Häcker's Grand Hotel Bad Ems

We spent five nights in this unique hotel with a fascinating history. It is set by the River Lahn in the beautiful spa town of Bad Ems. The facilities such as the thermal pool were superb and we made full use of them. The staff could not have been more helpful, the room was really clean and comfortable and the food excellent. It is unashamedly old-fashioned but is full of character and we had a superb holiday there. Highly recommended!

Beautiful reminder of grand spa style with wonderful thermal springs pool.

Great property with nice, tastefully detailed interior. Some rooms can be on the small side but are sufficient. Everything is nicely detailed. The sauna spa is good and you have choices. Not every choice was up to my preference but overall it was very good. The saunas are beautifully detailed and that adds to a special experience. The breakfast is very good with great panoramic seating. The coffee stood out as very drinkable. One thing I noticed, and it may just be that morning, there was a lingering cigarette smell in the breakfast area. As if smoking was allowed in a nearby room. The lobby had also an intense smell of some sort of incense which reminded me of these supermarket plug-ins. If you work there every day you will suppress the smell / intensity but as a guest it was a bit overpowering. The balconies on the Lahn side have an enjoyable view

This hotel felt like a ghost town. Big and probably stately in its day, it’s now a vestige of the past clinging on for survival. We enjoyed our stay in BadEms due to a lovely cafe in front of our hotel (unrelated) that was along the river, a great thermal bath complex run by the city (six blocks down the road, and a fun restaurant up the waldbahn funicular down the street called Bismarck. The breakfast at the hotel was very nice but the spa area is small for the size of the hotel and not very inviting.

Once upon a time there were Kaisers who liked to stay in huge, overly decorated, dark rooms with a retinue of servants at their beck and call, fulfilling any of wish a grand hotel like this was able to supply. Today these are mainly nostalgic rheumatic pensioners. We were looking forward to a three night stay with the amenities a "Grand" hotel would be expected to provide. The place was far from full, but is greatly understaffed. My husband has a back problem and the reception clerk was the only one available to help with our bags. One of the room's chairs was broken and husband almost broke his neck leaning backwards and hitting the floor. Room was humming with all kinds of machinery noises, TV was not working, no Do Not Disturb sign - made one on the back of a laundry list (no stationery in the room), but the maid did not understand and woke us up to inquire what the sign meant. Reception (only there until 10PM) promised to fix chair and TV the following morning (no maintenance or housekeeping after 6PM) but did not until further complaints in the evening. Shower was out of soap (no toiletries supplied) but for some bathroom cleaning spray left lying on the shelf. Average age of hotel guests is around 70, but showers are slippery and have no safety handholds. We did not use the spa and have no comments. Breakfast is ample and diverse, but again, understaffed. In light of Climate Change and Global Warming it is worth noting that the Hacker Grand Hotel is not airconditioned.

HORRIBLE (SCHLECHT) experience. PROS: Friendly and courteous staff CONS: #1Cockroach (Kakerlaken im schlaffzimmer) #2 Loud (laut) Dripping noise from radiator (Heizung tropfen laut) around 3 a.m. and other mechanical noises emanating from elsewhere in building. #3 Dried dog food on bedroom floor (getrocken Hund lebensmittel im schlaffzimmer

I was in the area for a work trip. I surprisingly enjoyed my time at this hotel and would return. The decor in the rooms is dated but clean and the shower leaks all over the floor (the cleaning crew was good at cleaning this up). The wifi only works well in some parts of the hotel. The hotel is older but it has that old style charm that you just have to understand walking in the door. The breakfast is delicious with multiple options (eggs- scrambled and boiled, made to order omelets, cheese and meats, fresh breads and pastries, yogurts and fresh fruits fresh squeezed juice, nuts and oatmeal, sparkling wine for mimosas, etc.) and included in the rates. The Spa/ Sauna area was a great plus and helped to relax after a long day although it closes at 8pm. The restaurant was okay food but overpriced. There are several restaurants in the area that are much better/ reasonably priced.

