Hilton Cologne

BACKGROUND Open since 2002, in recent years (2016-21) the hotel has undergone extensive refurbishment, including all rooms, public areas, bars and meeting rooms. Last year around €2 million ($2.18 million) was spent on remodelling the entrance and introducing a new restaurant and bar – Pigeon Post.

WHERE IS IT? A five-minute walk from the main train station and only five minutes from Cologne Cathedral.

WHAT’S IT LIKE? The 296 rooms were refurbished in 2016 and are on floors one to seven. The building used to be Cologne’s postal savings bank and the original building has been retained, though you only really get a sense of it from the exterior (stand on the other side of the road and look up at the listed 1950s design). It does explain the higher ceilings and consequently larger windows in many of the rooms. When it was converted into a hotel and opened in 2002, an extra wing, out of sight from the front, was added, and this has 72 rooms and the fitness centre in its basement. Rooms have views either to the front towards the Dominican Church or to the back across a narrow but quiet street to some residential apartments.

ROOMS All rooms are smart and modern, with good-quality wood floors and all necessary technology, including two-speed wifi (free and premium at $10.80 per day – the free wifi was fast enough) and multiple plugs (including UK options) for charging by the work desk and USB sockets by the beds. Entry level Queen rooms are 21 sqm, with King guest rooms 32 sqm. All rooms have fridges, showers, air conditioning, large flatscreen LCD TVs, kettle for tea and co ee, and complimentary toiletries – the suites have Crabtree and Evelyn amenities.

FOOD AND DRINK The Konrad restaurant (named after the former mayor of the city and then chancellor, Konrad Adanauer) is open for breakfast, but the new Pigeon Post Bar and Eatery is the place for evening meals and drinks. Designed by UK agency Thdp, it takes its theme from the former use of the building as a postal savings bank, though mainly the postal bit, and has collages of maps, and black-and-white photos on the walls. There is a central rectangular bar with high chairs and comfortable, curved booths along the

The new Pigeon Post Bar and Eatery is the place for evening meals and drinks

walls with velour upholstery to sink into, plus some more traditional tables for dining. In the evening the lights go down, the music is turned up slightly and the ambience is that of an upmarket brasserie, with friendly bar sta happy to chat as they take your order. If you want somewhere a bit quieter, one end of the Konrad restaurant has been turned into a lounge where you can have drinks from the bar or also just read or work. Menu items include main courses for $14-$23 with a couple of excellent vegetarian and vegan choices, along with more traditional and regional food ranging from a medium-boiled rump of veal with horseradish sauce to hotel classics such as a club sandwich with fried chicken breast, bacon, egg, avocado and garden cress salad with crispy fries for $18.50 MEETINGS There are extensive meeting facilities on the ground floor, including a ballroom for 250 for a banquet.

LEISURE There is a good-size gym with modern equipment on the basement floor, along with sauna and treatment rooms, though these were shut at the time of our stay because of COVID.

VERDICT This is a great example of a refurbished main brand Hilton. The location and service are hard to beat.

Tom Otley

BEST FOR Excellent location, destination bar and restaurant, plus friendly service in the centre of Cologne

DON’T MISS A drink and evening meal at Pigeon Post, followed by a short walk to see Cologne Cathedral by night

PRICE Internet rates for a flexible midweek stay in April started from $140 for a Queen guest room

CONTACT Hilton Cologne, Marzellenstraße 13-17, 50668 Cologne, Germany; +49 221 130710; hilton.com