We have stayed in this hotel few times in the last 5 years. Amazingly, it is still very stylish and very hip. Everything little detail in the hotel is carefully designed. Rooms are also some of the most stylish rooms you will ever come across. Showers in the room are fabulous! Also - breakfast served is absolutely the best. Not to be missed.

Rooms are often spacious and well equipped, though you do need to take some time to learn how to operate the lights in the room / bath and how to locate the garbage dispenser in the bathroom.

My feeling is that often the design took a far more important role than the practicality - room keys do not operate smoothly, bathroom door is a smoked glass, so do not expect any privacy when using the toilets, and once you shave or brush your teeth over the uber hip bathroom sink basin,the whole wooden area around looks quite messy...

Finally - as a premium hotel, which charges quite a lot for 'Executive Rooms', it is always quite a shock to see you need to still pay extra for internet [hello, this is the year 2012 !!!]. We were told we could get 3 X 1 hour free charge but it still seems very cheap and very disgraceful when your room bill is around 300 Euro. And what is most annoying - the hotel claims it is 'not them', it is an exterior supplier. Shame.

Good News - the hotel's restaurant (M)eatery is sublime. Absolutely amazing food. Book a table.

We stayed for 2 nights in January 2012. We were very impressed with the architectural design- the rooms and hotel are absolutely stunning. We did have have difficulty getting connecting rooms for our teenage children and they ended up having to stay on a different floor to us. We booked "business rooms" as we were told they could connect, but that didnt appear to be the case once we got there? It ended up ok, but it was an inconvenience.
We also booked with Expedia and got a good rate including breakfast -at checkout they tried to charge us for breakfast. Luckily, I had the print out from Expedia, which they called in a supervisor to review but they eventually honoured it. The breakfast was unbelievable and we would highly recommend getting it included if you can (it costs about 23 Euros if you don't). You can create your own cereal, pancakes, bacon, eggs made to order, yoghurt, fruit, cheese, breads etc etc. Never seen anything like it!
The LOCATION is pretty good in that it is very close to the main shopping strips, walking distance to the Rathaus (town hall), St Nikolas church, etc etc. In fact, we were able to walk everywhere. It was very cold and wet when we were there so a boat trip was ruled out, but hot chocolate and berlina buns ruled in! ("Dat Bakhaus" bakeries are located everywhere and are CHEAP!)
The only issue for us (which is nothing to do with the hotel) is that we couldnt walk to the train station for the train trip to Berlin. Its 1.5km and too trickly to walk, so we had to catch a taxi (and the 6 euro journey didnt please the driver).

I often stay at this hotel when I go on business trips to Hamburg, and so far have never been disappointed. The hotel is quite typical boutique - clean, slick design, compact rooms with funky 60s design chique interior, cool bathroom with a nice rain shower (that took me about 10 minutes to figure out how to turn it on!) and all the usual amenities. The service is friendly and efficient. I did not have breakfast at the hotel, so I cannot comment on that. Overall, I think is it a great hotel equipped to a high standard in a good location.

What always blows me away though at the Side hotel is the (M)Eatery restaurant. It is one of Hamburg's best steak restaurants, quite upmarket with matching prices, but excellent, excellent steaks. I recommend the Argentine filet mignon which is melt in the mouth (quite small though) with a side of potato gratin. Mmmmm!! Spectacular. The deserts are rather disappointing, so don't bother with that - the steaks are the highlight. The service is impeccable as well, with very attentive staff. It is advisable to reserve in advance, particularly if trying to get a table Thursday - Saturday. Even when if you don't stay at the Side, the (M)Eatery is well worth a visit.

Stayed in the hotel for the 4th time. Always a pleasure. You must try the hotels restaurant M Eatery.