We took a side trip to Erfurt while visiting a cousin in Berlin. We chose to stay at the IBB because reviews said the staff spoke passable English (we speak very little German), the restaurant was good, the rooms were decent, and parking was available. We found all of this to be true. The rooms might be small by spoiled-American standards, but our room was spotlessly clean and quite comfortable. We really enjoyed the meals at the restaurant. Garage parking was 10 euros a night, but we were grateful for the option of avoiding street parking. All in all, a positive experience.

Hotel is very well situated for exploring the old town and is is in a quiet side street location. Car parking is free. Staff were generally helpful and friendly. Breakfast was included in our Expedia price and was fine - nothing fancy. Rooms were comfortable but quite small for the price paid. Overall, if staying for a few days to see the old town (which is beautiful and not too touristy) or on business, the hotel is a good choice, but don't expect high luxury.

hotel's location next to the kramerbruecke is fantastic for walking all over erfurt's old city and for getting to local streetcar transit. staff are very helpful at helping one draft a walking tour. lots of cafes and restaurants all around the hotel. hotel restaurant very good food and the staff are very welcoming, even when you come in after 10 at night hungry for something to eat. the breakfast buffet is very rich in choices and the staff are very welcoming too. rooms a good size and place is quite quiet, very restful.

I know that's just a good idea in general, but the way their checkout service is organized, you're presented with a total and only get the itemized receipt after you've paid. I was overcharged and had difficulty with the front desk before the manager came out and took matters in hand.

PROS: Pretty good location in the middle of the "altestaadt" (old city center, the center of the tourist attractions) and convenient to the Anger and Fishmarkt tram stops for those on business. Within walking distance of posh shops and a drug store and lots of restaurants - but honestly, the Zum Schwan restaurant, which is attached to the hotel and provides its room service as well, is in the same price range as most of them and it has the best food in the neighborhood. Very nice young support staff at the desk and in the breakfast room. Attractive lobby. Nice to have a coffee-to-go station by the front door in the mornings, and fruit on the desk all day. Those were pleasant little touches.

CONS: I was overcharged 20 Euros a night (on a five night stay) and the first person I spoke with (the hotel director) had a grossly inappropriate and unprofessional reaction to my polite persistence in getting it fixed. There was a lot of screaming on her part. I've never seen anything like it at a hotel. Fortunately the actual hotel manager came out and after a much more professional and cordial conversation and reviewing my confirmation documents (the "direktor" kept waving around an email from the hotel TO the hotel as she screamed at me - switching from English to German midway even though she knew perfectly well I didn't know German, that felt like she was performing to the lobby full of people so they'd know what to expect if THEY stepped out of line). The actual manager agreed that the rate I booked through hotels.com should be honored, though evidently it should have been listed as a conditional rate available only to some sort of Airliner club member. I would be wary of them - her over-the-top reaction made me consider the possibility that this sort of thing happens regularly, because she didn't bother hitting any of the managerial postures between "polite" and "enraged" - she just went right there. Seriously shocking behavior when the hotel is striving for an upmarket image. So be careful and wary dealing with the financials.

Also, for the rates being charged, I believe the sheets should have been changed at least once during my four night stay, but they were not. The room was not particularly clean, but it wasn't dirty. When I checked in it was very nice and clean - but it wasn't getting cleaned during the day, though the bed was half-heartedly made up.

I sent a pair of jeans to the hotel laundry and they were returned to me reeking of beer. Top to bottom. As though someone had poured a bottle of beer into the rinse water. I don't understand how that could happen, but since I was checking out in the morning I ignored it.

I was originally put in a room that was right next to the elevator machinery, which was very loud and clanked in the wall the bed was against. Right next to your head. I immediately requested another room and was given one at the far end of the hotel - so far away that I was unable to use the wireless internet which was one of the reasons why I booked that hotel in the first place. I was told another room change was out of the question and that I could use the internet in the lobby. Not ideal for someone who likes to sit in bed and reply to emails and chat online with friends back home while in pajamas, anyway.

I like Sorat hotels. My favorite hotel in Germany is the Sorat Ambassador in Berlin, which has an amazing breakfast (the IBB Sorat in Erfurt had an OK breakfast, but not nearly of the same quality and variety). I would probably stay at a Sorat again. But I would not stay at the IBB Sorat in Erfurt again, definitely not for any length of time at least. A night or two would probably be ok, again, as long as you make sure they're not trying to pull a fast one on you at check out. Higher end hotels don't usually pull that sort of thing, but I suspect I'm not the first one to have had this problem based on the way it unfolded.