We visited to attend a concert on Saturday night, and this hotel worked out very well.

There was quite a queue at check-in (it appears that Lufthansa use this hotel for crew, so they have large groups arriving regularly en masse), but once we were attended to the Reception and check-in was very friendly and swift. None of this having a booked/prepaid room, and then Reception spending 15 minutes and saying 'Let me see if I can find you a room, oh you know I don't think I can, apart from this one which is the opposite of what you wanted and have already paid for' [pet bug-bear, sorry!].

The room was very nice, a king-size. All very contemporary, fresh and clean. The bed was incredibly comfortable. 3*2 sets of pillows and a bolster.

There are some notable extras that you might want to be aware of. Euro25 for breakfast (I'd hope it's good!). E12.50 for either wi-fi or cabled connection. There is a 24/7 convenience shop in the lobby, again it is pricey. These might not matter on a business trip, but as a leisure traveler they would rack up. There are scores of cafes etc minutes way in the station, and scores more and a broader range not far of a walk beyond.

The location is great. In that it is a two hundred meters stroll from the main station, but it is in a very quiet location for being so central. We would walk back in the evening past the cathedral, towards the station and it was rowdy, football fans, police vans, drinking, and so on. Go through the station emerge the other side = peace and quiet! 200m further on up a small street, the hotel is an oasis of calm.

In fact this might rank as one of the most peaceful hotels in which I have stayed. I did not register any noise from adjacent rooms at all apart from a few room doors banging shut in the morning. But it seems to be a German thing that fire-doors are incredibly thick (3"?) and heavy. We also noted that the volume buttons on the TV remote, and TV itself did not function, whereas all the others did. It would not surprise me if this function was disabled for the sake of peace and quiet. Just don't expect to be able to hear the TV if your traveling companion is in the shower, and in any case you won't hear it at all from c.4 metres away if in bed.

On check out we were running a bit late, and over-ran noon check-out by maybe 30-40 minutes. We had no 'You know the time, you are checking out aren't you?' calls. Reception also had no problem holding a bag for us until well into the evening after the check-out.

From the hotel it was five minutes stroll back to the station, and thence 14 minutes to the airport. It's that simple a taxi would be a burden in comparison.

Lovely hotel in a great location. Just a couple of minutes from the main train station and the Dom cathedral. Stayed 2 nights here. Friendly check-in staff. Checked in around 1pm, unpacked and refreshed, and left hotel around 3pm. Came back at 10pm, just to discover that someone had taken over my room. I was enraged that I had to prove to them that I was the initial legitimate occupier. To their credit, the manager sorted out the confusion quickly and I was moved to another room, and they waived all my incidental charges (car park, internet and breakfast).

Buffet breakfast was delicious. Not cheap at €25 per head. Parking is very narrow - €25 per day. Internet is charged at €12.50 per 24 hours. Very comfortable stay overall, typical of Marriott standards. If not for the breach of security and my privacy, I would have given this hotel a four or five star rating (but will have no hesitation in returning to this hotel).

I’ve stayed at Marriott Hotels all over Europe and have come to expect a high standard of quality & service that defines the “Marriott” brand. So I graded this hotel not on what was expected – but what was not . . . those little perks & quirks. The highlight of the perks is the location and the personable concierge. A short five minute walk from the main train station make this place is ideal for a stay in Cologne. Most of the major sites are in walking distance from the train station - the rest were easily accessible by U-Bahn. We visited Cologne in late November to enjoy all of the cities Christmas Markets – so having the train station down the street made getting around the city effortless. When we needed assistance, the concierge desk was always ready to answer questions, provide a map, or make a recommendation. As far as quirks –WiFi internet, the Executive Lounge set up, and yes, the Concierge service need some fine tuning. The WiFi service allowed only one electronic item at a time per room to be connected – so if my wife connected via her iTouch, my laptop could not connect. Once one item disconnected, it took a good 5-10 minutes before you could connect a 2nd item. The furniture in the Executive Lounge is set up more for cocktails – not a meal; mostly 2-person tables – made it uncomfortable for larger groups or to eat breakfast. Yes, the Concierge needs to add “confirmation procedures” to their operation – we requested dinner reservations – they said don’t worry. So without a confirmation, we went to the restaurant to discover – no reservations were made. Also, we ate in the hotel dining room one evening – my wife’s meal was not very good, so I recommend trying some of the restaurants in the city.

The Marriott is a good standard, with reliably comfortable beds and this one was no exception. What was exceptional (exceptionally bad) was the rudeness and unhelpfulness of the staff.

We had a large room, a very comfortable king bed, all the amenities you expect from a business hotel (wifi was fast but not included in the room price) and the building is close to the train station and the Dom.

Still, once again this place proves that lousy service can let down even the most carefully designed hotel. A real shame - I wish I'd listened to the many Trip Advisor reviews making similar points and avoided the Marriott this time. I came away with a bitter taste in my mouth.