I booked this hotel because there wasn't anything else available in my price range as Kiel was packed for the Centenary of the German Navy's Submarine Service. Its location was superbly central. The ground-floor reception was friendly, then it was up in the lift to the higher end of what must be the tallest building in the city (This makes it so easy to find the hotel after a night out!) . The room was clean - I have never found a German hotel that wasn't - but decor of my single room was very dated. Wide views from the window, though.
Breakfast was on the very top floor with panoramic views on 3 sides, and it took the form of a very extensive buffet, with tea or coffee brought to your table, which was good (though the cream for the coffee came in those little pots that were not easy for some of the very elderly WW2 veterans to open.
I am pretty sure the staff spoke English, but as I can speak German this wasn't an issue.
Being part of a big event, with quite a few of my fellow delegates staying at this hotel, made it a fantastic long-weekend so it's hard to evaluate the hotel on its own. But for a city centre hotel it was a reasonably priced base, right in the shopping area, close to the ferries etc, and therefore safe.