The whole area felt like a pensioners retreat-many hospitals in area that seem to be for treatmrnt of age related osteopath problems. Hotel restaurant boring-dinner over by 8.30pm on the whole and expensive for what it is. Very little to do in bad ems itself bar hiking but neither the hotel nor tourist info centre could provide hiking maps. Generally too sleepy a place for anyone under about 70 years of age.

We wholly enjoyed our stay at this historic, classic hotel. It was especially nice that the spa facilities were in-house, extensive. and spacious.

Great property. Very elegant. Spacious. The heating system, while functional, is rather antiquated.

This facility is historic, although completely up to date, and the spa and thermal spring were both amazing. The finishes in the spa and hotel in marble and granite are fit for a king, and in fact Kaiser Wilhelm I made the Hacker his summer residence for many years in the latter part of the 19th century. The current owner has obviously made large capital improvements in this facility and the staff here was very helpful and accommodating. I don’t think current descriptions of this hotel really describe how wonderful it is, or the quality of its spa. We couldn’t have enjoyed it more!

Very good

The overall facility was spectacular, with a very nice wellness area that included saunas, pool and hot tubs. The breakfast buffet was also great, with a large selection of items including an omelette bar.

The Grand Budapest Hotel. But in Bad Elms. It's like out of the movies, with all the elegance and trappings of a 1930's hotel. Even the manager is Hungarian, who helps the old ladies all covered in makeup and furs to their cars. The food is not great, but it's typical of the area, the resteraunt is in the same style as the rest of the hotel and worth going to just for trappings and the view. The bar, I have never in my life seen such large drinks, gin and tonic is 90% gin and 10% tonic. A rum in a brandy glass and they have a good selection of Latin American rums was a good measure. The bar has a novel horse race track that keeps you fascinated for while. The bar man a generous host. I would go back to the Grand Budapest hotel of Bad Elms, dress in character, and look for the bell boy, he must be there somewhere.

The hotel was very nice. The only issue we had was with the bed. It was very hard and not comfortable at all. I loved the spa amminties and the old world feel of the place.

Disappointing stay. Reservations had no record of our booking. Room was noisy and smelly due to proximity to kitchen and ventilation systems. Poor value for money.

Overall a fantastic hotel with luxury spa facilities (non-German speakers should however be aware that those mixed-gender and textile-free). Charging extra for credit card payments in a way contributes to the out-of-this time atmosphere.

The hotel and its fittings and furniture have been restored to the glory it had in the days of European royalty and aristocracy. Everything is gold and tapestry, and attracts an older clientele. But the operation of the hotel fall far short of satisfactory, despite the high rates charged. The restaurant performance left much to be desired, with fancily presented food, but not not at all appetizing. It is hard to believe that smoking is still permitted in the only bar in the hotel, and that area simply stank of smoke, even when empty early in the morning.

Pros: beautiful location, friendly staff, good amenities, it was the only hotel at short notice near Koblenz where I had to go. Cons: terrible wifi signal in room 350 (found a free hotspot so used this), shower drainage didn't work so flooded the room (cleaners were excellent), room looked very dated (lots of beige and gold, not my thing!), safe didn't work (I had a car so took valuables with me), don't accept Amex and there was a 5 Euro charge to use a UK Visa debit.

This hotel should be a 5 stars.....but it is not even close....The building is superb and the clean and somewhat overly decorated lobby gives the impression of a 19th century palace. Unfortunately the service is just not up to par....there is no concierge service, so you have to carry your luggage yourself, No turn down service in the room, and our experience in the restaurant was just awful....We asked if it was possible to have just dessert and coffee, and immediately were treated like second class citizens. We were taken to a table at the very end of the restaurant with no chairs (!)....( chairs were brought up eventually....). The full length candle on our table was even replaced with a 2cm dying one.....all this with no smile and in a quite unfriendly manner. The bed in the room was the most uncomfortable we've had in a long time. The mattress was completely caved in.....and finally at the time of check out we were advised that if we wanted to pay with a credit card, we would be charged a supplement of €10.... When we expressed our surprise at this, we were shown a notice in German only...outlying their policy......I can't imagine that too many people these days would carry large sums of cash to pay hotels while traveling......so this looks like another way to to grab a few more bucks from unsuspecting guests....it' s unfortunate because the potential is there to be a world class property.