones. There was also a wooden floor (laminated I think).
in the left part of the room was the bathroom with shower and two sinks. The bathroom was very spacious with a huge mirror. Everything you needed was available. Towels in three sizes, a good hair dryer, and cosmetic tissues. However, an amenity kit was not provided. Hand soap, shower gel and shampoo were provided in bulk dispensers.
The shower and toilet had a very modern design. However, I liked the shower the most. It was a rain shower with an additional showerhead. The temperature and also whether the water should come over the rain shower or over the showerhead could be adjusted with buttons that almost look similar to an elevator. The water temperature was indicated by a LED display. Shampoo and shower gel were also provided from a bulk dispenser.
In total, the bathroom was very nice, and also the rain shower was very pleasant. I liked the indirect illumination and the modern shower. But what I particularly liked about this bathroom was that the floor-to-ceiling window front also covered the bathroom. Of course, you can use a curtain if you need some more privacy.
Bedroom/living room
The bed as well as a generous seating area with two chairs and a table, as well as a fairly large desk was located in the right-hand area of the room. Here, as well, were floor-length windows, which could be darkened with curtains, but also with outside sunblinds. Thus the view was spectacular. The bed was aligned in an east-west direction and it was theoretically possible to watch the sunrise from the bed, as long as another hotel wing would not block the horizon.
There was also a large smart TV with many German, but also other programs, especially anglophone news channels as well as French and Chinese TV channels.
The special thing about the Smart-TV was, however, that you also get a lot of information about the hotel and its services. I especially liked the digital pillow menu. Unfortunately, I found out that this could only be viewed in German language. I did not request a special pillow, but I really liked the fact that I could theoretically get a horsehair pillow or a spelt-lavender pillow.
Other features
Since the room was very large, there was also a relatively large entrance area where you could store your suitcase, shoes and wardrobe. I rarely had a room where you had so many storage spaces, cupboards and drawers for your clothes. Here the designers really tried hard to get as much out of the room as possible and they did.
Room Equipment
In the room, there was also a coffee making facility as well as see-through a fridge. You could either prepare hot water for instant coffee or tea in the kettle or use the Nespresso machine (Nespresso Pixie) which was also available. Two Nespresso coffee capsules (type ristretto) were provided free of charge. A bottle of mineral water (glass bottle, brand Staatl. Fachingen) was provided free of charge in the refrigerator.
Wellness & Spa facilities
The Steigenberger has a pretty large wellness area. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic this area was only accessible for a certain number of people. I had a short look at the wellness area, but I could not take any pictures, because there were some guests present. On the official website you can find some photos of the wellness area:
https://www.steigenberger.com/hotels/alle-hotels/deutschland/muenchen/steigenberger-hotel-muenchen/spa-wellness
Restaurant & Breakfast
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all restaurant and bar facilities in the Steigenberger Munich were closed. So I could not test the breakfast nor the bar with its famous „beer-crystal“, a huge yellow illuminated refridgerator in the middle of the bar area. The bar offers many different tyoes and brands of beer from all over the world.
Conclusion
Overall, the Steigenberger Munich is an impressive hotel of the 4- or 5-star class. Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I could not try out all the possibilities the hotel offers.
I recommend this hotel for business travelers, but also for couples who have been to Munich before and would like to explore other parts of the city that may not be that central. For families and travelers who want to be as central as possible or only have a limited time in Munich, I would not recommend the hotel, because there is simply too much time lost to get to the tourist attractions (downtown).
Ratings
The Steigenberger Munich has extremely good ratings throughout the Internet:
Google: 4.5 (of 5)
Booking: 8.6 (of 10) „Excellent“
tripadvisor: 4.5 (of 5) „Excellent“
Holidaycheck: 5,4 (of 6)
Expedia: 4.4 (of 5) „Excellent“
trivago: 8.6 (of 10) „Excellent“
Agoda: 8.6 (of 10) „Excellent“
Wheretostayinmunich.com Rating
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Alternatives:
As mentioned, I would not particularly recommend the hotel to travelers who want to be as central as possible, or have limited time in Munich (e.g. a weekend). But what alternatives are there for these travelers?
I would recommend these travelers to consider the following hotels:
- Platzl Hotel Munich (Located centrally in Munich’s Old Town)
- Hotel MIO by AMANO (Located centrally in Munich’s Old Town)
- LOUIS Hotel (Located centrally in Munich’s Old Town)
- Hotel an der Oper (Located centrally in Munich’s Old Town)
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