L'Arrivée Hotel & Spa

Amazing stay. Excellent experience. Everything was super excellent

Not sure if hotel management/personnel read my last review but ever since service has improved substantially. The air conditioning in the room is a bit weak, but the local area has been experiencing extreme heat. Quiet, comfortable, nice wooded location (albeit a 20min drive to the city), and now that the staff has improved their level of service I can increase my review to 4-Stars. If hotel owner/management wants 5-Stars they would need to invest in better toiletries, towels, and improve room service (an example of this is the room service menu is extremely sparse, yet you can order anything you want from the restaurant downstairs...I’m sure if management put a full room service menu in each room more guests would order more food...a plus for the guest and more profit for the owner with little added cost. Adding mini-bars to each room and pay movie options would also improve guest comfort and hotel profits. Overall the best hotel option in Dortmund.

The hotel itself is located in a beautiful area right next to a forest, and the rooms while not luxurious are very nice and comfortable. They rate this hotel as 4-stars but don’t expect 4-Star service. There’s no bellman, valet parking, and room service is more akin to food delivery rather than room service (my food came served on a plastic tray think University Cafeteria). The hotel staff is hit or miss and unfortunately the German hospitality mentality is very evident. No cheerful greeting when entering or leaving or walking past the front desk, employees usually sit behind a glass wall behind the front desk for some reason (tip to management, tear down this wall so the employees are forced to greet and engage with guests). Maid service is below average. Sheets were never changed even though there was a big food stain on them from my over indulgence of fine German chocolates. The bedside tables were not wiped down once over 3 weeks that I stayed here. If management would implement simple policies this could have been a 5-Star review (suggest appointing a supervisor to check rooms after they’ve been cleaned to ensure some sort of quality control). And the simplest thing, train your staff not to immediately answer every question with a stern “NO, it’s not possible”. I asked to extend my stay and the receptionists immediate reply was NOT POSSIBLE without even checking her computer. Then I was able to book online and extend my stay without issue from hotels own website???

Positives in the relaxed ambience of the location, a mix of business travelers and spa guests. Very nice quality and large breakfast. Clean and friendly staff. Sauna and pool are nice. Room for improvement is the spa services, which were sub-par in quality. Was completely disappointed in a service there and only refunded partially. In room no shower cap or robes and insufficient amenity kit, small things which could make a difference in level of service. Overall would stay again for the peaceful location and polite staff.