The Ritz-Carlton, Wolfsburg

The staff at the Wolfsburg Ritz-Carlton are kind and efficient, but the room we stayed in was a huge disappointment and nowhere near a five-star experience or worth the more than 700 Euros we paid for one night. Whoever designed the hotel must have felt that light switches were soooo last century, and instead the room is equipped with a number of touchpads to control the lighting. And since there are no switches to reach for in the dark, these tochpads (five in our room) are backlit when the light is turned off - which means that with the curtains drawn and all lights off the room is by no means in darkness, but cast in at sickly white glow. This badly disturbed my sleep, but then again, sleep might not have been possible even in darkness: The pillows of this five-star hotel were made of some nasty synthetic material, making them hot and uncomfortable to lay your head on while offering no support whatsoever for your head and neck. The duvet was also made of some sort of plastic and thus equally hot and uncomfortable. After my shower in the morning I was then astonished to find that the towels were thin, hard and scratchy on the skin. I can't say whether they were bought too cheaply or washed to many times without being replaced, but a tourist class hotel would be ashamed of these rags. I am tempted to give a one-star review for the blatant inconsistency between price and quality, but as mentioned the staff are very good, so for their sake I have added an extra star.

A really great stay (made even better by the restaurant Aqua). Bonvoy Platinum status well recognized (by even more than is required by the terms of the Bonvoy program, while many properties try to go slightly under what the terms call for). They upgraded my room to an Executive Suite (the Presidential Suite was occupied, so I don't know if that was on the table if it was open) which is a really incredible room: huge, impressive view, 1.5 bath (with the main bath having a massive amount of counter space etc. with 2 sinks/vanities separated by a tub). Water and chocolates were in the room as well. Good high qualities toiletries. All the things you might need (shaving kit, toothbrush set, sewing kit, comb) are already in the room, so you don't have to call down for them. This one may sound weird, but I do notice it when it is bad at a luxury property, so I will mention it here where it is good - very nice toilet paper. These kinds of things make a difference. Marriott should pay whoever runs this property to consult the American Ritz Carltons on how to actually provide the luxury a Ritz Carlton should. Excellent breakfast. Excellent service throughout the hotel. Good public areas. If you have to go to Wolfsburg for business, this is a good opportunity to bring your family with you and your kids will actually have fun. If you can get a table at Aqua, I highly recommend it.