Hotel Dollenberg in the Black Forest has a fabulous location, staff, and facilities. A really luxurious hotel but friendly and family run. They didn’t tell us when we booked though that they had major construction underway which they really should have done, but they were impressed that some English people had driven all the way there and upgraded us and that did compensate. Room service a little shaky at times.

Stayed here several times over the years. Mixed feelings. The location in great, they also run a small restaurant across the valley called the Renchtalhütte. Superb location and yummy traditional German cuisine; perfect lunch-stopover on a hikingday.
Rooms are ok, but certainly no wow-factor here. Same counts for the food. The poolarea is too small for the number of rooms they have; it can be crowded there. Slippery floors and in the afternoon you'll still find cups and saucers from the morning tea/coffee, accompanied by full baskets of dirty (and far too small) towels.
The landlord is an arrogant robot; greating everybody in a far too forced semi-friendly way. In fact I could not stand the man; he obviously sees himself as the king of the valley. Surely he deserves a compliment for running a certainly succesfull business, but his slimy and unsincere attitude makes you want to keep him at an armlength, to say the least.
There are far better places around in the Black Forrest (Bareiss in Baiersbronn) but I have to say; the Renchtalhütte is one of the best places to have a true German lunch in Germany.
So what I said; mixed feelings about this place.

We went to Dollenberg with our two daughters aged two and seven. The room was nice and room service and cleaning staff was very attentive.
The food is good - and we definitely enjoyed it. The kitchenparty was really loads of fun. Staff is very, very friendly and tries to help out in any way they can. There was a playing area for the kids outside, We also went to the hut, which was fun and the opera in Baden Baden, which is really a must-do.
What was a bit less? Swimming pool somewhat small and only suited for playing. They are building new ones, I hope that includes one for laps.
Lunch was a no-no. Very limited (no) choice - and we did it only once.
Kids are very very welcome but the hotel lacks some basic facilities on this front: There was no inside playing area, no kids menu in the restaurant and only very limited flat water in the mini-bar. For kids there is not much to do except the one playing garden.
Lastly, people are still allowed to smoke in the inside bar, which is a real turn-off.
But really, apart from these smaller points we really had a very good time in a luxurious hotel with attentive staff, nice food, in a wholesome environment.

As the reviews here illustrate, the Dollenberg is a mixed bag and the service not consistently 5 star. For 5 star service, try the Oberoi Kolkata -- it's my fave hotel of 2009. Was just at the Dollenberg with my Mom for Christmas. If you know what to expect, you may be pleasantly surprised. There are parts that are lovely, surprise added bonuses and a world-class chef. There are also some things they can easily improve; I hope they will... I'd return again and again. So, here are the Pros and Cons:

Pros:
- Free Wireless Internet

- Loved that the Hut dinner experience was included in the half board price - that's a great perk. I'm nearly 40 and brought the average age down considerably, but it was fun nonetheless and a great added bonus during our trip. Would have loved to have more authentic, rustic Hut food, but you cannot fault the food at this place... it's outstanding. More choice would be better, though. At least letting you know that there's no choice or if special requests are accommodated and/or encouraged. The activities director, Frau Schmid (?), was delightful.

- The massage by Thomas was the best I've ever had and I am a connoisseur of massages all over the world. He is part masseur, part physical therapist. Really great! He delivered the nicest service I experienced there, too.

- My Mom and I had the pool and sauna area almost all to ourselves one morning. That was magnificent. It can get crowded, but they are expanding significantly.

- Breakfasts were great. Yum. Yum. Yum.

Cons:
- My experience with staff was mixed... sometimes nice, sometimes rude and arrogant or following policies that were really stingy (like making us pay for water out of the breakfast room during breakfast hours even though we wanted it because they were out and hadn't replenished it while we ate).

- They should provide water around sauna and massage areas. We had to ask repeatedly for water and then pay for it. Ridiculous. It's things like this that you can expect without a mention at a five-star hotel.

- More choice around the dinner and not making you sit with strangers at Christmas Eve would be better. The chef is truly gifted and made me a few substitutions, including the finest pasta with black truffles... it was really one of the best things I've ever eaten. Still it would have been great to have been given the **choice** to sit with others or alone and at least a few choices for what to eat. The chef is so good it's a shame to have to eat things you don't want or to miss out altogether because the menus are pre-set.

I would recommend the Dollenberg with a few caveats. Don't go expecting 5-star service, definitely take advantage of as many amenities/activities as you can, enjoy the Chef's creations and the walking trails, they are great!

Too bad the Fabulous Chef Herrmann is so far away: I'd love to have his paper-thin pasta with truffles again soon. He made big pieces of veal tender enough to cut with a fork. I have no idea how he did that.

We planned our whole trip around Kitchen Night and then got stuck at the Gotthard Pass for hours and missed it... next time I'd leave home earlier and do that for sure.