Aspire Oldenburg, Trademark Collection by Wyndham

It was supposed to be a wellness weekend with half board for five friends of ours and it ended in chaos. On arrival we encountered completely overworked staff and followed their request to stroll around the city first and check in later. No problem. We then had a problem when we wanted to check in after our stroll and the hotel told us that the single rooms we had booked and paid for were unfortunately taken. The young man searched for an hour and a half for a solution that was acceptable to us (a hotel with a swimming pool and sauna) and ultimately offered us three double rooms. So we had to share the rooms. Then we were told that there was no need to reserve the restaurants where we could have dinner because there were always enough tables reserved for hotel guests. Surprised and, above all, hungry, we set off, only to find that all the tables were taken. The whole thing happened again the next day in a different restaurant, even though the hotel had made reservations for us. Now for the wellness area: the swimming pool was large and, given the energy crisis, cold. Unfortunately, so much foam formed around the whirlpool that we didn't want to use it. Then we wanted to use the restroom and found the somewhat hidden entrance. We found ourselves in a construction site with an open ceiling, from which cables hung almost to the floor. The sauna area is visible from the swimming pool area, so it's best to wear swimwear. When we asked the manager about the construction site and the lack of restrooms, we were told we could go to our rooms instead. On the second evening, the hotel bar was closed due to a lack of staff, so we got drinks from a kiosk. On the second day, however, at least the breakfast was good. In summary: a hotel that is clearly showing its age; very friendly, but completely overworked staff; and a very hard-working manager who had to contact the hotel owner for every decision, which took up a lot of time – time that we actually wanted to use for other purposes. Now we have to figure out how to get the money we overpaid back.