Victor's Residenz-Hotel Erfurt - Erfurt, Germany     

... and if it weren't for the location, which is outside of the Old Town, then for all. The hotel is a new one in a nice 1900s residential area, in walking distance to the large public swimming pool (very good for laps; hotel guests receive a discount), the Thuringian State Parliament and some ministries (the best and actually only hotel for business there), and the famous Gunda Niemann sports arena and ice skating rink (famous if you are interested in such things). Easy access with car from the Autobahn and by train, as a tram stop is nearby. Hotel guests get a free ticket for public transport for the duration of their stay. The interior is a bit neobaroque-glitzy with much peach and gold, but pleasant; the staff is very well trained and friendly to the point of intrusiveness (I lost my train of thought during colplex talks over lunch three times because the waitress inquired whether all was fine, which it was, but this may be my problem. :-)) The rooms are very large, the windows good (important because the hotel is at a noisy intersection), the bathroom very large and with good fittings. On the downside, internet is expensive, sometimes even doesn't work (weak W-LAN), and I don't like fixed soap dispensers etc. in hotels of this class (which in many ways is bordering on the ****, just health facilities and better supplies are missing). An interesting feature is the lobby restaurant, which doesn't look like much, but it's by Gault Millau standards the 2nd best in Erfurt (after the Kaisers?le, which is really superb), and rightly - very good, no-nonsese fresh cuisine, not fancy, but high quality. Good breakfast as well. I would always choose this hotel in Erfurt, and I've been there many times and in many hotels, if I weren't a tourist wanting to see the city, in which case the IBB hotel is the nicest if you get a large superior room. The standard rooms in the IBB are much inferior to anything in Victor's, and no other hotel (even the Grand and places like that) comes close.