I stayed at the Galerie Hotel in Leipzig for more than a week in July 2011. I was in Leipzig for business and was booked into this hotel by my workplace, so I didn't choose this hotel to stay at.

The hotel is located in the east end of the city. There are some shops around - two small low-end grocery stores are nearby, some Turkish restaurants etc. There are two tram stops nearby and it is less than a 10 minute tram ride to the main train station (where there is a mall with everything including 2 grocery stores and a post office).

However, as a solo female traveller, I did not feel safe in the neightborhood. There are a lot of abandoned buildings nearby and no one is around at night (except for the locals leaving the bars). I always had to take a cab back to the hotel in the evening and the cost for that adds up. Also, the hotel locks the front door at midnight, and you have to get buzzed in. Waiting alone at night after the cab left the first time for the door to open was not a fun experience to say the least.

The main draw of the hotel is that there is a lot of art work there and each room has a original piece of art. That was interesting and it was like a gallery there because of it.

However, the rest of the hotel is looking tired and outdated. The decor in the room was that of a typical motel (flowered bedspread, which had cirgarette burns in it), and 1970s style furniture. The TV was older as well and had 1 English channel (Eurosport network). There was a mini-bar and you had to pay 5 Euros for the internet (for your entire stay). The room was clean though and the bathroom was spacious, which helped.

There was a free breakfast and it had a huge selection - cereal, hot items (eggs, sausage), milk, bread, jam, yogart, fruit, meat, cheese and drinks. The staff at the breakfast was very helpful and always offered refills when needed. The breakfast room also doubled as the hotel's restaurant in the evening but I never ate there.

The staff at the hotel was very nice and always willing to help with directions to local attractions, calling a cab etc. They also have tram tickets available to buy (the 1.50 and 5 Euro ones), which is very helpful and saved me from the confusing machines most morning.

Overall, I wouldn't stay in the hotel again. I had an OK stay and the staff was great. However, I just didn't feel safe in the neighborhood and thought that the hotel is in need of renovations and updating.