Location: The Art Hotel Köln is located at Heidestraße 225, in the Wahnheide district, in the south-eastern part of Cologne and definitely much closer to Cologne/Bonn Airport than to the historic city centre. That is really the hotel’s main feature: it is not the kind of place to choose if your goal is to walk out of the front door and find yourself standing in front of Cologne Cathedral, but it can be particularly convenient for anyone arriving by car, catching a flight, attending a trade fair or event, or simply looking for a quiet place to stay away from the chaos of the city centre. Cologne/Bonn Airport is about 5 minutes away by car, while reaching central Cologne takes considerably longer. The surrounding area is mainly residential and quiet; there are still restaurants, shops and everything you might need for a short stay nearby, while for nightlife and the city’s main attractions you will inevitably have to head towards the centre.
Room: The Art Hotel Köln is a fairly small property, with only a limited number of rooms available in Single, Double and Triple categories. Don’t expect a modern glass-and-steel airport business hotel: this is a small, simple hotel with traditional furnishings and no unnecessary frills, but overall it is pleasant and comfortable. The rooms are basic and mainly intended for anyone spending one or two nights in the area without wanting to spend a fortune. A TV, table or desk, wardrobe and heating make up the basic equipment. Some details may look a little dated, but the room sizes are adequate and the bed is comfortable enough for a good night’s sleep after a day or evening out. In short, it is not the sort of room where you would want to spend half the day, but for leaving your luggage, taking a shower, sleeping and heading off again, it is more than sufficient.
Bathroom: The rooms have a private bathroom with shower, toilet, washbasin and hairdryer. Here too, everything is more functional than luxurious and some of the finishes may show their age, but you essentially have everything you need for a short stay. Space in the single rooms is not huge, but considering the hotel’s category and the kind of use it is generally chosen for, this is not a particular problem.
Facilities: The Art Hotel Köln is a no-frills hotel and the facilities are in line with its price range. Wi-Fi and parking are available, and check-in can also be arranged at times suitable for guests arriving in the airport area. Breakfast is also offered, although of course the price and whether or not it is included depend on the booking you make. Pets are allowed for an additional charge, and extra beds or cots can be requested. There does not appear to be a lift, however, which is worth keeping in mind if you are travelling with particularly heavy luggage. Standard check-in is normally available during the afternoon and evening, while for later arrivals it is advisable to make arrangements with the hotel in advance.
Cleanliness: The overall level of cleanliness is good and appropriate for the hotel’s category. Both the room and bathroom are tidy, and the general impression is of a simple but well-maintained property. Some of the furniture may look dated and a few finishes could probably do with an update, but there is an important difference between a hotel that is not particularly modern and one that is poorly maintained: the Art Hotel Köln definitely belongs to the first category.
Prices: Rates vary quite a lot depending on the period, especially during trade fairs, exhibitions and events in Cologne. Hotels around the airport are generally not particularly cheap and, if you book at the last minute, you should not expect to find any amazing bargains. In this case, a single room booked the evening before cost 74 euros through Agoda, which was more or less in line with the average price of accommodation in the area and perfectly acceptable considering that the booking was made practically at the last minute.
Notes: The Art Hotel Köln is a small, pleasant and comfortable hotel about 5 minutes from the airport, perfect for a short stay of one or two nights. And for anyone travelling alone, the single room is a good choice: small, but comfortable. The price, which generally ranges between 60 and 80 euros, is not exactly cheap in absolute terms for such a simple property, but average hotel prices near the airport are more or less in that range and, above all, having booked only the evening before, I could hardly expect to find some incredible deal. In my case, all I wanted was somewhere to leave my backpack, take a shower and head to the Babylon Saunaclub, then return to the hotel at around one in the morning and sleep until noon while waiting for my flight home. For that kind of use, the Art Hotel Köln turned out to be exactly what I was looking for: close to the airport, quiet, welcoming enough and without any unnecessary complications. It is not the sort of hotel you choose to enjoy the facilities, and in fact it feels more like a small family-run guesthouse, but if you simply need somewhere to leave your luggage, take a shower and go out, then come back late and sleep until it is time to head back to the airport, it does the job perfectly.
Prices and availability on Agoda.com
