Kaiserhof Victoria

First, let me write about the good and also state that I would gladly return. This is a very nice 4-star hotel. Not a 5, but a good, solid 4. Maybe even 4.5 star. It's extremely well located, extremely well maintained, extremely clean, very helpful staff, a great spa section, a breakfast buffet rarely seen in Germany with a dinner buffet, while not superior, I found to be more than acceptable. It does have a couple of drawbacks though (the bad). We stayed in the garden section and while we had cool rainy weather for the 6 days of our stay allowing us to open the windows, there is no air of any kind (A.C. or fan) in these rooms so we got lucky. It is my understanding however that the main building has A.C. in the rooms, but I could not verify it. You’ll want to check before booking in the warmer months. There is one major problem with this hotel, though, and that is "forced tipping". Everything is charged to your room and there is a section for "Trinkgeld" (tip) just above your signature, and every single person that is involved in the bill is always looking over your shoulder when you sign. Massage, restaurant, bar......... it doesn't matter. They are right there over your shoulder. It's as bad as the United States. I have always despised the tipping culture of the U.S., and it has always been one of the things I've absolutely loved about Germany in that they pay their people a living wage and tips are not expected being that it's part of the price you pay. But here, it feels forced. With these two caveats, I would highly recommend this spa hotel.