Erzherzog Johann

This property was perfect for my 7-night stay in Graz -- Austria's second-largest city with over 300,000 inhabitants. The building, public areas, and guest rooms are well maintained, and retain their 19th-century charm. The A/C in my room actually worked, a real plus with afternoons of 30C/87F temperatures. The breakfast buffet was excellent, and the hotel staff was warm, welcoming, and helpful. The hotel was about 150 meters from the central square, where several tram lines converged. With a 20-Euro week pass, I could travel anywhere, although there was much to see on foot within the range of a 20-30 minute walk.

I cannot understand this negative criticism regarding the cleanliness of the room. I have been in this hotel for a week now. I felt completely at home, just a stone's throw from the main square. Parking directly in front of the door is wonderful. The only points of criticism are not the hotel's fault; there are too many one-way streets. As a small tip, it's best to enter 'Schlosshotel' into the GPS and then turn right. Driving to the hotel is allowed, and I must emphasize this. The breakfast buffet was sensational. The check-in was also wonderful. And my room had a bathtub, which I had previously requested, and it was fulfilled. As a small tip, reserve a parking space in front of the hotel in advance. There are only three of them.

I selected this hotel because of its central location in Graz and its four-star classification. Unfortunately, the overall experience was mixed. The main difficulty concerned the air conditioning. My room, located on the top floor with direct afternoon sun exposure, became very warm. Although an AC unit was installed, there was initially no way to operate it. When I approached reception, I was told that guests were generally not allowed to use the air conditioning unless management considered it necessary. As someone sensitive to higher temperatures for health reasons, this was quite problematic. After I contacted the General Manager directly, the hotel eventually provided a remote control for the AC, which I appreciated. However, this occurred only after roughly half of my stay had already passed. Additional issues included missing advertised amenities (no coffee maker and no minibar), unclear housekeeping procedures, and staff entering despite a “Do not disturb” sign. The hotel’s location is truly excellent, but the service consistency and guest communication would benefit from significant improvement.