There are so many positive aspects about Hotel Roter Hahn. First, it is very easy to make a reservation with a direct e-mail. The location is very central, with easy walking access to the downtown pedestrian zone that has shopping and an array of wonderful restaurants. Upon check-in we were given a "pass" that allows for bus rides all over the city and discounts to various attractions. We had a car, so we just used the discount portion of the card. There is an indoor swimming pool and sauna that is just wonderful after an active day of skiing or hiking. Both on the first floor where our room was as well as the ground floor, there was a "living room" with couches & tables and chairs where you can relax and read, or have a drink at the end of your day.

Our room had a balcony with a wonderful view of the mountains. The bathroom was spacious by European standards with a large tub and shower combo. Breakfast is included with the room.....wow what a wonderful buffet! More than you can imagine. Juice, cereals, yogurt, a variety of fresh fruit, dried fruit, a large variety of cheese (a great way to try out new cheeses every day!), various cured meats put out every morning, soft boiled eggs, bread for toasting and a large basket of wonderful baked breads. Free flowing coffee and tea! You get the idea? A great way to start the day when you have a big day of skiing and/or hiking ahead of you.

The owners Stephan and Julie Emslander are wonderful hosts, and make your stay very enjoyable.

I recently stayed at the Roter Hahn and picked the hotel through trip advisor but was totally not properly informed. Upon my arrival the owners were gracious and informative.But that is where it ended. We went to th room and found it much smaller then I anticipated.The room was clean but it was really small . The entrance to your room is through the use of a key and to lock the room the key must also be used from the inside which could create a risk in case of fire. The staff of the hotel is only on site until 8:00 PM and then you are on your own. The hotel is easy to find in that the three story construction site across the street which also has a five story crane which can be observed from most locations in town.

This hotel claims to be a 3 star establishment and currently offers "special" rates (88 euros per night for a tiny double room) due to construction going on right in front of it. Well, I would say that the view of the costruction site just in front of the windows, a tiny room smelling of stale smoke, low water pressure in the tap and bad need for a serious renovation (the balcony has no trace of paint, let alone flowers) should warn anyone wishing to have a good night's rest against staying at this hotel. Because of the bad smell in the room we could not sleep with a closed window. So we had to open it and use ear plugs to have so much needed rest. The ear plugs did not help much though.
The good things about Roter Hahn are a small indoor swimming pool, breakfast and an elevator.
I found the guy at Roter Hahn's reception to be quite rude when we complained about the smell, noise, etc. He said that all their guests are always happy and that we would be better off in a four-star hotel. He was nice enough to let us check out the next day without a penalty though.
As we did not need an elevator or a swimming pool, we were happy to check-out and move to a really nice and less expensive gasthof in the old town (less than 3 stars as having no elevator or a swimming pool, but with a great view on the old town, no construction site, historical interior and very nice owners).
So my recommendation is to look for something different if you consider staying at Roter Hahn.

My husband and I had a wonderful 5 day stay at Hotel Roter Hahn. Both Stephan and Julie, the owners, couldn't have been more helpful and always wanted to ensure that we were enjoying our stay. The Hotel is centrally located to absolutely everything, and the beginning of the pedestrian shopping area was just steps away. Despite the current construction on a new building directly across the street from the Hotel, our room was very quiet. It was decorated in a simple and charming European simplicity and was extremely clean. While the Hotel did not have a restaurant they did offer a splendid breakfast buffet every morning with the traditional German offering of fresh breads, cheeses, meats, eggs, cereals, yogurts and various spreads. The daily Bonus was Julie's (originally from Canada) wonderful freshly baked cakes or breads (banana was super yummy) which reminded us of home, or sitting in your Mamma's kitchen, because there is nothing like North American sweetcakes comfort food. Hotel Roter Hahn has an absolutely awesome heated in-door pool and sauna. Very refreshing after a day of tourist attractions and shopping and we thoroughly enjoyed them every day on our stay there. We were visiting family stationed there, but enjoyed all the tourist attractions which surround Garmisch. Too many to list here, but our car rental paid for itself and enabled quick access to both Linderhof Palace (45 min.) and Neuschwanstein Castle/Hohenschwangau Castle (1hr.15min). Beautiful drives to both with phenominal mountain scenery but I would recommend planning your visits at either of those locations early as the crowds were thick and lines very long. Neuschwanstein Visitor Center recommends 3 options to get to the Castle: an extremely steeper-than-steep walk up which takes about 35-45 min. if you are in top shape (!); a horse-drawn carriage ride for 6 euro one way in which even the poor horses struggle the steep incline; or, a bus which runs less frequently. Hotel Roter Hahn became our home for 5 days and we definitely plan to return. In the meantime, we recommend Hotel Roter Hahn to any and everyone planning their trip to beautiful Garmisch-Partenkirchen Bavaria. A lovely hotel in a wonderful town!