Mandarin Oriental, Munich

Good location, excellent view from high floor room

Rating: 8/10 My family and I stayed here in rooms 507 and 513 for two nights in July 2025. The Mandarin Oriental Munich offers a taste of polished luxury tucked into the city’s historic core. It’s elegant, comfortable, and full of thoughtful touches—but at this price point, even minor slips feel a bit louder than they should. Positives: • You can’t beat the location. Right in the heart of Munich’s old town and literally steps from the Hofbräuhaus. Whether you’re chasing bratwurst, a riverside run, or a stroll through high-end boutiques, you’re perfectly placed. The Isar is just ten minutes away, with a shaded trail that offers a welcome reprieve from the summer heat and the chaos of the square. • The rooms hit all the right notes: spacious, well-appointed, with beds that strike the sweet spot between firm and forgiving. The air conditioning was more than just symbolic—an underrated triumph during Munich’s warmer months. And then there was the shower: equipped with a digital temperature display and precision controls, it was one of those details you didn’t know you needed until you had it. Now I want one at home. • Staff were warm and welcoming, bringing a genuinely friendly energy to the experience. Everyone we encountered seemed happy to be there, which, as any frequent traveler knows, isn’t always the case at five-star properties. • Room service delivered solid comfort fare when we needed it—well-executed and conveniently available, though prices leaned toward the eyebrow-raising end of the spectrum. Par for the course at a place like this, but still worth noting. Negatives: • The cost of entry is steep—even by luxury standards. It’s arguably the top hotel in Munich, but when you compare it to the likes of the Ritz-Carlton in Berlin, the price difference feels hard to justify. You’re not just paying for the name; you’re paying a premium for every single moment. • Our second room wasn’t ready upon arrival, despite it being well after 4 p.m. and us being very obviously travel-weary from a transatlantic flight. The staff was kind and offered drinks at the lounge while we waited, but when we didn’t express outrage, the effort stopped there. A proactive gesture—say, comping a small room service charge—would’ve turned that hiccup into a moment of brand loyalty. • Service was inconsistent in ways that felt beneath the Mandarin Oriental name. Room service carts sat far longer than they should’ve. Calling housekeeping produced a busy signal—every time. We even witnessed housekeeping hang up on the front desk over the phone. It wasn’t malicious—just a touch chaotic, and at this level, even small lapses start to matter.